Joe Timmons

Criminal Justice / Public Safety

I am proud to support our local law enforcement and first responders. Police and firefighters help keep our communities safe every day and we must ensure they receive proper training, including racial-bias training, and have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively. Learn more

Major weather events like the flooding in recent years in Whatcom County are happening with more and more frequency. We need to work together to find short-term fixes and long-term solutions to protect fish, farms, and our communities from flood events. We also need to ensure that state and local governments are prepared for natural disasters such as earthquakes, and that we have the resources we need to respond without relying on the federal government. Learn more

Economy

We need to ensure that all corners of our community have the ability to thrive. This includes increasing access to reliable internet, which is essential for modern-day education and work. This also includes a strong workforce that has access to housing and childcare, which are foundational to a thriving economy. We need to invest in housing so that workers can afford to live in our community, and we need to ensure that kids have access to high-quality childcare and early learning programs. Learn more

Education

I attended Washington public schools throughout my life and I formerly worked as a preschool teacher and as staff at Western Washington University. These experiences helped me understand our education challenges as a student, as a teacher, as a parent with a young child and as a former college administrator. I understand how hard kids, families, and educators were hit by the pandemic, and we need more resources to address learning loss, including for early learning and special education and more access to STEM education. Not every kid wants to or should go to a four-year institution so we need to create career pathways to the building and construction trades and community college in addition to four-year degree programs. And, college tuition costs too much for most families to afford – I will work to lower the prices of state schools for local residents. Learn more

Environment / Energy

Whatcom County is a special place to live, and we need to protect our natural environment so that future generations can enjoy the outdoors. This means keeping public lands in public hands, investing in habitat recovery for salmon and other endangered species, and ensuring that everyone has access to hiking, fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation. Learn more

Climate change is manmade and is increasing the severity of wildfires and weather events in our region, including flooding, drought, and heat waves. We need climate action that follows the science to continue decarbonizing our transportation sector, increasing energy efficiency and ensuring that communities that have historically been overburdened and disproportionately affected by climate impacts have access to clean air, safe drinking water, and living wage green energy jobs. We need to address climate change and invest in our workforce to ensure we have a strong clean energy economy. Learn more

Healthcare

We are experiencing a behavioral health crisis, and we need to support a behavioral health system that addresses mental health and substance-use disorders, including for people experiencing opiate and fentanyl addiction. This is not just the right thing to do for people experiencing crisis, but this is a public safety issue as well. I am committed to ensuring that everyone has access to health care, and that includes quality behavioral health care. Learn more

In Olympia I was proud to support legislation that lowered the costs of life saving medication for kids and families, including EpiPens and inhalers. I will fight to make sure that every community has access to affordable high-quality healthcare, especially our rural communities. Learn more

Housing

Families should be able to afford to live where they work and play, and I know firsthand that we are experiencing a housing affordability crisis – for example, in 2021 our rent went up 35% in Bellingham, and I know that unfortunately our family is not alone in this experience. We need to continue to increase the housing supply, particularly in cities and around transit lines, and we need more accessible options across the housing continuum. Additionally, we need to do more to support working families pursuing first-time homeownership so that they can become homeowners and set down roots in our communities. Learn more