I moved to beautiful Blaine 30 years ago. Working hard together we’ve raised our family, built family businesses. I’ve served on the Blaine City Council, Blaine Tourism Committee, and as President of the Sikh Temple. Its time now to use my skills to serve the broader community.
I am running with a new direction for Whatcom County Executive because it is my legacy and my passion to serve, provide, protect and defend freedom through community.
In 2019 I supported people who promised us to build necessary services that help people heal, not to build a new jail. We believe in helping those facing homelessness, poverty, mental illness and addiction to recover by providing treatments, shelter, basic services, training and jobs.
Building a new jail 1st is the wrong direction, at the wrong time, when people are already struggling with high costs of living which causes all kinds of problems.
Our County’s people have already suffered from severe damage that includes weather disasters, public health emergencies, economic distress, border, business and farm shutdowns, lockdowns and more.
New Leadership Direction
We must all stand up to help people stabilize. They must regain their footing, restore their dignity, rebuild their foundations and get back on their feet so they can work, pay their bills, reenter the economy as solid citizens who can afford to pay taxes.
Personally, through our businesses and through our Temples, we’ve provided food and necessities to people in crisis. Including bringing warm food to shelters during the flood in Sumas, and for the homeless countywide through the Miracle Food Network in Ferndale. We’ve advertised across the border to bring more business to our county.
First Things First
Big Spending on a Big Public Safety Building is not logical. It’s opposite to providing true public safety. It is illogical to spend money that is not ours, that people do not have, that will bankrupt our community, and burden our children with bad debt forever. We don’t need that kind of leadership. It makes everything worse. People are overwhelmed, overtaxed, overburdened and feeling helpless.
Increasing taxes at this time is dangerous. It makes the situation worse, not better. The high costs of living are contributing to hopelessness and homelessness, to poverty, mental illness, the rise in crime, drugs, suicides and violence. Our cities don’t need a huge public safety building in Ferndale, they need to rebuild local community centers that serve as hubs for enterprising people to work together in.
New Collaboration
I will work with our new Sheriff, new Councils, new task forces, and will ensure a full review of our Whatcom County Charter. Together, we can re-look at how to make our tax systems more fair to serve different needs. Together, we can restore healthier public safety networks. Together we can create housing solutions, distribute resources in water, energy, natural resources fairly and productively.
After our foundations are preserved and strengthened, we can move on to expanding the economy, building into the future. Then will be the time to look at building big infrastructure like community hospitals, treatment centers. We will know what we really need for building a better jail. Right now, we must fix what we have.
As your County Executive, I will be looking for wise, compassionate leaders who have lived experience working from the ground up to help us build our new foundation. People who can think about the whole systems issues, who will stand by their promises even under duress and pressure from external forces and during crisis periods. First, we must stabilize, protect, provide and serve those who are here now: New Directions.
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