Blaine Confidential

I am a low-income senior and   open government   advocate who just filed a civil rights complaint with the EPA against the City of Blaine for threatening legal action against our group  Water Planning Matters , in retaliation for our adjudication request for a   declaratory order   from the Washington Department of Health, to prevent contamination of our public water system that provides drinking water to the 17,000 residents of Blaine and Birch Bay.  I also filed a complaint with the Washington State Auditor regarding widespread misconduct by Blaine officials--including  self-dealing  and supporting  death threats  against Water Planning Matters leaders. Municipal corruption is exemplified by the current city proposal to  eliminate civic participation, public scrutiny, and government transparency  for city environmental decisions. These  Title 17 SEPA Zoning Text Amendments  to the Blaine Municipal Code vio...

April 15 letter to Whatcom County Planning Commission: On the eve of adoption of the 10-year update to the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan, the City of Blaine planning department (Community Development Services) is attempting to  eliminate civic participation, public scrutiny, and government transparency  for city environmental decisions. The Whatcom County Planning Commission is in a position to reject these unconstitutional SEPA Zoning Text Amendments to the Blaine Municipal Code, which violate the civil right of low-income citizens of Blaine to challenge harmful decisions without paying $5,000 up front. https://www.ci.blaine.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/23743/RFCA---Ord-26-3043-Downtown-Interim-Ordinance https://www.ci.blaine.wa.us/1064/Title-17---Permit-Process-and-SEPA-Zonin

From: Jay Taber 715 G St #22 Blaine, WA 98230 (360) 371-4387 tbarj@yahoo.com To: EPA Office of External Civil Rights Compliance (OECRC) Date: April 13, 2026 Re: Title VI Complaint – Blaine SEPA/Public Participation I am filing this complaint under Title VI (42 U.S.C. §2000d) and EPA’s civil rights regulations (40 C.F.R. Part 7), on behalf of myself and similarly affected residents. I am a Blaine  open government  and environmental advocate with Water Planning Matters documenting  risks to our drinking water , and a party of record in City of Blaine land-use proceedings. The respondent is the City of Blaine, WA, which receives EPA financial assistance, including funding related to water and environmental programs. I allege that Blaine’s proposed land-use code amendments ( Ordinance 26-3043 ) have a discriminatory effect on protected classes and deny meaningful participation in federally assisted programs.  Watch  The Anatomy of Exclusion   video from Water P...

[Below are excerpts from Donna McGaffic's examination of The Northern Light 11/8/25 article by Grace McCarthy , published four days after Whatcom District Court Judge Anderson issued civil protection orders for Donna and three other Blaine open government activists threatened by convicted violent felon and friend of Mayor Steward, David Brudvik, whom Blaine Chief of Police Rodger Funk testified in support of.] At  12:47 p.m. on Friday, November 7 , Grace McCarthy emailed Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon and attached the Ferndale Police Department report:  “I received a copy of the Ferndale Police Department’s investigation into the City of Blaine ( attached ) and am working on deadline on an article about the investigation. I believe it’s important to include the city’s perspective in the article and have the following questions.”   At precisely 5:00 p.m. to the minute , right as the Ferndale Public Records Office closed for the weekend, Grace McCarth...

Under the proposed code changes by Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger , there will no longer be any  proceeding for citizens to introduce expert testimony, independent studies, or even ask questions challenging his environmental decisions--even as he commits fraud in the pursuit of home sales taxes in Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas, such as over Blaine's drinking water aquifer in East Blaine . Below are just two of the items in planning director Wenger's wish list to make him King of Blaine . 1)  Critical Areas Determination (CAD) --to be made by planning director with no public hearing for citizens to introduce evidence, $2,500 for citizens to appeal 2)  State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination --to be made by planning director based solely on CAD made by planning director, $2,500 for citizens to appeal

Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey has sat on my March 31 complaint--alleging undisclosed financial conflicts of interest by Blaine Councilwoman Sarbjit Bains prior to her  March 9 vote that increased the market value of her and her husband Gurdeep's commercial properties in the Central Business District--and a request for referral to the Washington Attorney General public integrity unit. There is no mystery; the facts and evidence are clear. The only mystery is why the prosecutor delays while the crimes continue. Richey's office supported Blaine Chief of Police Rodger Funk when he testified on behalf of convicted violent felon David Brudvik, who on October 13, 2025 threatened to murder me . Given this major conflict of interest in the prosecutor's office, referral is the only honest option. Email  erichey@co.whatcom.wa.us and ask him to act ASAP.