Blaine Confidential

In his letter to the editor of The Northern Light , Ray Leone contrasts the behavior of the planning commission with that of the mayor and city council. Unlike the city council, he observes, " They appeared to be a group not guided by predetermined outcomes, were active listeners, exhibited open mindedness, and importantly were seeking perspective on what is best for this community – before they proceed to a vote."

What's up with the city selling public parking to downtown developers? Are they going to privatize 120 spaces of on-street parking? That's the whole downtown! Or is it a monetary contribution to go toward a municipal parking garage? If so, does that mean the new condo tenants use up all street parking leaving tourists with no parking until the municipal garage is built sometime in the distant future? Blaine is already on the brink of bankruptcy having recently announced a 33% budget cut for 2024. Killing downtown recovery for a couple of condo developers will be the final nail in the coffin. [This was published as a letter to the editor of The Northern Light on May 2, 2024.]

Code of Conduct Public Participation Rule of Law

My 4/20/2024 letter to Blaine City Council, planning commission and community development: You have got the comprehensive plan process all wrong. Instead of beginning with a backroom deal between city hall and developers to launch a campaign to build a 72' tall wall of view-blocking condos downtown, the comprehensive plan by law is to begin with a community vision. A community vision is arrived at by holding town halls to discuss in open two-way communication the many aspects of our once-in-a-century major makeover of Blaine.  This major makeover includes both downtown and civic center, which is where your focus should be for economic recovery. A wall of condos without parking--necessitating construction of a municipal parking garage so shoppers won't be displaced by condo residents on Peace Portal--is detrimental to our economy.  What would be a boon to our economy is a community art center on the old city hall site, which is consistent with the city economic recovery plan of...

Salishan Neighborhood Association critiques  the developers' vision for downtown promoted by Blaine Community Development Services. Madame Watchdog addresses how the city is blocking citizen input . More on the downtown spectacle in the news.

As an observer of Growth Management in Washington state since it was passed into law thirty-three years ago, I cannot recall a more egregious example of the intentional subversion of both the letter and spirit of the law by a city than what has transpired in Blaine. Not only did Community Development Services (CDS) fail to convene public participation--as required by law--in deciding how to go about creating a new economic development plan for downtown, but they also predetermined the desired outcome in cahoots with developers. My Comprehensive Plan Timeline might help you in comprehending the mess you find yourselves in. As I noted in my post Culture of Exclusion , "The significant changes to zoning and development regulations by Blaine City Council—absent from public participation—a​re not just ten-year updates to our comprehensive plan, cumulatively they are a once-in-a-century major makeover of our community. Expediting planning amendments by resolution to build momentum abse...

As a supporter of your Blaine project (I arranged the community informational meeting with Paul Schissler and Pete Nelson) I was disappointed to see WCLS accept donations from BP and Phillips66 oil refineries for your Birch Bay project. The refineries have corrupted Whatcom County elections for a decade, and actively opposed the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians over fossil fuel export at Cherry Point. Putting their names on plaques on public buildings or in literature is a disservice to democracy. You can read more about BP crimes . 

As I understand it, Blaine citizens worked to protect the city aquifer and watershed for a clean and safe drinking water supply while the city worked with developers to change zoning of their property from single family residential to mobile home park in the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area (CARA). I am told that both Councilman Mike Hill and Councilwoman Kerena Higgins own properties adjacent to the rezoned land and neither recused themselves from voting. Under the Whatcom County Code of Conduct, county officials must state publicly any appearance of conflict of interest and recuse themselves from voting on any related matters. Seemingly by design, Blaine has no code of conduct.  All the attendant chaos and conflict that ensued between Blaine citizens and Blaine City Council stems from this official misconduct. The 144 acres rezoned for a mobile home park is part of a major wetland area and CARA that if destroyed will cost Blaine taxpayers a fortune to fix as the aquifer supplies dr...

Blaine Community Forum members staged a silent protest at Blaine City Council demanding their right to address the city council orally. Mayor Steward previously suspended oral public comment, making Blaine the only city in Whatcom County that does not allow its citizens to orally address their elected officials. 

While Mayor Steward continues her folly to convert downtown Blaine by the Sea into Peace Portal canyon, keeping Free Speech at bay remains her biggest challenge. For two months now, Blaine citizens have not been allowed to orally address the city council since the mayor shut down oral public comment, making Blaine the only city in Whatcom County that bans oral comment where citizens can learn from each other. Steward's folly will come to an end, as will her tenure when Blaine citizens can once again become informed about what city hall is up to and hold her and the city manager accountable. 

April 10, 2024  (SWOT Attachment) Dear Blaine City Council and Planning Commission:  Re: Disallowing “Early and Continuous” Public Engagement (Parking Amendment #5) City Hall has been working in isolation for one and half years with no invitation to the Blaine community to participate in two-way conversation as stipulated in the Project Plan to develop the downtown. Public participation, a legal requirement of the Growth Management Act, is to be “early and continuous” and involve “two-way” communication.  This violation has prevented the community from creating the critical Vision and Planning work needed at the beginning to guide decision-making for the downtown.  It has also prevented the community from ensuring proper planning discipline was being adhered to. The Blaine community is the primary stakeholder in the development of the downtown.  Blaine’s downtown does not belong to City Hall.  Yet, City Hall’s position is: “Once the Planning Commission has ...

The Blaine Community Forum brainstorming on "Ending the Culture of Exclusion at Blaine City Hall" on April 6 was both instructive and constructive. Strategy and tactics were discussed as well as overviews of laws violated by the city council. Sixteen people attended and contributed their ideas in a lively discussion. Some of the remarks: 1. The Washington Attorney General says the Whatcom County Prosecutor can convene a grand jury to investigate official misconduct. 2. The Whatcom County Code of Conduct requires county officials to disclose any appearance of a conflict of interest and recuse themselves from voting. Blaine does not have a code of conduct. 3. We need a connection to Seattle media. 4. We need a citizen resource website to provide links to documents difficult to obtain from the city as well as relevant laws about public process. 5. Downtown business owners are not happy about the city plan for a 72' high wall of condos lining west Peace Portal. 6. We need to...

To Mr. Eric J. Richey, Whatcom Prosecuting Attorney, 311 Grand, Ste. 201, Bellingham WA 98225 I write to you as Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney in hope you will protect the rights of the people of Blaine from a city government that--due to embedded corruption--is unable to effectively govern and is putting our health and prosperity at risk by their unlawful acts. Your reply requested.  I am told you have the authority to empanel a grand jury to investigate official misconduct and encourage you to do so. I copy my most recent letter to the City of Blaine below. This is the tip of the iceberg, and we have abundant evidence of widespread intentional wrongdoing.   To Blaine City Council, Planning Commission, and Community Development Services As you proceed with the downtown rezone/development regulation items of parking and building heights this month, I remind you that this process was corrupted at the outset when on 3/24/2023 Blaine City Council ordered the Blaine City...

Citizen correspondence to Blaine City Council this week includes Downtown Development Submission from Glen Pentland, illegal rezone process from Jay Taber, an update on the Mayor's False Claims and Councilwoman Hurt's response from Madame Watchdog*, and Retention Notice from Otto Pointer. *Council Member Hurt, thank you for your response to my concerns...Your last and most salient point in your letter was that you “won’t take any shit.” I would like to respectfully remind you that elected officials are held to a higher ethical standard, and I would like to kindly suggest that you refrain from using profanities when replying to citizens in the community. A cornerstone of the democratic system in this country is the encouragement of varying viewpoints and open criticism of the government. This engagement can take many forms including emails, such as this one, collecting signatures for petitions, and speaking out at open meetings. These checks and balances that the citizens br...

Blaine City Council, Planning Commission, and Community Development Services As you proceed with the downtown rezone/development regulation items of parking and building heights this month, I remind you that this process was corrupted at the outset when on 3/24/2023 Blaine City Council ordered the Blaine City Manager to instruct the Downtown Advisory Committee they were being changed from an advisory group to a quasi-official body voting on text amendment recommendations. Specific instructions to the Downtown Advisory Committee as to what the recommendations should be were included.  Not by chance, the committee's integrity itself was compromised by the conflicts of interest inherent in its members. When a developer, builder, and planning commissioner teamed up on 6/4/2023 to move and second motions to vote on the text amendment changes that financially benefit developers, a big alarm bell should have gone off at city hall. This is corruption writ large. This intentional bypass of ...

In Washington state, a council recall election allows citizens to take action against elected officials who have committed certain acts while in office. Here are the key details: Grounds for Recall : A recall can only occur if the targeted public official has: Committed malfeasance (wrongful conduct affecting official duty). Committed misfeasance (improper performance of duty). Violated their oath of office . These grounds are specified in Article I, §33 of the Washington Constitution1. Initiating Proceedings: Any legal voter (individually or on behalf of an organization) can initiate a recall against an elected official. The voter must prepare a typewritten charge that: Names the officer. Describes the alleged acts concisely (including approximate date, location, and nature). Is verified under oath. The charge must be based on malfeasance, misfeasance, or oath violation2. 3: Signature Requirement: To proceed with a recall, organizers must collect signatures from registered voters....

March 2023 email from Blaine City Manager: Hello ad hoc Downtown Advisory Committee (DAC) members, I am reaching out today to provide updated guidance on how CDS staff will facilitate your meetings, and how that modified facilitation will change the DAC’s upcoming work program. These updates are the result of updated City Council guidance provided to me at the recent Council Retreat concerning the purpose of the DAC.  Please see the following for a synopsis of Council’s guidance; a discussion of a proposed Resolution for Council’s consideration to modify the DACs process and work program; and, the next topics that will be brought to the DAC for review and deliberations. 03/24/23: City Council and Department Head Retreat.  CDS at the City Council retreat presented an Executive Summary of the work completed by the DAC so far, and I requested guidance from the Council on what work product they would like to see coming from the DAC.  The Council concurred with CDSs observatio...