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AUGUST 10, 2022
SINCE 1885
2022 ELECTIONS
Unofficial results as of 4 p.m. Aug. 5
Simon Sefzik, Sharon Shewmake seek seat as LD42 state senator
Primary Election 2022 Votes
Percent
LD42 Senator Sharon Shewmake (D) 24,253 Simon Sefzik (R) 17,083 Ben Elenbaas (R) 10,181 Write-In 20
47.06% 33.15% 19.75%
LD42 Representative Pos. 1 Alicia Rule (D) 24,984 Tawsha D. Thompson (R) 18,088 Kamal Bhachu (R) 8,218 Write-In 33
49.68% 35.24% 16.01%
LD42 Representative Pos. 2 Joe Timmons (D) 14,683 Dan Johnson (R) 14,192 Kyle Christensen (R) 12,104 Richard May (D) 9,860 Write-In 37
29.14% 27.9% 23.79% 19.38%
*Official results will be announced on Tuesday, Aug. 16.
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON • $1.50
Primary election unofficial results as of Friday, Aug. 5
By Bill Helm Editor
Simon Sefzik, left, and Sharon Shewmake will run against each other on Nov. 8 for the LD42 state senator. Sefzik has held that seat since January as he was appointed to replace Doug Ericksen, who passed away in December 2021. Shewmake is currently LD42 state representative, position 2. (Courtesy photos)
WHATCOM — On Nov. 8, Whatcom County voters will decide whether they want Sharon Shewmake, a Democrat, or Simon Sefzik, a Republican, to be state senator for Legislative District 42. According to unofficial results of the Aug. 2 primary election, 17,083 voters (33%) supported Sefzik, with 10,181 votes (20%) in support of Whatcom County Council Member Ben Elenbaas. Sefzik was appointed as LD42 senator in January to replace Doug Ericksen, who died in December 2021 at age 52. Monday, Sefzik said he was “very pleased with the results” of the primary election. “You never know until
you know,” Sefzik said. “It was a strong turnout, and I am pleased that the Republican vote was 53%. A good indicator that affordability, public safety and accountability are on the voters’ minds.” With 24,253 votes (47%), Shewmake, currently LD42 state representative pos. 1, ran unopposed in the August primary. She said Monday that her team “talked to as many voters as we could” leading up to the primaries. “I think we’re really set up well for the general election,” Shewmake said. “We’ll keep knocking on doors and talking with voters, and we’ll continue to not take money from corporate special interests.” See Primaries on A3
Buried in nature Green burial provides families meaningful experience
A return to nature for Brent Morgan: see page A3
By Leora Watson Staff Reporter
WHATCOM — A grassy field, open skies, fresh air and birds in song. Trees and plants whose colors change with the seasons. These are ways someone might describe The Meadow. The Meadow, located at Greenacres Memorial Park in Ferndale, offers the option of green burial, a relatively new alternative method of laying a loved one to rest. Green burial at The Meadow provides families the option to bury loved ones in While many people choose green burial for the environmental benefits, they often walk away with a profound meaningful experience that’s very different from conventional burial, according to Brian Flowers, head of green burial at Moles Farewell Tributes based in Whatcom County. (Leora Watson/Ferndale Record)
The Meadow, located in Ferndale, provides families the option to bury loved ones in a serene and natural environment that utilizes sustainable burial methods, an alternative way to lay a loved one to rest. (Leora Watson/ Ferndale Record)
a serene and natural environment that utilizes sustainable burial methods, biodegradable and nontoxic materials and contributes to the ongoing restoration of The Meadow as a native and thriving ecosystem, according to Brian Flowers, funeral director at the Moles Farewell Tributes Bellingham location and head of green burial at Moles. Flowers explained that everything used or placed in the ground at The Meadow is nontoxic and biodegradable. That includes the burial container which can either consist of a burial shroud or casket made from all natural materials. This allows all materials to return naturally back to the earth. “Green burial takes place at a much shallower depth, about three to four feet,
depending on the [burial container],” said Flowers. “The idea there is that we’re coming up to a higher strata of soil where there’s oxygen, microbes and moisture to expedite rapid ashes to ashes, dust to dust return. Basically, our soft tissue becomes soil in one to five years.” ‘Thriving native ecosystem’ According to Flowers, as part of the ongoing restoration and to create a self-sustaining native ecosystem, maintenance on the grounds of The Meadow are kept to a minimum, with no types of machinery or chemicals used. One aspect of this restoration is planting native plants around each grave. “For each burial that we do, we plant three native plants on or near the burial
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site and then tend to those plants,” said Flowers. “So slowly over time, we’re restoring this site as a thriving native ecosystem.” Included with the purchase of the plot is a native Washington river rock kept in its raw form and engraved. The rock is used as a replacement for a granite marker, Flowers said. While The Meadow was still in the works, Flowers and Moles had a biologist evaluate the four-and-a-half acres of unused cemetery land and the use of it. “We began the development of The Meadow by having a senior biologist come and do a full biological evaluation on the site and an environmental impact See Meadow on A3
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