From the editor's desk:

It's always been a matter of local legend: Folks with government or government-adjacent jobs in NW Washington occupy their own rung on local pay scales, where a significant portion of the population exists on a more meager, gig-focused reality. 

Is it true? CDN is hoping to shine some light on the question. Short answer: It sure looks like it. 

Public-sector salaries — in this case, at the Bellingham Fire Department — deserve to be front and center as local governments of all sizes face tough budget challenges that could lead to serious cuts in public services. We're hoping to accomplish that through a series of deeply reported pieces about who makes what in public offices in Whatcom and Skagit County. 

The fire department piece, this week's Sunday Read shows an unusually high payout to some fire department employees — largely because of overtime. That OT is either the nature of the beast in emergency services, or something that needs to be tamed via better city management, depending on one's view point. The story by Isaac Stone Simonelli answers many of those questions. 

Check it out, and stay tuned for more similar reporting about public salaries in our region.  

One interesting sidenote: As a journalism instructor at Western Washington University, I would routinely assign students to do similar salary surveys of public employees. I distinctly remember those surveys, year after year, producing two results: Students were universally surprised at the large numbers of what seemed like high salaries from government employees, compared to public-sector norms in Belliingham. And the highest earners, even then (up to 15 years ago) were ... fire department employees taking in large amounts of overtime pay. 

That's the definition of a complicated, but obviously systemic, problem. One we'll keep asking about.  

Hey, that's us! 

Keep your eyes peeled on social feeds, digital media and other sources for a new series of CDN marketing bits now appearing on a screen near you. We'll be "reintroducing" ourselves to our expanded local market, then highlighting some of our work that has changed our community. The ads are under an umbrella theme, "Community-Powered," which befits the focus of our locally owned and produced news products.  

Thanks in advance for sharing them with friends and supporting your local newsroom through a subscription or donation.  

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Sunday read

Bellingham firefighters stand outside the destroyed Terminal Building in Fairhaven on Dec. 18, 2023. (Isaac Stone Simonelli/Cascadia Daily News)

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