Whatcom County Executive
| Whatcom County Executive | |
|---|---|
Incumbent since January 1, 2020Satpal Sidhu | |
| Appointer | Electorate Whatcom County Council (unexpired terms) |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Inaugural holder | John Louws |
| Formation | January 1, 1979 |
| Website | Whatcom County Executive |
The Whatcom County Executive is the chief Executive Officer of Whatcom County government. The County Executive is a non partisan elected position, and may serve a four-year term in office, but no more than three consecutive full terms.(Whatcom County Home Rule Charter, Referendum November 3, 2015) 1)https://www.whatcomcounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/89614/01-20152016-CHARTER-Clean-Feb-2016-Full-Size?bidId=
History
County voters approved the adoption of a home-rule charter for Whatcom County on November 7, 1978, creating the position of a seven-member county council.[1] and the position of county executive. Prior to the adoption, the county government was led by three commissioners elected at-large.[2]
Duties
As Chief Executive Officer, the County Executive shall have all the executive powers of the County which are not expressly vested in other specific elective officers by the County Charter. Section 3.22 Powers and Duties articulates eight areas of duties administered by the Executive (https://www.whatcomcounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/89614/01-20152016-CHARTER-Clean-Feb-2016-Full-Size?bidId=) The Charter also notes that the specific statement of particular executive powers shall not be construed as limiting the executive powers of the County Executive.
List of executives
| Order | Executive | Party | Took office | Left office | Terms | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Louws | nonpartisan | January 1, 1979 | January 1, 1984 | 1 | ||
| 2 | Shirley Van Zanten | nonpartisan | January 1, 1984 | January 1, 1996 | 3 | ||
| 3 | Pete Kremen | Democratic | January 1, 1996 | January 1, 2012 | 4 | ||
| 2 | Jack Louws | Republican | January 1, 2012 | January 1, 2020 | 2 | ||
| 3 | Satpal Sidhu | Democratic | January 1, 2020 | Incumbent | 2 | ||