Blaine Confidential

Monday night massacres of constitutional rights like free speech and equal protection under the law are becoming almost routine at Blaine City Council meetings. Monday, April 27, 2026 promises to be more of the same, with the proposal by city manager Mike Harmon to prevent Blaine citizens from having any say in the future of our community by changing Title 17 under the Blaine Municipal Code on behalf of developers. Previous Monday night massacres include the September 28, 2025 meltdown by Mayor Mary Lou Steward, and the October 13, 2025 lynch mob theatrics at city hall--orchestrated by former Councilman Mike Hill--and starring convicted violent felon David Brudvik, who was inspired by the mayor and city manager to issue death threats against open government activists, in retaliation for holding the city accountable for self-dealing . The March 23, 2026 Blaine City Council attempt to usurp state authority in the middle of a Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission investigat...

Seeing the implications of proposed institutional policies before they are enacted, and communicating these implications to those who need to know in a way that makes sense, is the task of storytelling. Community storytelling incorporates historical context and presents information that refreshes our cultural memories of living an authentic communal life where we come together for the public good. When bandits threaten the public good, storytellers who sound the alarm are the first line of defense. Using our collective voices as a tool of defense against the onslaught by the real estate industry--that took over our city government in January--will eventually lead to civic reform in Blaine. Standing together against the tyranny imposed by city manager Mike Harmon over his three-year reign, we will prevail.

April 16, 2026 Blaine Planning Commission remarks by Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon : "So everything you're going to hear tonight staff have vetted these processes are in play in other communities. They've been vetted by our legal counsel and we ask for your favorable recommendation on these to help us take a step forward in eliminating these barriers, eliminating some of the costs. The last SEPA appeal that the city went through, we spent over $100,000 just on our attorney to defend the city's position only to have a hearing examiner come back and say that staff issued a bulletproof SEPA decision and that it was really well written. And so there are costs in there not only for the developer but for the tax payers to blame that just really aren't necessary. And so we're asking for your help tonight to move this forward to council with a new pass recommendation." Harmon's prejudicial remarks disparaging the citizen effort led by Water Planning Matters ...

  "The City's course of conduct evidences willful delay and concealment." --Judith A Endejan, Endejan Law, LLC Geoffrey Baker vs. The City Of Blaine Complaint for Violation of the Washington Public Records Act

Whatcom County oversees many special purpose districts with taxing authority to meet public needs. A CARA Protection District for Blaine and Birch Bay that can purchase the East Blaine Critical Aquifer Recharge Area properties in order to protect our public water system fits that purpose. Watch the   Water Planning Matters video . Putting this aquifer in public hands is of strategic importance to public health. The East Blaine CARA supplies 100% of the drinking water to Blaine and Birch Bay residents, and is now under urgent threat from urban pollution. Community members are alarmed there is no comprehensive plan to protect this irreplaceable resource. Please ask the Whatcom County Council to support Water Planning Matters  declaratory order request  to the Washington Department of Health.

I am an historian of essential history unreported by media. Thirteen years ago, my piece  White Power on the Salish Sea  was published in a Canadian magazine. For thirty years ,  I worked as part of a national network of researchers, analysts, and journalists that did opposition research defending democracy. We provided essential information on domestic terrorism to the U.S. State Department and Department of Justice, and provided estimates of situations to human rights organizers and educators who were targets of the Christian Patriot white supremacists--known for murdering 168 people in the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.  I did open source research , but I collaborated with financial analysts, and private investigators in Toronto and San Francisco as part of the Public Good network. We compared taking down bigots through research to a treasure hunt; sometimes we found gold. Researchers aren't always good writers, though, which is where I came ...