Wish the County or your city would do something about parks or transportation or support for the arts? You might join one of the many advisory committees, commissions, and boards that focus citizen input for our governing bodies.
Whatcom County has 41 such bodies, covering everything from agriculture to racial equity, and 37 of them had 1-8 vacancies as of the end of December, 2024. Bellingham has 25, from arts to water resources, and some are open to people who reside outside the City. Twelve had vacancies as of the end of December, and one, the
Keep Washington Working Act Work Group, will be getting started this year, with every position yet to be filled. Smaller cities have opportunities as well: Ferndale has four groups meeting regularly and three bodies meeting as needed; Lynden has seven. And there are more in other jurisdictions.
Clearly, you need to know that these advisory bodies exist before you can find them, and apparently many residents of the County don’t know that the information exists, or find all the text intimidating. The League’s Civics Education Committee is starting a project to spread information about these opportunities more widely.
Whatcom County has lists of its advisory bodies, including a link for vacancies
here. Under each body is information about the purpose, meetings, and members and an application form. For the City of Bellingham you can find a list of vacancies
here, along with an online application link.
Lynden suggests you click on the board that interests you to find out more information about its boards, committees and commissions. An online application link is included. Ferndale accepts applications year-round
here.
Because many people who might improve all of our lives by joining one of these boards don't know how easy it is to apply, the Civics Education Team is considering what it might do to propagate this information county-wide in a readily accessible form. If you are interested in contributing to this project, please contact us on the
LWVBWC's Civics Education webpage.