Candidate pulls out of Ferndale City Council race

Derrick Watson, candidate for Ferndale City Council position 5, announced via email tonight he has ended his campaign.

According to Watson, “I will be voting for Cathy Watson and I strongly urge that everyone else do so as well. When she is re-elected to council I want all of us to support her efforts to build a better Ferndale.”

Derrick explained his decision, “For some, this will not be a surprise. And though I truly appreciate the support of many and willingness of new friends to hear my story, I was not fully ready to be a candidate.”

There was visible discord between Cathy and Derrick during last Tuesday’s political forum. It happened when Cathy responded with “what he said isn’t true” when responding to Derrick’s statement toward a question about how the City can work with the Lummi Nation better. Derrick and Cathy then chatted between themselves off-microphone for a few moments while Councilmember Fred Kennedy began his statement.

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Cathy later explained she was referring to Derrick’s assertion to coaching Lummi youth football. Cathy said he had been relieved of that position a few weeks prior when Lummi officials learned about a felony conviction in his background.

Derrick, in his email, acknowledge the discord. “Many unflattering things were said about me during the campaign. Sadly, some are true, some were not. As a result, the attention to my past became the focus of the campaign, not Ferndale’s future. My family and I love Ferndale and we haven’t changed our desire to see it become a better city.”

This leaves Cathy Watson, the incumbent for seat 5, in an uncontested race.