Conflicts of Interest

4/19/25 letter to City of Blaine:

Under Washington State law, city council members who have a conflict of interest on a city matter to be voted on must 1. recuse themselves from voting, 2. refrain from participating in discussions on the matter under consideration, and 3. physically remove themselves from the council chambers during the discussion and vote.

On at least six separate occasions, Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill has participated in discussions and then voted on amendments to the Blaine Municipal Code that increased the value of his numerous commercial properties downtown and in the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area.

Consequently, all ordinances approved by the city council in 2022-2025 in which Mike Hill has a financial conflict of interest are invalid. This includes Central Business District zoning amendments to reduce parking requirements and to increase building heights. It also includes the amendments passed to eliminate protection of the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area where Hill has additional properties adjacent to that of Skip Jansen.

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