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Rotary Club of Bellingham Tattler
SEPTEMBER 14, 2026
Tattler Reporter:  Steve Ban
Tattler Editor:  Tom Grinstad
Photographer: Aaron Booker
Senator Sharon Shewmake
 

Opening Welcome:

President Nathan rang the meeting to order promptly at 12:30 PM. He observed that we had more than the usual attendance due to our featured speaker, State Senator Sharon Shewmake.
Guests:
 

Monty McAllister introduced our speaker, State Senator Sharon Shewmake

Sue Parsons introduced visitor Laura Gilmer who recently moved here from Nashville

Visiting Rotarians:  Tor Benson from Bellingham Bay and Bryan Hennessey from the Ferndale Rotary Club

Members on Zoom:  Bill Day, Shauna Naf, Loch Trimingham and John Moffat.
Club Events and Committee Announcements

Our own special Treasurer, Tom Grinstad, was this weeks “Member Service Recognition” recipient.  He has been a member for 30 years, a Paul Harris Fellow +7 and has received the Will J. Griswold Club Service award in 2017-2018 and the David C. Morse Sr. Community Service Award 2023-2024. Thanks Tom for all you do.

September 15, 2026 Rotary Board Briefs

The Board approved the New Member application by Jon Sitkin proposed by Nathan Twining & Tom Grinstad to fill the classification “Law-Land Use” – Retired.  Jon is returning to the club after being a member from 1997 to 2017 resigning due to business pressures.  He is now retired.

 

He will be published in the Tattler and eligible for induction September 26th unless a written objection is received by Sandra Lindhout, Exec. Sec., 2200 Vining St., Bellingham, Wa.  98229 or rcob@comcast.net by that date

 

Elections:  The Board needs to select 2 members in good standing to sit on the Nominating Committee for the election of the 2027-2028 Rotary Year at the October Board Meeting. The Nominating committee consists of Chairman John Moffat, Past President; President Nathan Twining and President-Elect George Halsell.  Nominations need to be presented to the membership November 23rd and elections are December 14th.  Last year’s members in good standing were Brad Burdick & Del VandeKerk.  Teri Treat was an alternate.

 

Doug Cole has stored our beloved Podium made by former member Ernie Burkhart years ago.  We are looking for a new home.  Let Sandee know if you have a suggestion.

 

The Music and the Evening Meetings formats were discussed. If anyone has thoughts, please let the board know.  Is anyone a secret Musician who would like to join the committee?

Save the Dates:

  1. 9/28 evening meeting at the Holiday Inn at the Airport will be held in the smaller Chuckanut Room.  Anna Booker will be the speaker “An introduction to Salish Sea Studies”
  2. The Bellingham Rotaract Club is organizing a Career Networking Roundtable again this year.   – November 9th  5-6pm with the location TBD.
  3. 10/12 regular Monday meeting will be an off-site tour of the new Senior Center for lunch and tour
  4. 10/17 Camp Kirby Rotary Work Party
  5. 11/7 MountainFilm on Tour fundraising event at WCC – Syre Theater

The next Board Meeting will be October 15, 2026 on Zoom

EVENTS:

President Nathan announced there is a fundraiser on September 18 at the Four Points by Four Points Sheraton Hotel with doors opening at 5:30, to benefit Brigadoon Service Dogs, which provides trained service dogs for adults and children with disabilities.  Fidalgo Rotary Club purchased a table for 10 and now can not attend and they are being offered to the Rotary Clubs of Whatcom County. At last report there was a couple tickets still available.  If interested please contact Nathan.

 

There will be a Rotary Work Party at Camp Kirby, October 17th 9am-12pm with lunch provided. Please sign-up on the link or let Sandee know you are attending for meal prep information:  Click Here They have jobs for every skill level!

The Mountain Film fund raiser will be November 7th 7:00 pm at Whatcom Community College - Syre Theater.

Tickets are $25 plus processing fee.  www.MountainfilmOnTourBellingham.com

Films, Food & Beverage and Silent Auction

Chief organizer Shauna Naf announced that every member of the Club needs to help put on this event if it is going to be successful. She handed out a sheet listing the various necessary tasks and asked each of us to fill one out and return it to her. We already have four sponsors, but need more, as well as items for the Silent Auction. 

CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Bellingham Bay Grape & Gourmet - September 19th at the Hotel Bellwether.  CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND TICKET PURCHASE
Go to Club Calendar
Paul Harris Fellow:
 
George Halsell received his PHF+2 pin.  George joined Rotary in 2014 and joined RCOB in 2023. 
 
He will be President in 2027-2028
Weekly Payment Reminder
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Give Sandee a call if you need help. 360-734-5532.
 
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MAIN PROGRAM:
Senator Sharon Shewmake
Senator Sharon Shewmake was introduced by program committee member Monty McAllister. She is the current state senator representing the 42nd district of Washington state. Her term ends at the end of this year and she is not running for reelection, so she can be more candid and open in her comments today.
 
Sharon served two terms in the Washington House of Representatives before being elected to the State Senate in 2022. She is an economics professor at Western Washington University, and will return to that position full-time after leaving the state Senate. She noted that economics is a field that involves understanding the relationships between people, which is also the task of a state legislator. She stated that the role of government is to improve peoples lives and she found that most members of the Legislature worked to make that happen, irregardless of party affiliation. This was accomplished through frequent compromise in key areas such as public safety, education, environment, infrastructure, and economic opportunities.
 
Sharon shared the reasons that she is not seeking reelection:
  • Her children are early teenagers and she wants to spend more time with them.
  • She is tired of the constant conflicts that arise, as a legislator, around issues and individuals.
  • She loves her job as an economics professor and wants to pursue that full-time.
  • Public service drains a conscientious person of everything that is given and, in her case, has led to burn out.
Sharon then opened the floor to questions from the audience:
  • Why is there such a large deficit in the current Washington state budget?
     
    A: The state relies on sales tax and capital gains tax revenues, and both have been decreasing in recent years. As well, there has been an increased need for wraparound services in K- 12 education, community social services, and preschool education; the latter has clearly been shown to improve outcomes later in life.
     
  • How is Washington state dealing with the housing shortage problem?
         A: Need to change zoning laws statewide, to allow for more multifamily        
             dwellings, such as 4plexes, as well as more low-cost apartment                      buildings.
  • In what areas is there more expertise needed in Olympia?
         A: Government needs to be able to control AI development, in order to                keep it safe.
  • What is state government doing to prevent the federal government's attempts to suppress voting via the US Postal Service?
         A: You can print out your own ballots online by going to vote.WA.gov                  and placing your completed ballot in a dropbox, not the mailbox.
  • What surprised you most while working as a legislator?
         A: Legislators mostly had the welfare of their constituents in mind and                were willing to compromise and even change their views in order to                get useful legislation passed.
  • What disappointed you the most?
         A: Some legislators thought that you were a terrible person if you didn't              agree with them and would not come out of their ideological bubble.
  • What issue concerns you the most in Washington state as you leave the legislature?
         A: The lack of enough energy for the production of electricity. We have 
             depended heavily on water turbines for energy and that source is 
             diminishing. Sharon is concerned that the utility companies are not                  flexible enough to start using other forms of renewable energy. She                feels that the technology companies will have to get involved. She                  also feels that some state laws have to be changed to allow transfer                of energy from areas with excess to areas with deficits.
 

Closing:

President Nathan rang the meeting to adjournment at 1:30 PM, after thanking those who assisted with the meeting.
A sing along with “Roll on Columbia” by Woodie Guthrie and sung by Pete Seeger.
Doug Cole - Invocation  

Rob Olson - Minister of Fun
Thank You to our Sponsors:
David Blair
360-739-5200
Dab@DunhamCellars.com
Teri Treat
Managing Partner
360-746-8597
Steve Gray
VP Senior Real Estate Loan Officer
NMLS#107828
360-920-1805
Steve.Gray@PeoplesBank-WA.com
Nathan Twining
Principal Financial Advisor
360-714-1234
Nathan.Twining@FinancialPlanInc.com
 
Upcoming Events
Dr. James Scribner, MD - Lessons from the E.R.
Oct 19, 2026
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Teri Bryant - B'ham Homeless Update
Oct 26, 2026
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
RCOB Focus Meeting
Nov 02, 2026
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Mountainfilm On Tour - Bellingham
Nov 07, 2026
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Mountainfilm On Tour 2026
Nov 07, 2026 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (UTC-08:00)
View entire list
J. C. HICKMAN
39 years of Service
 
KATHY HUGHES
24 years of Service
PRESIDENT
NATHAN TWINING
14 years of Service
 
JOSEPH GARCIA
1 year of Service
 
 

September Birthdays -
Celebrate in Style!

  • Ward Naf
  • Herb Ershig
  • John Harris
  • Nancy Jordan
  • Jan Marchbanks
  • Steve Gray
Got Your Rotary Apparel?
RCOB apparel, including polo shirts, dress shirts, vests and hats is now available.  These are items that every Club member simply must have in his/her wardrobe! Besides looking great, Club members will be contributing to branding for the RCOB as well as supporting our Club's Foundation, which will receive part of the proceeds.
 
Click on the button below for the the clothing catalogue, with the Order Form on the last page.  Fill out the order form, turn it into Vinson Latimore at a meeting or email a scanned copy to embroidery@choicesscrubs.com. 
Enhance My Rotary Wardrobe!
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