Erika Creydt
(Prefers Republican Party)
Elected Experience
Longest serving Blaine School Board Director. Advocate for early learning, great teachers, and accountability so tax dollars pay for what was promised!
Other Professional Experience
Business owner, Psychologist, and Clinical Director, TouchStone Counseling. Youth counselor, 22 years. Conducted Psychological Assessments in Chicago Catholic Schools for special needs. Taught graduate classes at Adler University.
Education
Blaine Schools, Class of 99. BA California Lutheran University: Philosophy and Psychology. MA Adler University: Couples and Family Therapy. PsyD Adler University: Doctorate, Clinical Psychology.
Community Service
Founded each of the following: TouchStone Behavioral Health Clinics; Healthy Youth Coalition to stop youth suicide; Everson Youth Crisis Facility; Youth Resource Center.
Statement
I’m running because too many people in Whatcom County are hurting and too many feel like no one is fighting for them. Everywhere I go I hear the same quiet heartbreak: parents up at night worried about paying bills, seniors afraid property taxes will force them from the homes they built, and young people priced out of their own hometown.
This isn’t only an affordability crisis, it’s a mental health crisis, too. Whatcom County should be a place where hard work builds a life, not a constant fear of one bill wiping you out. Housing, childcare, healthcare, and mental health care shouldn’t be luxuries; they’re the foundation of a healthy community.
I carry these stories because you deserve to be heard in Olympia. We are struggling with a crisis created by well-intentioned but destructive policy decisions. I’m asking you to elect me to challenge the policies and politicians that have brought us to this point.
My campaign is about hope and hard work. If you send me to Olympia, I won’t forget who I work for. With your support, we can restore Whatcom County to the safe, affordable and prosperous home we know it should be.
Contact
(360) 990-3848; erika@erikaforwhatcom.com; www.erikaforwhatcom.com
Source: State voters' pamphlet, page 29
Michael Alvarez Shepard
(Prefers Democratic Party)
Elected Experience
Port Commissioner in his third term; former Democratic precinct committee officer.
Other Professional Experience
Western Washington University Anthropology Department faculty member; instructor for incarcerated student prison education program. Previously, an eLearning Director at Whatcom Community College and Cultural Documentation Coordinator at Northwest Indian College.
Education
Ph.D in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. M.A. in Anthropology and B.A. in Environmental Studies from Western Washington University.
Community Service
Whatcom County Economic Investment Board Member, Former Lummi Tribal Schools Marine Trades Advisory Committee, Whatcom County Portage Bay Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee, and Kulshan Community Land Trust Board of Trustees member.
Statement
My wife and I are raising our kids here, and like many of you, we feel the pressure of rising costs every month – groceries, gas, housing, and childcare. It’s getting harder to keep up, and that has to change. In the State Senate, I’ll work to bring down costs.
As Port Commissioner, I focused on creating good jobs while protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink. We modernized our shipping terminal, expanded broadband internet into rural areas, opened the waterfront district, and cleaned up Blaine Harbor. And that’s why I’m running for Senate - we need that same kind of focus on jobs, and building a strong, sustainable economy at the state level. As an educator, I believe every student deserves a strong start and a clear path forward. I’ll invest in high-quality Pre-K, K-12, and postsecondary education, including college, trade schools, apprenticeship programs, and adult retraining. I also strongly support public safety, environmental sustainability, the protection of public lands, and I am 100% pro-choice. Endorsed by Sen. Shewmake, Sheriff Tanksly, Mayor Steward, Executive Sidhu, Whatcom Commercial Fishermen’s Association, Washington Conservation Action, Washington State Labor Council, NW Carpenters, Washington Education Association, and Bellingham/ Whatcom County Firefighters.
Contact
(360) 594-1784; michael@shepardforsenate.com; https://www.shepardforsenate.com/
Source: State voters' pamphlet, page 29
