Getting the Run Around

It isn't easy to get information from the City of Blaine website, so I asked the city clerk for help. 

The three city documents I requested were: the 3/24/2023 City Council Retreat minutes--where they changed the Downtown Advisory Committee from an advisory group to a quasi-official body voting on amendments to city development regulations and decided on what recommendations the committee should make to the city council--the 6/6/2023 Downtown Advisory Committee minutes--where the vote was taken to make the Council-recommended changes to city development regulations--and the 7/10/2023 City Council Resolution 1923-23--moving the recommendations forward to the planning commission.

Instead of the City Council Retreat minutes, the deputy city clerk sent me the City Council Agenda and said Retreat minutes are in Documents somewhere. I was unable to find them. Regarding the City Council resolution, the clerk said, "I confirmed that this resolution is listed on the City website in the Documents section.  Unfortunately, it seems that the search function is not working, however if you go to the last page of Resolutions you will find 1923-23." I could not find it. As for the Downtown Advisory Committee minutes for 6/6/2023, the clerk said, "I am confirming with the CDS Director that the draft minutes on file for this meeting are approved for release.  I will circle back on this one tomorrow."

Note that the missing minutes from June 6, 2023--eight months ago--were the basis of the City Council Resolution to amend development regulations forwarded to the planning commission. And today the city clerk sent out notice of the 2024 Docket of Amendments to the City of Blaine Comprehensive Plan and Text Amendments. These amendments include the Downtown Advisory Committee recommendations for changes to development regulations that the city has yet to publish. 

The Pentland report by DAC whistleblower Glen Pentland--a member of the Downtown Advisory Committee--was submitted to the city council on December 12, 2023. In his submission, Pentland says, "I did not support any of the Downtown Advisory Committee recommendations because: · The committee did not complete the work needed to become knowledgeable on the issues to develop the downtown; · The committee was not going to develop rationale to justify their recommendations; · The committee failed to hear from any subject-matter-experts, stakeholder groups or invite members of the Blaine community to provide input; · Voting irregularities appeared to have occurred with members having conflicts-of-interest in the downtown and not abstaining from voting." 

We are being railroaded by city hall. 

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