Charter commission records multiple procedural votes; measure to make prosecutor nonpartisan fails

The Whatcom County Charter Commission met March 13 in Blaine and recorded several formal actions on pending charter amendments, including a failed effort to send a measure converting the prosecuting attorney to a nonpartisan office to the ballot and a referral of two salary-related amendment proposals to further study.

In a lengthy procedural debate the commission conducted a roll-call on a motion to rule that the Feb. 27 vote on proposed Amendment 13 (a change to signature requirements for charter amendments) was out of order because the agenda item contained two prongs that had not both been decided. The roll call recorded 7 no votes, 5 yes votes and 3 abstentions; following that vote the chair moved the meeting on to old business. The commission did not finalize new…