In her pursuit of the Bellingham City Council's Sixth Ward position, Fairhaven College graduate Catherine Chambers has appeared at numerous open forums leading up to the Aug. 18 primary election. Chambers, Michael Lilliquist and Christopher Morrison are the three candidates running for the position.

Chambers did not end up in Bellingham by chance. Her decision to live here was trial and error.

In the late 1970s, Chambers set out from her Michigan home on a journey across the country looking for the right place to settle down. Bellingham ultimately beat out all of the other cities, and in 1979 she decided it was the best community to raise a family and go to college. Chambers and her three children have lived in Bellingham ever since.

“I loved that Bellingham was a town and not a suburb,” she said. “It has water and mountains; everything I was looking for.”

After two years at Whatcom Community College, Chambers’ studies brought her to Western where she attended Fairhaven College. Her self-designed degree, “Community Development: Information Resources and Educational Planning”, led her to become an active member in the Bellingham community. She has worked with at-risk youth and families in Bellingham since graduation in the early 1980s.

Now, she is striving to take her degree to the next level by running for Bellingham City Council’s Sixth Ward position.

Chambers said she was initially enrolled in upper division education classes at Western, but soon became disinterested in teaching. Instead, she said she was fascinated with how information is communicated and utilized in the community.

“[Chambers’] degree perfectly prepares her for the role of city councilwoman,” said Chambers' campaign manager Riley Sweeney. “It taught her that every community has the tools and resources to solve its problems. They just need to enact them.”

Sweeney, who has been managing Chambers’ campaign since June, is also a Western alumnus, having graduated in 2008 with a major in communication and a minor in political science.

“She really has a passion for community involvement,” he said. “She absolutely convinced me to help her with her campaign.”

Chambers said community involvement is one of the most important things a city council member must strive for.

“You have to look at what the community is presenting, and transfer it into policy,” Chambers said. “It is a partnership.”

As a Fairhaven graduate, Chambers said she recognizes the important role Western and its students play in the community. Without Western’s presence in Bellingham, she said the local economy would certainly be in worse shape than it currently is.

Chambers also said while she believes there is a good amount of student involvement in city affairs, she would like to see a connection on a higher level with young people and the community. She said neighborhoods would be good places to foster community integration.

“What better way to get integrated with the community than getting involved with your neighborhood?” Chambers said. “Involvement has to start at the neighborhood level.”

She said while many of the issues presented at city council meetings often times do not involve young people, some new topics of debate, such as the question of landlord licensing, should concern students.

“My intention is to get out and start talking to young people more in September,” Chambers said. “Students do come out and get involved when they are interested in the things being discussed.”

The Sixth Ward covers the south side of Bellingham and Fairhaven, but Barbara Ryan, who will complete her third term as city councilwoman in the Sixth Ward this year, said the duties of the councilmember for the Sixth Ward often extend beyond the area’s limits.

“I believe the Sixth Ward is more politically active than other parts of the city,” Ryan said in an e-mail. “This is the only council race that’s even contested this year, and there are three candidates running in the Sixth!”

Ryan said parks, trails and open space are things that especially concern Bellingham residents in every ward. Whoever fills her seat on the council will have the responsibility to manage the delegation of parks and greenways in the city.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t come to terms with the difference between parks and greenways yet,” Ryan said. “That discussion will need to happen, but probably not during my time on the council.”

Comments (1)

Posted by smilesriles, on Jul. 22, 2009 10:24AM Great article, good job Michael. However, in the preview of this article on the front page it says "Christine Chambers", not "Catherine Chambers" Report

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