The Young Democrats of Whatcom County brought a request to the Whatcom Democrats Executive Board at our October meeting to remove Bobby Briscoe’s certification as a Democrat because of comments he made on the record at the March 19 Port Commission meeting. The official video of that meeting, including the remarks, can be seen here, and a transcribed version of the remarks, here.

After meeting with Port Commissioner Briscoe, the E-Board voted not to decertify, but instead – and without dissent – to censure Briscoe for his remarks, as follows:

“The Whatcom Democrats E-Board censures Port Commissioner Bobby Briscoe for

Alleging a lack of “transparency” of an open process for amendments to the county’s Comprehensive Plan that complied with all requirements of state law.

Failing to support local high school students actively engaging in their constitutionally protected rights to gather peaceably and to seek redress from the government for threats deemed existential in nature.

We found your recorded statements at the March 19, 2019 Port meeting to be, at best, a misrepresentation of the actions of the County Council’s process. As Democrats, we believe our elected officials should address climate change head-on, rather than bring forward talking points from the fossil fuel industry, which has a vested financial interest in the status quo, and thus in minimizing real climate change solutions. Moreover, you not only failed to support youth civic engagement but actively undermined the efforts of students around a core value of our party.

Democrats believe in restorative justice and we would be remiss in not extending that to elected officials who have shown good faith on other Democratic platform planks, such as support for organized labor. We hope to see better dialogue and collaboration going forward. This letter of censure is intended to provide you an opportunity to reflect on your position and the power that you wield and that your words carry. Together we know you can use them to better support the democratic process and the values we hold as Democrats.”