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COMPLAINT TO COUNTY PROSECUTOR

March 31, 2026 letter to Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey: Dear Mr. Richey, Please see the attached self-dealing complaint and denial to investigate regarding the City of Blaine’s handling of a citizen ethics complaint arising from Ordinance 26-3043. I also attach a June 2025 self-dealing complaint to the Department of Justice and Attorney General to which I was a party of record as well as  The concern presented is procedural. A complaint alleging undisclosed financial conflict was denied and permanently closed by the City Manager without identification of any independent review or referral outside the City’s administrative chain. Given the nature of the allegations and the overlap with other matters involving City officials, I am requesting that your office review this matter and refer it to the Washington State Attorney General for independent review. Please confirm within five business days whether your office will make that referral and advise when it can be transmitted. ...
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ANATOMY OF EXCLUSION

Watch The Anatomy of Exclusion video from Water Planning Matters. Learn how Blaine's proposed municipal code changes undermine civic participation, public scrutiny, and government transparency. If these code amendments are adopted, Blaine moves toward a pay to play system where only people with money, time, and lawyers can realistically challenge harmful decisions. To file an appeal will cost $5,000, with no low-income waiver for seniors on fixed incomes or citizens living in poverty. If you value civil rights, the rule of law, and public participation, please send an email to cdscomments@cityofblaine.com and to citycouncil@cityofblaine.com
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PERMIT AND ZONING AMENDMENTS

April 9 letter to City of Blaine: INTRODUCTION [I am submitting this as formal public comment and request to be included as a party of record for all proceedings related to SEPA File No. 2024019 and the proposed BMC Title 17 amendments.] DISMANTLING PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY The proposed  Permit Process and SEPA Zoning Text Amendments  by Blaine Community Development Services (CDS) are  designed to eliminate public participation  in land use decisions. These amendments  remove  public hearings for most subdivisions,  triple  the size of developments completely exempt from environmental review, and  double  the financial barriers to citizen appeals of city decisions. New developments would proceed with zero environmental protection and zero opportunity for public appeal.  This new system is not designed to evaluate environmental risk, but rather, to prevent that evaluation from happening by excluding the public.   These  poster...
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PUBLIC RECRIMINATIONS

When state and local governments care more about home sales taxes (commerce) than they do public health and the rule of law (democracy), citizens protecting their communities from environmental, financial, and social harm are considered obstacles, even enemies, as we have learned in Blaine. Remedying this betrayal of trust by the State of Washington, Whatcom County, and the City of Blaine will set legal precedent, and perhaps lead to public recriminations in courts of law and public opinion.
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BLAINE DEVELOPMENT BLITZKRIEG

  4/8/26 LTE at CDN : Editor, The largest proposed housing developments in Whatcom County are in Blaine, yet there is no news coverage. Two planned unit developments at Birch Point of roughly 500 homes each would flood their downhill neighbors in Birch Bay Village, a gated community of 1,000 homes. The first phase of a 568-unit manufactured home park in East Blaine is now being challenged as a threat to the public water system, which serves 17,000 customers in Blaine and Birch Bay. Watch the  Water Planning Matters video  and read the complaint to the Washington State Department of Health. Jay Taber Blaine
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IMMINENT PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT IGNORED

When petitioned by Water Planning Matters to intervene to protect public health in Blaine and Birch Bay from an imminent threat to the public water system, Washington Department of Health says they'll get back to us in three years . This institutional obstacle to public health and safety is commonplace in Washington State public agencies, where the departments of ecology and health only enforce the law when forced to by court order. For citizens attempting to protect their communities from criminals in local government working with unscrupulous developers, this means hiring lawyers at $500/hour.  And they call this democracy?
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BAINS HARMON CABAL GOING DOWN

April 7 letter to Blaine City Council: Despite The Northern Light coverup of former Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill's self-dealing crimes, he ended up publicly humiliated by his November 12, 2024  CCTV performance at city hall  accosting Water Planning Matters spokesman Otto Pointer, that everyone in town watched on their cell phone, leading to his resignation. So, if you are relying on The Northern Light to continue having your back while you commit crimes like giving away public assets to downtown developers--including Councilwoman Sarbjit Bains and her husband Gurdeep--you might want to think again. Bains is going down, and so is your ringleader in criminal enterprise, Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon.
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