BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A candidate for Bellingham’s City Council and leading Whatcom County Democrat is being accused of ethical misconduct.

In a letter to the state Democratic Party, Bellingham Councilmember Lisa Anderson alleged that Andrew Reding used his position as former chair of the Whatcom Democrat party to commit fraud. Anderson sent the letter to the party chair Shasti Conrad on Sept. 20 before forwarding it to My Bellingham Now early Tuesday.

Anderson accused Reding of using his influence within the party to change policies and manipulate the endorsement process for candidates. She also accused him of making denigrating comments towards women within the party.

In emails to My Bellingham Now, Reding responded to the claims, refuting the allegations and adding in an email his suspicions this was a political choice to bring up the complaint weeks before ballots are sent out.

He emphasized that he never made decisions alone as the Executive Board “scrutinized and approved” every decision, and his work at the party was unpaid.

Anderson claims that the party’s process of counting members’ votes to endorse a candidate was manipulated by Reding to favor certain candidates. She points to specifically Jace Cotton’s city council race against Russ Whidbee in 2023 as well as Reding’s own race in 2025.

Reding acknowledged that the 2023 endorsement for city council candidate Jace Cotton was an inadvertent mistake.

“It was an inadvertent mistake made not just by me but by the [Executive Board], because we assumed it was the same rule as the 40th [legislative District] uses. Again, we are all volunteers without pay. The parliamentarian did not flag this, so I was unaware that we were doing this incorrectly and had been for many years. The lesson? Always look things up,” Reding said in the email.

Reding is currently running for the Ward 6 position on the city council against incumbent Michael Lilliquist. He stepped down as party chair in early 2025 in order to run for office.

In a call with My Bellingham Now, Lilliquist denied prior knowledge of the allegations against Reding as well as Anderson’s letter. Lilliquist won the party endorsement following a recount during the primary, where he received 59% of the vote, just shy of the 60% needed to win the endorsement. Current party chair Eamonn Collins then recounted the votes which put Lilliquist at a higher percentage, earning him the win.

“It was my understanding that there was an issue with the counting of the votes for endorsement, and I am happy to receive the sole endorsement in my race,” Lilliquist said. He added that he is running a clean campaign.

Reding noted that Anderson is the only current councilmember that has endorsed Lilliquist.

Collins did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Anderson alleges that while Reding was in power, he changed policies for how party members votes for candidate endorsements would be counted. Whatcom Democrats can vote for up to two candidates for dual endorsement in each race. In 2021, vote tabulation was tracked by number of votes, while in 2023, the number of voters took priority. The policy changed back to number of votes in 2025. According to the party’s bylaws, these changes could not have happened at the rate that they did.

A spokesperson for the state Democratic Party responded to inquiries about the allegations. They stated that they investigated the claims and will continue to do so but have not found evidence of wrongdoing at this time. The spokesperson noted that each chapter of the Washington Democrats operates semi-autonomously and are responsible for their own decision-making.

One of the candidates named as a recipient of denigrating comments from Reding is Kerri Burnside, currently running for the Ward 4 position. Burnside confirmed to My Bellingham Now that dismissive and denigrating remarks have been made towards her and other progressive women within the party, particularly when raising “concerns about environmental protections, housing affordability and procedural transparency.”

Reding said that he has never made denigrating comments towards women, stating that the accusing activists approached him privately with angry demands.

The following is a direct copy of what Reding sent My Bellingham Now on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

“As Chair I recruited women to run for office, and have continued to do so since leaving the chair. Have a look at my endorsers, and ask them how I treat women đŸ˜‰

“The complaints are from (mostly anti-housing) activists who called me on my cell phone or approached me privately with angry demands. I do not tolerate verbal abuse from anyone, told them so, and hung up. I have had the same problem with male anti-housing activists. NIMBYs get very mad at anyone they see as wanting to expand housing in their neighborhoods. This complaint is a case in point.”

Anderson also attached a letter from active Whatcom Democrat member Dr. Susan Kane-Ronning in support of Anderson’s claims of disparaging statements toward women in a public setting. Kane-Ronning confirmed that she knew her letter would be used by Anderson to bring attention to Reding’s behavior noting in both the letter and in a call with My Bellingham Now that she was yelled at during a call with Reding as well as witnessed denigrating comments made towards women in the party at a public meeting in spring 2025.

In an email, Burnside provided the following statement, adding that she is running a campaign based on transparency, fairness and community empowerment:

“I know Lisa Anderson. She is very ethical, and this could not have been an easy decision on her part to disclose this. Lisa’s formal complaint to the Washington State Democratic Party, and Dr. Susan Kane-Ronning’s supporting letter, show there are issues within the party when you have someone who centralizes too much power and influence while not being transparent and responsive to concerns and requests. That is not democracy. These issues deserve serious attention.”

This is an ongoing story, and My Bellingham Now will continue to update this page as new information surfaces.Â