Oral Public Comment

2/24/25 letter to City of Blaine:

Mayor Steward's 'town hall' motion was unclear. It sounded like once a month rather than at every council meeting. Once a month is unacceptable, as that puts citizens at a disadvantage when department heads and the city manager are allowed to address you at every meeting. Timely comment is important for fact-checking lies told to council, such as was done by Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Harmon, and Mr. Wenger at tonight's meeting when they falsely told council that using the outdated 2019 Washington State Department of Ecology Stormwater Management Manual is OK despite its state mandated adoption by the city on August 1, 2024. 

It is also not acceptable to ration speaker time according to how many speakers sign up with a total time limit of 30 minutes. The 3 minutes per person system worked well and was equitable. With Steward's motion, there is no consistency nor equity. If people come to speak, you can take the time to listen. If it goes longer than 30 minutes, so what. We have been silenced by the mayor for over a year and we're tired of her lies. Now she can listen to us.

Town hall is a misnomer. Town halls are two-way discussions moderated by a professional disinterested party that take place separate from council meetings in order for learning and accountability to take place. Normally they deal with specific topics such as conflicts of interest in council votes, free speech, rule of law, community vision for comprehensive plan update, toxic waste cleanup, city aquifer protection, and code violations.

Town halls are best when combined with an educational element, including maps, aerial photos, and presentations from state and federal agencies that can help the city come into compliance with the environmental and first amendment laws Blaine has been violating for three years. We need oral public comment at every council meeting as well as town halls at the community center on Saturdays 10-2 so everyone can participate and get their questions answered.

Whatever you decide to do to return free speech to Blaine, the oral comments and town halls must be videotaped as part of the official record so those unable to attend can become informed and statements made can be fact-checked. Allowing city staff to lie to you is a bad plan.

 

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