Seth Fleetwood for Bellingham City Council, At-Large

Leadership

“I invite you to make a list of the issues that matter most to you and your family, and look closely at every candidate’s record, starting with mine.”

In its 2005 endorsement of Seth's candidacy for re-election to the Whatcom County Council, the Bellingham Herald said, “Fleetwood leads when leadership is needed…Fleetwood knows the most important issues facing the county and is a prime mover in addressing them in the right way. He is a leader at a time when our community needs them the most”.

The Herald recognized that the challenging issues we face require leadership that listens and learns, then makes tough, informed decisions. Seth's record speaks for his ability to do just that.


	Leadership		Details



	Two term member, Whatcom County Council		Seth ran for a seat on the Whatcom County Council in 2001 defeating two-term incumbent Marlene Dawson. He won reelection in 2005 and currently serves as the Chairman of the Planning Committee and Vice Chair of the County Council.



	Co-Chair, Countywide Housing Affordability Taskforce		In 2006, Seth and the late Joan Beardsley spearheaded an effort to examine the housing affordability crisis in our community. He was subsequently able to help secure funding for a consultant to assist the Countywide Housing affordability Taskforce in this endeavor.



	Co-Founder, Award winning Bellingham Community Growth Forums		In 2004, Seth and City Councilwoman Barbara Ryan conceived, and established funding for, the Bellingham Community Growth Forums. The effort resulted in recommendations for how Bellingham could thoughtfully grow that improved Bellingham without destroying neighborhood character while relieving pressure on continual expansion of our growth boundaries. The effort won an American Planning Association award.



	Sponsor, Resolution creating Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan, Lake Whatcom		In 2005, Seth met with leadership from the group, People for Lake Whatcom. They had expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of effort coming from local government to address stormwater problems on Lake Whatcom. Seth worked with the group to establish a work plan, with funding, to kick start this effort and establish a comprehensive stormwater management plan. The effort will, among other things, rank priority projects and seek to establish increased funding measures. The measure was unanimously approved by the Council and had the support of both environmentalists and developers.



	Sponsor, Ordinance rescinding Sudden Valley Urban Growth designation		In 2006, a small group of Sudden Valley residents sought to establish a new city on Lake Whatcom. Seth recognized that such a designation would establish increased urban density in precisely the location where we need to avoid it. Seth drafted and successfully championed an ordinance that rescinded the urban growth area designation for Sudden Valley, a required precondition to city incorporation.



	Former Chair, Bellingham Greenways Committee		Seth was appointed by Mayor Tim Douglas to the Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee in 1994. The Committee advised the City Council and the Mayor on how best to spend Greenways levy fund money on parks and trails. He served two terms in this role and was chairman of the Committee in 1997 and 1998.



	Co-Chair and spokesperson, Beyond Greenways Initiative		Seth was a prime architect of the 1997 Greenway's II levy, also known as Beyond Greenways. The successful effort resulted in 20 million dollars being raised through property tax assessments. The Fairhaven Village Green, the Taylor Street Dock, and the Squalicum Creek Park are but a few of the many public assets that resulted from this popular effort.



	Sponsor, Ban on dirty two-stroke outboard engines for Lake Whatcom		In 2004, a group of concerned local citizens sought to ban all boats on Lake Whatcom. The group failed to get sufficient signatures to effect this effort but did get enough to trigger a requirement that the Whatcom County Council vote, up or down, on the measure. Seth introduced a compromise version that sought to ban dirty two-stroke engines from our reservoir. The ordinance passed with a similar measure being adopted by the City Council of Bellingham shortly thereafter.



	Chairman, Whatcom County Planning Committee		Seth has served as Chairman of the Whatcom County Planning and Development Committee for the last five years. The Committee is presently embroiled in the complex task of determining how to accommodate state mandated population projections in the City of Bellingham and adjoining urban growth area, and whether these boundaries should be expanded into our finite rural areas.



	Sponsor, Zoning text amendment to create big box store mitigation		In 2006, Seth was asked to assist a group of local citizens concerned with the seemingly constant proliferation of big box stores. The group met over a period of months educating themselves on the consequences of this form of retail and on methods that might mitigate their effects. Seth, on their behalf, proposed zoning text rules that are presently under review by planning staff.



	Former boardmember, Washington Conservation Voters		Seth was an early member of the Washington Conservation Voter's Whatcom County chapter. The organization actively seeks to promote and support environmentally friendly candidates for local office. Seth served on this board for five years.



	Sponsor, Resolution opposing utility corridor through South Fork Valley		In 2005, the State contemplated creation of an expanded utility corridor through the beautiful and serene South Fork River Valley. The expanded corridor envisioned pipelines, truck lanes, and rail as the new north/south commercial route through Whatcom County. Seth worked with concerned residents and crafted a County Council resolution expressing opposition to this effort. The measure passed.



	Former boardmember, Clean Water Alliance		Seth was a founding boardmember of the Clean Water Alliance and its precursor, the Watershed Defense Fund. These organizations were Lake Whatcom's first environmental advocacy groups, founded by the trailblazer, Sherilyn Wells.



	Sponsor, Resolution supporting LIFT financing for Waterfront Redevelopment		In 2006, the City and the Port asked the County to participate in a new tax increment financing plan called LIFT (Local Infrastructure Financing Tool) as a means of securing additional public money to kick start the waterfront redevelopment project. Seth sponsored the resolution seeking County support for this joint effort. While the measure failed it demonstrated Seth's willingness to appropriate additional funds to stimulate creation of the waterfront visioning effort.



	Boardmember, Whatcom Transportation Authority		Seth has been a member of the Whatcom Transportation Authority's Board of Directors since 2002. The Board establishes budgets and key policy of the organization charged with providing public transportation throughout Whatcom County and Bellingham. Seth was an ardent supporter of a new, improved strategic plan for the organization in 2005 calling for, among other things, increased ridership through more frequent service.



	Sponsor, Resolution opposing Sumas powerplant SE2		In 2002, a controversial natural gas power plant was proposed in Sumas called SE2. The new industry was immensely unpopular both here in Whatcom County and to our Canadian neighbors who would receive the brunt of its pollution. Seth worked with concerned citizens and drafted a successful resolution expressing the County Council's opposition to this project on behalf of the citizens of Whatcom County.



	President, North Cascades Corridor Project to protect the Chuckanut Mts		Seth, along with Randy Walcott and Ken Wilcox, established the North Cascade Corridor Project in 1997, a Washington state nonprofit. The project was born out of an early effort to preserve Blanchard Mountain but quickly morphed into a grander effort to establish a green, protected zone from the Cascades to the Chuckanut Mountains, the only entirely forested area in western Washington reaching from mountains to sea. The project partnered with the Whatcom and Skagit Land Trusts and won a Paul Allen Foundation feasibility grant in 2000.



	Boardmember, Council of Governments		Seth has been a member of the Whatcom Council of Government's (WCOG) Board of Directors since 2002. The organization is represented by council members and mayors from all of the County's cities. The WCOG works on regional transportation planning issues important to Whatcom County.



	Former boardmember, Bellingham City Club		Seth was a member of the Bellingham City Club from 1999 until his election to the Whatcom County Council. The City Club is an organization dedicated to bringing citizens of diverse backgrounds together to address issues of common concern to our community. The City Club meets for monthly luncheons with invited speakers engaging in question and answers with participants.



	Winner Best Public Official, EveryOther Weekly 2002		Seth had the good fortune and fun of winning the best public official honor from the EveryOther Weekly in 2002. This publication has since become the Cascadia Weekly.