Nullify and Censure Steward

2/25/25 letter from Norman Biggleston to City of Blaine:

From: NormanBiggleston <NormanBiggleston@proton.me>
Date: On Tuesday, February 25th, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Subject: SITKIN URGENT - Demand for Nullification of Invalid Vote & Censure of Mayor Steward & Demand for Special City Council Meeting
To: jsitkin@csdlaw.com <jsitkin@csdlaw.com>, pruffatto@csdlaw.com <pruffatto@csdlaw.com>
CC: citycouncil@cityofblaine.com <citycouncil@cityofblaine.com>, rmay@cityofblaine.com <rmay@cityofblaine.com>, shurt@cityofblaine.com <shurt@cityofblaine.com>, elewis@cityofblaine.com <elewis@cityofblaine.com>, edavidson@cityofblaine.com <edavidson@cityofblaine.com>, rlopez@cityofblaine.com <rlopez@cityofblaine.com>, msteward@cityofblaine.com <msteward@cityofblaine.com>, cdscomments@cityofblaine.com <cdscomments@cityofblaine.com>, police@cityofblaine.com <police@cityofblaine.com>, rfunk@cityofblaine.com <rfunk@cityofblaine.com>, scrawford@cityofblaine.com <scrawford@cityofblaine.com>

Subject: SITKIN URGENT - Demand for Nullification of Invalid Vote & Censure of Mayor Steward & Demand for Special City Council Meeting 

 

Dear City Attorney Sitkin and Members of the City Council,

I am formally demanding that a Special City Council Meeting be scheduled urgently to nullify the procedurally invalid motion and vote introduced by Mayor Steward at the most recent city council meeting. The mayor’s motion was introduced in direct violation of Blaine City Council’s Rules of Procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order, rendering it null and void. The citizens demand immediate action.  

 

Below are the specific violations that require immediate corrective action to uphold the integrity of council proceedings. Of significant concern, City Attorney Ruffatto and City Clerk Sam Crawford were present at this meeting. As officials responsible for ensuring procedural integrity, their failure to intervene and correct these violations raises serious concerns about their ability or willingness to uphold proper governance. 

 

Background: On the agenda as Council Action Items # 1 was listed as: “Oral Public Comment Discussion.”  This was after councilmember Eric Lewis (at the previous meeting during Council New Business) properly introduced a motion: “I’d like to propose a motion to restore oral public comments at Blaine City Council Meetings.” 

 

Instead of addressing this agenda item, Mayor Steward derailed the conversation and introduced her own motion – when it was time to discuss restoring oral public comments at city council meetings. Her motion was to start holding town halls. Her motion was procedurally invalid violating both the Rules of Procedure and Roberts Rules of Order. If the mayor wanted to introduce a new motion that timeframe would have been at the end of the meeting under Council New Business.  

 

1. The Mayor’s Motion Was Procedurally Invalid Under Blaine City Council Rules

 

  • Violation of Rule 16 – Order of Business 
    • The published agenda for the meeting explicitly listed the topic as “Discussion of Oral Public Comment at City Council Meetings.” 
    • The mayor acknowledged this when she stated: “The first action item is an oral public comment discussion.” 
    • However, instead of allowing discussion on this scheduled agenda item, the mayor immediately derailed it by introducing a completely unrelated motion, saying: 
      • “I MOVE to schedule a 30-minute town hall study session preceding the first regularly scheduled council meeting of the month.” 
    • Rule 16 explicitly states the Order of Business must be followed. The mayor had no authority to unilaterally replace a published agenda item with a motion on town halls. 
  • Violation of Rule 13 – Agenda Modifications Must Be Approved in Advance 
    • Rule 13 states: 

“The Mayor, three (3) City Councilmembers, or the City Manager may introduce a new item to the Agenda, prior to the notice of meeting being made available to the public.” 

    • Town halls were never included in the published agenda before the meeting. 
    • The mayor never followed proper agenda modification procedures but instead introduced her motion without warning. 
    • She should have introduced this motion under “Council New Business” rather than hijacking the discussion on “Oral Public Comments at City Council Meetings.” 
    • The mayor’s procedural misstep compromised the integrity of the discussion by prematurely shifting it toward a town hall format. 
    • Let me be absolutely clear. A townhall meeting is not an official city council meeting. In fact, the mayor stated that a “quorum” is not required. City council members are not required to attend. She singlehandedly introduced this motion without following proper procedure, effectively bypassing the council’s normal process.  
    • Since the mayor did not amend the agenda before making her motion, the motion was improperly introduced, making the vote on it procedurally invalid. 

 

2. More Violations of the Blaine Rules of Procedure 

 

  • Blaine City Council Rules of Procedure, Rule 15 states: 
    • “Rules of order not specified by statute, ordinance, or resolution shall be guided by Robert’s Rules of Order.” 
  • Under Robert’s Rules of Order, Section 41, once an agenda is adopted, it must be followed unless properly amended: “Once an agenda has been adopted, no change can be made in it except by a two-thirds vote, a vote of the majority of the membership, or unanimous consent.”  
    • The mayor never made a motion to amend the agenda before introducing a vote on town halls. 
    • Since the agenda was never properly amended, the town hall motion should have been ruled out of order. 
    • Because it was improperly introduced, the vote must be nullified. 
    • Even Councilmember Eric Lewis pointed out the problem when he stated: 

“I think we should RETURN ORAL PUBLIC COMMENTS ASAP. My feeling is town hall is a TEST.”

 

3. The Mayor’s Actions Must Be Corrected Immediately
 

  • The Vote Must Be Nullified 
    • Robert’s Rules of Order allows for nullification of votes when a motion is improperly introduced. 
    • Since the mayor’s motion was not properly introduced, the vote is invalid and must be nullified. 
  • The Council Must Return to the Original Discussion 
    • The original discussion on restoring oral public comment was improperly hijacked. 
    • The council must reopen discussion where it was left off before the mayor’s improper motion. 
    • The council must schedule a special meeting to correct this error. 
  • The Mayor Must Be Censured for Procedural Misconduct 
    • The mayor’s actions were a procedural abuse that misled the council into an invalid vote. 
    • A formal motion for censure must be introduced to prevent further misconduct. 
    • The mayor must be held accountable. 
  • IMMEDIATELY schedule a special city council meeting to nullify the invalid vote. 
  • Return to the original discussion on restoring oral public comments. 
  • Formally censure the mayor for procedural misconduct.
     

Final Demands: Immediate Action Required

I expect a written response confirming when the special meeting will be held. Any failure to address this serious procedural violation will undermine public confidence in the council’s commitment to following established procedures. Additionally, we are requesting an official statement by the city for release to the press. We will be widely publishing this letter within the next 24 hours. Additionally, I will be forwarding this and your response to the Washington State Attorney General.   

 

Sincerely,

Norman B.

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