Blaine Community Forum

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 conduct a campaign using various tactics, ranging from petitions to protests and town halls using signs and flyers that convey a consistent message.

7. Divide and conquer is the city strategy, so uniting behind the message of "We Demand A Voice" undermines their tactic of discrediting and isolating us.

8. There is a 1992 hydrology study of the city aquifer recharge area.

9. Our campaign needs a proactive plan, which began today at the forum.

10. When we conduct town halls, ask officials to attend and answer questions.

11. Public education needs to be sequential, each block building on the former.

12. We should make a video.

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