Maybe it is time to resurrect the "Radio Yerevan" jokes that went around the USSR and its satellite countries back in the day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Yerevan_joke ).

As an example.

Original:

Listener: Is it true that socialism is the shining example of the golden age?

Radio Yerevan: Indeed, but all that glitters is not gold

Revised for Bellingham on the Baltic:

Listener: Is it true that Bellingham is the city of subdued excitement?

Radito Yerevan: For sure, but all that is un-responsive is not titillation.

David...Huh??? Ummm...thanks, I think?
You definitely win the Award for the Most Obscure Reference. 

Lisa,

Thanks for articulating all this as I agree with most of what you say.  In the 23 years that I have lived in Bellingham, I worked on getting legislation passed on various issues such as rental inspections, composition of the so-called Planning Commission, permitting, rezoning, neighborhoods, etc.  Getting anything done locally was like pulling teeth while some things we got passed locally were eventually thwarted by state level legislation that negated any progressive achievements.  The $$$ won out.

Now, decades after I arrived here, I see some of the results.  Rental inspections passed here but were all but negated by legislation in Olympia to allow private inspections, most of which were worthless.  Permitting times were reduced, giving less or no time for residents to react to new construction.  More decisions on permitting were given to the Planning Director and more approvals were virtually automatic  as a result of legislation by the council.  The Planning Commission seems to have devovled to members who are more sympathetic to developers than to the residents of our neighborhoods.  Neighborhoods have all been forgotten, no longer having say in much at all, let alone planning.  

And don't get me started on the waterfront development.  I spent hours and hours and hours over several years at meetings about port development, pasting Post-Its to the wall with ideas to create a pleasant and beautiful area.  What have we now but a gravel and dust bowl with a stunning (?) "pump-track" for bicycles and a bunch of ugly containers pretending to be an entertainment area.  Oh, and there is the monumentally overpriced condo complex that still sits unfinished.  The whole area is as about inviting as a New Jersey port facility at midnight in a day in February.  

Sheesh!

"Is it lack of interest or no interest," The husband of a local elected officisl said to me once in a zoom meeting. He was referring to the attitude in Bellingham in general. For example, I am usually pointing out how CDN is a mouthpiece for the Establishment Democrats, and they are, but recently Ron Judd wrote an article about our catastrophically broken schools that I thought was great. In the article he wonders why the people and parents in Bellingham aren't storming schoolboard meetings and demanding new administrators. 

The article focuses on the mishandling of a sexual harassment case at BPS by high level admins. However, I am personally aware of two cases where problem students who should have been expelled years ago assaulted teachers.

In case 1 the student threw a desk at a teacher and then punched her in the stomach. The teacher was told by admin, "The student stays... it's part of your job to put up with this now." The decree was given by their principal but ultimately came from Greg Baker. The district then started looking for any reason to fire the teacher. The union protected them, but I am 100% sure that if the teacher returns to teaching the district will immediately find some reason to fire her shortly after. BPS writes their contract in such a way that they can fire her for sharpening a pencil improperly.

In case 2 a substitute had their contract recinded after quitting a job where a student hit them, bled on them, ran away from school often and more for weeks. The sub said, "I will sub in another situation but not this one anymore." The district said, "if you're not willing to be abused then we don't want you." By the way substitutes can't join the union so they can be let go for any reason. They have no rights and no benefits. By the way this student had been doing so for 7 years and had gone through 8 subs. The district, instead of holding the family accountable, just shits all over their teachers instead. You know, the usual.

I sadly can go on. But I'll stop here and say it blows my mind that with all of this going on parents of the problem students never get involved unless it's to help admin abuse teachers. Teachers have become the unwilling scapegoats of a failing society run by adult children.

Still, all of this is part of the status quo too. For example, Kim Lund needs things to stay the same so that her "Bellingham Schools Foundation" can remain funded. The parties are running candidates linked to that organization as if it's a good thing and a reason to vote for them. But the org has as much interest in protecting the current admin as the administration itself.

So the action here is what it's always been. To replace our "leaders" with people that are not linked to the major parties. 

Also, when the Bellingham schools say a student has achieved something, thanks to them, it's almost always a lie. For example, the Mathletes that won awards recently were mostly trained by their parents and homeschooled. The students that won awards for playing musical instruments study with some of the best private teachers in the country. The schools have great teachers but lost their academic focus a long time ago, and shackled their teachers to appease abusive parents a long time ago too, but agsin the parents of problem students here seem to be fine with that and are allowed to run the show. And the community as a whole does not seem to care enough to do anything about it. The better students have already gone to private schools. Apparently this is part of Bellingham's great social plan. But I suspect it's just that many have a lack of interest in fixing anything because they're adult children who can't be bothered with raising functional adults since they aren't ones themselves. A nationwide problem.