# The Chief for a Day and a Night of Sanctuary: Bellingham City Council's July 21, 2025 Meeting ## Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council convened on Monday evening, July 21, 2025, for what would become a two-hour and forty-one-minute session that seamlessly wove together the ceremonial, the practical, and the profoundly civic. The meeting opened with the heartwarming swearing-in of fifth-grader Tristan Vipic as Police Chief for a Day, but it would be remembered for the council's unanimous passage of a groundbreaking ordinance protecting LGBTQ+ community members and their decision to send two major development proposals back to committee for deeper examination. All seven council members were present: President Hollie Huthman presiding, with Hannah Stone, Daniel Hammill, Edwin "Skip" Williams, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist, and Jace Cotton in attendance. Mayor Kimberley Lund opened the evening with ceremonial duties before delivering updates on federal litigation and neighborhood appointments. The agenda carried significant weight: public hearings on massive development projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars, final votes on substantial utility rate increases, and the third reading of an ordinance that would make Bellingham one of the most explicitly protective cities in Washington state for LGBTQ+ residents. ## A Young Chief Takes the Oath The evening began with pure civic joy as Tristan Vipic, a soon-to-be fifth-grader at Columbia Elementary School, raised his right hand to be sworn in as Bellingham's Police Chief for a Day. Judge Deborah Lev administered the oath as Tristan's family and grandparents watched from the audience. "I, Tristan, solemnly swear that I will obey the laws of the United States, Washington State, and the city of Bellingham. I will faithfully discharge the duties of chief for a day for the Bellingham Police Department," the young chief recited, his voice clear and proud. Mayor Lund shared that Tristan loves dogs, Marvel superheroes, riding his scooter, and socializing with friends. He had already visited the police station, met Chief Rebecca Mertzig, and was "especially thrilled to meet K9 Vuko and station dog Astra." The Chief for a Day program, run by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, celebrates young people while connecting them to law enforcement in positive ways. The ceremony provided a moment of lightness before the council turned to weightier matters of municipal governance, f…