Testimony

I have fought for public participation in planning Washington's future for over 30 years.

In 1994, I voluntarily led a litigation consortium—including North Cascades Audubon Society—to victory at the Washington Supreme Court, where we set legal precedent for Critical Areas protection under the Growth Management Act. Simultaneously, we prevailed at the Washington State Court of Appeals on our case to protect Lake Whatcom—the municipal reservoir for the City of Bellingham—from improper sewer system management by Water District #10. In 1995, my commitment to these duties of citizenship forced me into bankruptcy. 

In 1996, I assisted the FBI in arresting Christian Patriot white supremacists for bomb-making in the greater Seattle region. (The year before, Christian Patriots blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City, claiming 168 lives.)

In 2016, retired, I moved into federal low-income senior housing in Blaine. In 2017, I led our tenant's association to victory in U.S. District Court when the landlord violated our housing rights by trying to illegally evict us. 

Early this year, I learned of official corruption by Blaine officials in planning redevelopment of our Central Business District and in permitting new development over our Critical Aquifer Recharge Area, without an Environmental Impact Statement. When I questioned financial conflicts of interest of city council members and developers, Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon attempted to intimidate me, both in person and online—even portraying me as a dangerous person in an email he copied to the Blaine Chief of Police.

I have lived a life of active civic involvement for 50 years, and at age 72, I am outraged that Washington State has neglected to enforce the law in our community, thus depriving me and others of the opportunity to contribute to sustainable development, rather than the ransacking of our aquifer and downtown by crooked developers who've taken over our city with the mayor's blessing.

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