BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A longtime former Whatcom County Councilmember has passed away.

Barbara Brenner passed away at her home near Ferndale on Feb. 9, 2025, at the age of 78. Her son reported to the Bellingham Herald that she had been battling a long-term respiratory illness.

Brenner was first elected to the county council in 1992 where she remained until her retirement in 2019.

County Executive Satpal Sidhu, who served on the council with Brenner from 2015 until 2017, said that there was a lot to learn from working with her.

“She was very knowledgeable because she was on the council for so long, knowing the institutional memory of council.” Sidhu said. “The other thing was once she makes up her mind, it would take quite a bit to convince her otherwise.”

Brenner was often described as a fiercely independent councilmember who didn’t align with any political party.

Sidhu added that she refused to take money for her own campaigns. Notably, Brenner filed a complaint against her own campaign in 2015 after she used county phone services to answer a reporter’s election question.

“She would just have a sign she would put around her neck that said, ‘I’m Barbara Brenner, I’m running for county council.’ that’s it. She would not ask for money, and she would win every time,” Sidhu said. “She believed that there should be no money in politics.”

Sidhu said that the county and county council are both in the process of determining how her legacy will be honored.

A public memorial will also be held in May, according to her son.