Western junior Isabel VanDerslice could spend more time outside of class relaxing; instead she has taken on the duties of managing a political campaign for Bellingham City Council candidate Michael Lilliquist.

VanDerslice is majoring in cellular and molecular biology and biochemistry and has a political science minor.  She said she began supporting Lilliquist because of his determination and plans for the city, including more jobs for graduates.

She said Western students need to get involved and begin caring about local politics because many students graduate and want a job in Bellingham, but struggle to land a satisfactory job for someone with a college degree. Lilliquist desires economic growth, which may help college graduates find more fulfilling jobs, she said.

As campaign manager, VanDerslice said her responsibilities consist of organizing political meetings and going door-to-door to campaign. She said going door-to-door is critical because it gives her the opportunity to meet the people Lilliquist wants to represent and allows residents an opportunity to express their views and ideas for the city.

Current Bellingham City Councilwomen of Ward 6 Barbara Ryan said she wants to see more students get involved in politics because students routinely have the same views as the rest of the community but lack a strong voice and representation.

Ryan said President Barack Obama’s campaign was a good example of how students’ energy can support a campaign. Students should get involved in their neighborhoods and not take parks, transportation and other services for granted, she said.

“There are a lot of students who live in Happy Valley and Fairhaven, and I’m assuming that they are enjoying the same outstanding transit service and parks as everybody else,” Ryan said. “And I’ve enjoyed watching things improve for both students and everybody else.”

In 2007, Lilliquist ran for Bellingham City Council at-large and recently announced April 27 he is running for the Ward 6 City Council seat, which represents the Fairhaven and Happy Valley neighborhoods. He said he is running to increase the quality of life in Bellingham,  making it a better place to live by keeping access to parks open and maintaining controlled growth.

Candidates have until June 5 to file for office.  To date, no other candidate has registered to run against Lilliquist for the Ward 6 position.  

VanDerslice said studying in Western’s political science department helped introduce her to politics and the many different roles of a political campaign. She said she began her political career as an intern for Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office by doing door-to-door campaigning, recruiting volunteers and providing other campaign services.

Western senior and Political Science Association President Adam Day worked with VanDerslice during the Gregoire campaign.  He said a good campaign manager is personable, willing to dedicate time to the campaign and can delegate tasks.

VanDerslice said she continues to learn from Lilliquist and his campaign through day-to-day operations. VanDerslice and Lilliquist attended Camp Wellstone, a three-day program in Seattle that prepares candidates and their support staff for a campaign.

VanDerslice said despite long hours and little pay, she finds inspiration through her previous experiences on the Gregiore campaign and work with Obama’s caucus.

“Like anything in life, if there is something you want to do, you find a way to do it,” VanDerslice said. “It’s nice to get a check to keep the lights on, but that isn’t why I’m doing this.”

VanDerslice met Lilliquist in early February through mutual friends, and after meeting for coffee several times, VanDerslice became interested in supporting Lilliquist’s political views and candidacy. She said she knows supporting him is right for her and the increase of growth and quality of life in Bellingham.

“Being a campaign manager has allowed me to see the good side of politics, and that there are good candidates out there,” VanDerslice said.

Lilliquist said he encourages students to do research and find a candidate that suits his or her long-term needs.

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