Blaine Confidential

6/29/25 LETTER TO CITY AND COUNTY: As 'Field Marshall' Wenger assails democracy and our environment on multiple fronts--Semiahmoo Spit, Semiahmoo Uplands, Dakota Creek/Drayton Harbor estuary, the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area, and the Central Business District--his brown shirts and black shirts on the planning commission and city council reflexively follow his commands. Blaine Community Development Services Director Alex Wenger, once convicted of perjury and felony fraud, will become a warning to other tyrannical bureaucrats who betray the public trust. The commission and council likewise.

6/28/25 letter to city and county: While you contemplate appointing another financially conflicted applicant to public office--namely Sarbie Bains, heir apparent to the self-dealing crook, Mike Hill--you would do well to reflect on the many ordinances and resolutions you passed in 2024-25 despite blatant financial conflicts of interest for Hill's personal benefit, as well as for the personal benefit of downtown developer Gurdeep Bains--Sarbie's husband.  The recent ordinance you passed that financially benefits Sam Randhawa, Blaine Planning Commissioner and real estate agent at Freeman Real Estate, is just the latest in a long list of conflicts of interest, perjury, self-dealing, and fraud orchestrated by Community Development Services Director, Alex Wenger. Yet, you continue to blindly follow Wenger's instructions, violating ever more laws, without question.  The problem with this scenario is that Wenger's felonies are documented in the public record, so pretending you...

6/27/25 LETTER TO CITY AND COUNTY: There is  nothing worse for a public official to do than using their office to line their own pockets  at the public's expense. Yet, this is precisely what former Councilman Mike Hill and his protege Gurdeep Bains did in 2024. Now, you are contemplating--indeed championing--the selection of Gurdeep Bains' wife Sarbie to assume the council seat vacated by Hill on June 11, 2025. This   continuity of corruption   seems programmed into your behavior.  

6/27/25 letter to city and county: Mike Hill--local crook and thug --casts a long ugly shadow over Blaine City Hall, even in his unmissed absence.  Forced into resigning by my expose   BLAINE TOXIC COVERUP , Mike 'king of the' Hill's hallmark of self-dealing corruption (a crime in Washington State) was mirrored by his friend and fellow self-dealing Blaine official Gurdeep Bains. By their votes as public officials, Bains and Hill substantially increased the value of their numerous commercial properties in the Central Business District. Let me repeat: THAT IS A CRIME IN WASHINGTON STATE. At the June 23, 2025, Blaine City Council meeting, Gurdeep Bains' wife Sarbie received  EXTRA SPECIAL TREATMENT AND FAVORITISM BY THE MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER  who announced for the  OFFICIAL RECORD  that "Mike Hill endorses her" for appointment to the city council seat he vacated on June 11, 2025--one month after Hill filed to run for reelection. [The old one-two play.]  ...

6/26/25 letter to city and county: When Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon said that "Staff recommends appointing Sarbie Bains" to the city council--exclusive of any consideration of or opportunity for others who might want to serve their community--who was he referring to? Who specifically is staff? Sadly, the city council lacked the curiosity to ask who was involved with this suppression of dissent and  bestowing of special favors for friends of Harmon and former Councilman Mike Hill . I am continually shocked by the complete lack of interest by the council in subjects such as ethics, propriety, honesty, and transparency. You have routinely ignored Mike Hill's and Gurdeep Bains' financial conflicts of interest, and now you are making no inquiry into this electoral scandal involving Bains' wife Sarbie, nor into the Freeman Real Estate scandal involving Blaine Planning Commissioner Sam Randhawa. It is as though you have no concept of the rule of law, only the prospec...

6/26/25 LETTER TO CITY AND COUNTY: Queen Mary Lou Steward's visible exasperation at being foiled in  her scheme with Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon  to anoint Princess Sarbie Bains as part of her entourage is reminiscent of previous explosive tantrums by the queen when Blaine citizens dared to reveal her criminal cabal at city hall.  Her opposition to an inclusive process  is telling.

6/25/25 letter to city and county: AMERICA'S ACCOUNTABILITY DEFICIT  by Ron Judd, executive editor of Cascadia Daily News, struck a chord with me, having spent two years holding the Blaine City Council accountable. Judd's phrase "culture of institutional arrogance" seems to resonate here on the border. His disdain for "inattention to legal requirements, standards and mandates" describes our city government to a T. Judd's remark about "administrators caught red handed flouting the letter of the law" could describe most any Blaine City Council meeting.  

6/25/25 letter to city and county: In order to save Blaine City Council time at the July 14 council meeting where interviews of applicants to fill the vacant council seat is on the agenda, I list my top three priorities as an applicant below. 1. Fire City Manager Mike Harmon and Development Director Alex Wenger for criminal misconduct. 2. Repeal unlawful ordinances that ignored conflicts of interest by Councilman Mike Hill and Gurdeep Bains. 3. Request assistance from the WA Attorney General Public Integrity Unit to end corruption in Blaine City Hall.

6/25/25 LETTER TO CITY AND COUNTY: As an applicant for the vacant Blaine City Council seat to be filled July 14, I am insulted by  the remarks in The Northern Light by Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon and Councilman Richard May .   " City manager Mike Harmon recommended council suspend its rule on filling council vacancies and appoint Bains to the position to save the city money on advertising the vacancy...“We’ll probably wind up appointing the same person being suggested, but it certainly would be an open and transparent process to say we’ve given everybody else a chance,” May said. This has all the hallmarks of a rigged game where the outcome is predetermined. Blaine citizens who receive their print copy of The Northern Light this Friday will have one week to consider applying and then filling out an application. Even preschoolers know the game of charades. 

In 2025,  Blaine citizens are taking back their community from the realtors and developers  who've corrupted our city government. We blocked city manager  Harmon's attempt to corrupt the candidate selection process  at the June 23 city council meeting, and we exposed the April 28 vote by the city council approving the UMU rezone as  an unlawful act that involved both a planning commissioner and planning director committing perjury , self-dealing, and felony fraud. Now we are planning to  take over the city government by running write-in candidates  for the at-large position and the Ward 3 position where the realtors and developers already have theirs. This is   grass roots organizing   for the citizens of Blaine who struggle to survive, as opposed to those who are unethical opportunists willing to destroy democracy and our environment for a payoff. The   'good-old-boy' system   of governance embodied by former Councilman Mike Hill i...

6/23/25 letter to city and county: It was good to see Blaine City Council oppose Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon's attempt to usurp their role in selecting a council member to fill the vacancy. Now the city council needs to make sure that the advertising is prominently displayed in a paid large size ad at The Northern Light, and that applicants have sufficient time to consider serving and filling out their application, rather than the rush job pushed by Mayor Steward.   Since you have until September 11 to appoint a council member, I suggest giving people 30 days to apply, which gives you 30 days to complete interviews, and 30 more days to decide. We want to give other citizens a chance to serve, now that the intimidating former Councilman Hill has resigned. This is an opportunity to welcome public participation, after three years of being excluded. 

6/23/25 LETTER TO STATE AND COUNTY: Both Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward and Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon  went on record at the city council meeting  this evening  in support of appointing Sarbie Bains  to city council tonight, without allowing any other citizens of Blaine to apply to fill out the six months left on former Councilman Mike Hill's term of office.  While Blaine citizens  monitoring corruption in city hall  forced the city tonight to advertise and interview any citizens interested in serving the city, as required in the Blaine City Council Rules of Procedure, we expect the city manager and mayor to attempt further 'dirty tricks' as they have done in the past, and indeed tried tonight. Harmon even  attempted to unduly influence the council  by stating that "former Councilman Hill endorses Sarbie Bains." All this unlawful conduct by the city manager and mayor taints the process from the outset with a  clearly stated official...

Blaine Spring Fraud Festival   April 28, 2025 , vote by Blaine City Council to rezone two properties (in violation of state and federal laws) that rewarded Blaine Planning Commissioner Sam Randhawa with a $50,000 increase in his commission as the listed real estate agent on the properties. May 12, 2025 , Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon made false statements under oath (perjury) to Blaine City Council regarding the toxic waste site at Hill's Chevron. June 23, 2025 , Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon violated state and city election laws by recommending the appointment of Sarbie Bains to Blaine City Council instead of advertising for applicants and conducting interviews.

6/23/25 letter to state and county: In my November 29, 2024,  letter to Blaine City Attorney Peter Ruffatto , I noted  conflicts of interest  by Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill that Mayor Steward has repeatedly refused to address. My June 8, 2025,  letter to Washington Attorney General  notes yet another  conflict of interest , this time by Blaine Downtown Advisory Committee member Gurdeep Bains. More recently, Blaine Water Coalition's June 14, 2025, Formal Complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice and Washington State Attorney General documents  conflicts of interest  by Blaine Planning Commissioner Sam Randhawa, Blaine Community Development Services Director Alex Wenger, and Blaine zoning consultant Ali Taysi. This official corruption, abetted by Mayor Mary Lou Steward and City Manager Mike Harmon, constitutes an ongoing criminal enterprise inside city hall. Harmon's  attempt to corrupt the city council election  tonight by covering...

6/23/25 letter to county and state: In my  Letter to Attorney General re Gurdeep Bains , I noted the self-dealing by Bains as a  quasi-official  voting member of the Downtown Advisory Committee,  selected by Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon , and facilitated by Blaine Community Development Services Director Alex Wenger. The  votes of the committee on amendments  to the Blaine Municipal Code--that formed the foundation of the Blaine Planning Commission recommendation of approval and vote by Blaine City Council to enact  Ordinance 24-3019 --were unlawful due to  financial conflicts of interest  by Gurdeep Bains and Councilman Mike Hill, in violation of the  Blaine City Council Rules of Procedure . Now Harmon has violated Rule 37 with his   recommendation to appoint Gurdeep Bains' wife Sarbie Bains   to Blaine City Council without advertising for and interviewing candidates as mandated for   filling council vacancies .  

6/23/25 letter to city and county: Blaine City Council Rules of Procedure   This section provides guidance to the City Council when a Blaine Council Member position becomes vacant before the expiration of the official’s elected term of office. Pursuant to state law, a vacancy shall be filled only until the next regular municipal election, to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.  (a)  Appointment Process   1. A Council position shall be officially declared vacant upon the occurrence of any of the causes of vacancy set forth in RCW 42.12.010, including resignation, recall, forfeiture, written intent to resign, or death of a Council Member. The Council Member who is vacating his or her position cannot participate in the appointment process.  2. The City Council shall direct staff to begin the Council Member appointment process and establish an  interview and appointment schedule , so that the position is filled at the earliest opportunity.  3. The C...

6/23/25 letter to city and county: I could see  the play  in May when Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill announced his candidacy for reelection aside his 'opponent' Sarbie Bains. Knowing Hill was going down due to exposure for self-dealing, I figured Hill--after making sure no one else ran but his friend  Gurdeep Bains ' wife Sarbie due to Hill's intimidating reputation for thuggery--would then step down leaving an open field for her. Now, the next move in the corruption of elections play is the  recommendation  by Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon to circumvent the customary public selection process and appoint Sarbie to fill out the remainder of Hill's term after his June 11, 2025 resignation, thereby giving her an advantage in the November election.

6/22/25 letter to city and county: We are building civic infrastructure in Blaine where none previously existed. Perhaps through inattention by the citizenry, and certainly through misdirection by The Northern Light,  a culture of fear and greed took hold . With the criminalization of city hall by developers such as Skip Jansen and his friend Councilman Mike Hill, this fear and greed was catapulted into prominence--as though a giant neon sign was erected over Blaine City Hall saying FOR SALE. We will need assistance from the Washington State Auditor, Washington Attorney General, and FBI to turns things around. My suggestion is that the enforcement agencies form a special unit to work with local citizens who have documented criminal misconduct by Blaine officials. I also suggest that citizens of Blaine elect an ethics commission to help  oversee civic reform in our community .

6/22/25 letter to city and county: When Councilman Lewis was appointed to fill the remainder of Councilwoman Higgins term after she moved away, it was the  culmination of a public process  that involved 1. posting notice of vacancy in The Northern Light soliciting applicants to fill the position, 2. posting the applications on the city website for public review, and 3. interviewing the applicants. When Councilman Hill resigned on June 11, 2025, Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon usurped your role and recommended that you appoint Sarbie Bains--wife of the crooked developer Gurdeep Bains and friend of Hill--to fill the remainder of Hill's term,  without any soliciting of applicants, public review, or interviews . This  special favor to friends of felon Alex Wenger , Director of Community Development Services, adds another count of possibly criminal misconduct by city hall. While Harmon is mandated to supervise Wenger, the reality is that Wenger--obviously his senior in bo...

6/22/25 letter to city and county: Tyranny is thuggery, and whether the tyrant is in the White House or in Blaine City Hall, thuggery is their hallmark. Defying tyrants like President Trump and Mayor Steward takes courage and commitment; tyrants do not step down willingly. Persistence in the pursuit of democracy takes its toll on families and friends, but coming together to take back our city from criminals and thugs is worth it. There is no room for crybabies in this conflict.

6/22/25 letter to city and county: I understand that Blaine City Council as a group viewed the CCTV of Blaine City Councilman  Mike Hill accosting Blaine Water Coalition spokesman Otto Pointer  at the November 12, 2024, Blaine City Council meeting. In the video, one can see council members Richard May, Rhyan Lopez, and Mary Lou Steward looking on as Hill walks clear across the room to stick his finger and shout in the face of Mr. Pointer.  None of them or the council as a whole publicly discussed this disgraceful behavior by Hill, nor was Hill censured by the council--leaving the public with the clear warning that  opposing official corruption can get you assaulted , or worse. That's the message Blaine City Council sent by their silence. This is not merely cowardice; it is malign intent toward public participation and civil rights that will land the city in the docket.

6/22/25 letter to city and county: While Blaine city government hides behind The Northern Light coverup of their crimes, including intimidation of citizens and the  suppression of dissent , Blaine Water Coalition is building community through research, education, organizing, and action. Our formal complaints to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Attorney General, and the U.S. Department of Justice (FBI) against the City of Blaine for  violation of the Clean Water Act and Civil Rights Act , perjury, self-dealing, and  felony fraud  have inspired Blaine citizens--giving them hope that the  official corruption  by crooked realtors and developers that took over our city government over the last three years will come to an end.  We expect   criminal charges filed against Alex Wenger , Blaine Community Development Director, as well as Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon. The nightmare reign of ...

6/21/25 letter to city and county: Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill--named in my expose  BLAINE TOXIC COVERUP --resigned on June 11, 2025. His stated reason was for health issues, which he no doubt has, but the REAL REASON was  public humiliation . We are demanding  prison time  for Alex Wenger, Blaine development director, who facilitated perjury, self-dealing, and felony fraud by Blaine officials, including 1. Mike Hill, 2. Gurdeep Bains, and 3. Sam Randhawa.  The city is  circling the wagons , but it's too late. Next Monday night council meeting should be interesting.

6/21/25 LETTER TO CITY: The  Freeman Real Estate scandal   Ordinance 25-3028  is only one of many unlawful ordinances due to concealed conflicts of interest by Blaine officials.  Ordinance 24-3019  passed for the Central Business District rezones--reducing parking requirements and increasing building heights-- concealed financial conflicts of interest  by Downtown Advisory Committee member Gurdeep Bains and Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill.  Ordinances to rezone the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area  (CARA)  from a protected area  for our drinking water  to a high-density residential area  included special favors for a developer friend of Mike Hill, Skip Jansen, and are in direct contravention of the State Environmental Policy Act and the federal Clean Water Act. Mike Hill owns lots adjacent to Jansen's, posing yet another unrevealed conflict of interest. These ordinances must likewise be repealed.  Civic reform in Blaine beg...

6/21/25 letter to city: The Northern Light coverup of crimes by Blaine officials has given you a false sense of security. While Patrick Grubb and Grace McCarthy have been steadfast in their coverup, they are not the only media in Whatcom County. Since the crimes you aided and abetted by your unlawful actions adopting ordinances where there are clear conflicts of interest are now documented in formal complaints from Blaine Water Coalition to the Washington State Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice, the game is up. You can no longer hide under TNL's wing. This is possibly traumatic for those of you who thought you were the final say on the law. You are not.  

6/21/25 letter to city: Now that you find yourselves between a rock and a hard place-- end perjury, conflicts of interest, and self-dealing  by Blaine officials,  or find yourselves indicted for aiding and abetting criminal enterprise  under the auspices of city government--the path ahead is clear. Cooperate fully with the Attorney General and Department of Justice  investigations and prosecutions  of development director Alex Wenger and possibly city manager Mike Harmon, and you might avoid charges yourselves.  Continue to  aid and abet official criminality , and suffer the consequences.

6/21/25 LETTER TO CITY: If you want to continue your three-year crime spree of  perjury, self-dealing, and felony fraud , by all means appoint another developer to city government. You already stacked the planning commission with three realtors. By design,  Blaine city government has now become a criminal enterprise , with officials such as former Councilman Mike Hill and now Commissioner Sam Randhawa concealing their financial conflicts of interest. You know that Sarbie Bains' husband Gurdeep Bains is a crook, implicated in self-dealing while on the infamous Downtown Advisory Committee. By the way,  Gurdeep Bain's self-dealing votes  on Blaine Municipal Code changes reducing parking requirements and increasing building heights  render the resulting ordinances invalid . You will be forced to repeal those two ordinances as  you are now being forced to repeal the Freeman Real Estate scandal ordinance  involving self-dealing by Randhawa. The longer you wa...

6/21/25 letter to city: Even in his unmissed absence, former Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill set the tone for the Republic of Blaine, where the laws of the State of Washington and the United States of America do not apply. Only edicts from Emperor Alex and Queen Mary. Alex Wenger, Director of Blaine Community Development Services, sees himself as emperor mainly because the Blaine City Council, like little children, believes whatever he says. Attending council meetings is like watching preschool. Part of this is because council members are lazy, not doing their homework, just parroting Alex. In a backwater like Blaine, it's easy to come to view yourself as important because you own a Chevron and Starbucks, but when you come to view yourself as ABOVE THE LAW--as Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon, former Councilman Hill, and Director Wenger do--the house of cards comes tumbling down, as it now is.  

6/21/25 LETTER TO CITY AND COUNTY: According to Washington State law, the Department of Ecology 2024 Western Washington Stormwater Management manual was to be adopted by cities and counties by August 1, 2024. Whatcom County has. Blaine has not. Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger and Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon both lied under oath to the city council about that after the Ethics Presentation by City Attorney Peter Ruffatto on March 10, 2025.  Contrary to the perjury committed by Harmon and Wenger, the stormwater manual MUST BE ADOPTED--NOT OPTED. Wenger's refrain is that he personally as Emperor of Blaine "opted in" and that suffices. He is wrong.  

6/20/25 letter to city and county: As you are aware, Blaine Water Coalition filed a Formal Complaint on June 14, 2025, to the U.S. Department of Justice against the City of Blaine for  Unlawful Conduct, Altering of Public Records and Legal Violations by City of Blaine officials , requesting state and federal investigation and invalidation of Blaine Ordinance 25-3028. This unlawful ordinance was the result of  misleading statements  by Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger, as well as  concealment of direct financial conflicts of interest  by Wenger, Blaine Planning Commissioner Sam Randhawa, and Blaine rezone consultant Ali Taysi--all working under the direction of Wenger. The Formal Complaint alleges criminal conduct, including a  documented pattern of regulatory non-compliance  and enforcement failures, repeating the method of  omitting information from the public record  designed to mislead the commission and council i...

6/20/25 LETTER TO CITY: The  recommendation by Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon to appoint Sarbie Bains  to fill the recently vacated seat of Councilman Mike Hill is yet another example of EMBEDDED CORRUPTION in Blaine City Hall.  Sarbie Bains is the wife of Gurdeep Bains, a downtown developer implicated in self-dealing while on the notoriously corrupt Downtown Advisory Committee, two of whom--including Bains--VOTED TO CHANGE THE BLAINE MUNICIPAL CODE TO FINANCIALLY BENEFIT THEMSELVES, after being coached by Blaine Community Development Services director and felon Alex Wenger. You can learn more in my  Letter to Attorney General re Gurdeep Bains .

6/20/25 letter to city: Due to concerns noted by Blaine citizens for two years and reluctantly now by the City of Blaine, the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area CARA protection (and restoration) is good reason to not allow high-density residential development over the city's drinking water aquifer. Putting a UGA in a CARA is 1. illegal, and 2. stupid. As you will soon learn, the felony fraud documented in the Blaine Water Coalition June 14, 2025, Formal Complaint  against the City of Blaine to the U.S. Department of Justice Public Integrity Unit was preceded by similar criminal conduct by Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger in the CARA UGA rezone.  Knowingly following the advice of a felon exposes the City of Blaine to SIGNIFICANT LIABILITY.

6/20/25 LETTER TO CITY: Dear Council member,  The compliant recently filed and referred to the DOJ and AG is in your council packet for this coming Monday. Please consider the following for your new business motion. I look forward to your response on this matter. A lack of response on this request and communication is also important to me as well.  Motion to Repeal Ordinance-   Invalidation of Blaine Ordinance 25-3028   I move that the Blaine City Council repeal Ordinance 25-3028 on the grounds that its passage violated both state and local laws regarding conflicts of interest and ethical conduct. Specifically:   Council members Randhawa and CDS Director Alex Wenger failed to disclose personal or financial conflicts of interest prior to participating in discussion and voting, contrary to RCW 42.23.070, RCW 42.23.030, and the Blaine Municipal Code.   The Council Rules of Procedure and the City’s adopted or proposed Code of Ethics require disclosure and recus...

6/20/25 letter to city and county: In my  December 9, 2024, letter to the City of Blaine , I likened the fraud coverup by the City of Blaine to the coverup of the Watergate break-in by President Nixon, 1972-74. The Watergate analogy is becoming even more apropos as the City of Blaine attempts yet another clumsy coverup of the Formal Complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice against the city for the felony fraud perpetrated by Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger. This is BREAKING NEWS that will be exposed in regional media that is not abetting fraud like our local 'newspaper' The Northern Light. Alex Wenger will likely go to prison. Even TNL publisher Patrick Grubb can't save him.  

6/20/25 letter to city and county: The Monday, June 23, 2025, Blaine City Council meeting should be interesting. Although Blaine Water Coalition sent the June 14, 2025, Formal Complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice against the City of Blaine to the city clerk Sam Crawford for inclusion in the council packet under New Business on the council agenda, he has yet to include it in the public record, thus depriving council members and the public of vital and timely information crucial to avoiding further liability to the city and its taxpayers. City Hall has 'circled the wagons' around felon Community Development Services director Alex Wenger--the clear 'fall guy' for the three-year crime spree by the City of Blaine. It won't work.

6/20/25 letter to city and county: Blaine City Clerk Sam Crawford is five days late reporting to the Blaine City Council and the community on the June 14, 2025, Blaine Water Coalition Formal Complaint against the City of Blaine to the U.S. Department of Justice regarding corruption by Blaine officials. This inaction by the clerk in updating the public record deprives the city council of vital and timely information they need prior to its next meeting on Monday, June 23, 2025.  It fits with ongoing manipulation of the public record and alteration of the public record by Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger, the subject of alleged felony fraud.

When evil captured our city government three years ago, no one noticed. The evil of greed that has destroyed the integrity and reputation of our community since is now at its zenith. But, as the philosopher Paul de Armond put it, "Things that can't go on forever don't."  We will overcome evil in Blaine by holding those responsible accountable to the law and to the citizens. We are taking over this city from the crooks who disgraced themselves on the city council and planning commission. We are proposing that the planning commission be elected by the voters and not appointed by the city council to avoid cronyism, and proposing that we also elect an ethics commission to oversee city government.

6/20/25 letter to city and county: Fourteen months ago, sixteen Blaine citizens gathered at Blaine Public Library to discuss official corruption at Blaine City Hall and The Northern Light coverup. Six days ago, Blaine Water Coalition--which formed out of that discussion--filed a Formal Complaint with the  U.S. Department of Justice against the City of Blaine  for engaging in criminal enterprise. Soon, the regional media spotlight will be on Blaine officials involved in  perjury and self-dealing  which are felonies. It's been a long road to accountability in Blaine, and there's a lot of work yet to be done before we have an ethical and competent city government, but  jailing the perpetrators  such as Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger and Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon  would be a good start .

The level of writing and insight offered up by The Northern Light is the equivalent of Pablum for infants. 42 total words about a two hour meeting at Blaine Public Library where the overriding issue discussed was official corruption by the City of Blaine. This is the 'news source'--using the term loosely--for our community. No mention of corruption.

6/19/25 letter to city: I just heard that Blaine City Councilman, crook and thug Mike Hill has resigned. Good riddance! That other crook and thug Mayor Mary Lou Steward will probably present Hill with a plaque for his service accosting and intimidating opponents of their ongoing corruption. Something to hang next to his plaque from Blaine Chamber of Commerce for his contributions to downtown, like the toxic waste site at Hill's Chevron that now threatens Drayton Harbor and Cain Creek.

6/19/25 letter to county: While placating platitudes are the stock in trade of former diplomats such as Whatcom County Councilman Jon Scanlon, they do not suffice when addressing official corruption by the City of Blaine, which is under the authority of Whatcom County. Having received dozens of emails over the last nine months from Blaine Water Coalition documenting criminal enterprise by the City of Blaine, neither Scanlon nor any other county council members bothered to reply or ask us how they could help us with desperately needed civic reform. Scanlon is a charming, intelligent man, but we don't need to be charmed; we need his support in stopping criminals in Blaine City Hall from violating the civil rights of Blaine citizens to participate in their governance.  

6/19/25 letter to county: Had the Whatcom County Council taken the attitude of how can they help rather than how can they avoid their responsibility to uphold the law in Blaine, we would not be in the crisis of leadership Blaine now finds itself in. We began informing the county council and county prosecutor about official corruption in Blaine a year ago. They never responded. The attitude exhibited by the county council, executive, and prosecutor is that upholding the law is not a priority, unlike making backroom deals with the real estate lobbyists and developers now destroying the environment and drinking water aquifer in Blaine. This is not news to the Whatcom County Council; they just turn a blind eye.

6/19/25 letter to county: As observed by Whatcom County Council members and Birch Bay residents present at the June 17, 2025, listening session at Blaine Public Library, the county has spent hundreds of hours this year helping Birch Bay with all its problems as they prepare to become a municipality. By contrast, Whatcom County has now spent a total of two hours listening to the problems of Blaine residents, and half of that was taken up by Birch Bay residents.  Blaine Water Coalition has sent dozens of letters to the Whatcom County Council without response. Now that they have copies of our June 14, 2025, Formal Complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice against the City of Blaine containing documented evidence of felonies by Blaine officials, will the county council give us more than an hour of their time? Judging by the behavior of the two county council members present, I am not impressed.

6/19/25 letter to city and county: The announcement in The Northern Light  for the June 17, 2025 meeting of county council members at Blaine library stated, " Several members of Whatcom County Council will hold a community meeting to better understand the needs of    Blaine area residents 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 at Blaine Public Library." It did not say it was for Blaine and Birch Bay residents. Unfortunately, Whatcom County arranged for community listening sessions in Lynden, Ferndale, and Blaine--neglecting to make arrangements for a listening session in Birch Bay, which has twice the population of Blaine, and its own myriad of issues to address as they prepare to become Whatcom County's next incorporated municipality. Attendees from Birch Bay noted this oversight by the county, apologizing to Blaine residents for crowding in on our meeting. In the end, despite overcrowding in the tiny library meeting room and not enough time for either community to thoroughly present...

6/19/25 letter to city and county: The June 17, 2025 meeting with county council members at Blaine library lasted two hours. Half the meeting was devoted to a  discussion of official corruption  by the City of Blaine.  I opened the public comment by presenting the county council members with hard copies of Blaine Water Coalition's June 14, 2025, Formal Complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice against the City of Blaine for  allowing city officials to conduct criminal enterprise  under the auspices of Blaine government direction, encouragement, and approval.  The   Northern Light coverage   of this event amounted to a total 42 words. Not one of them was 'corruption'.  

6/19/25 letter to city and county: Given the  documented felonies  in the June 14, 2025, Formal Complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice against the City of Blaine by Blaine Water Coalition, you on the Blaine City Council face a stark choice:  void Blaine Ordinance 25-3028  and  remove Blaine Planning Commissioner Sam Randhawa from office  for perjury and self-dealing, or face  obstruction of justice charges  and  RICO charges  for allowing the City of Blaine and its powers to be used to  promote criminal enterprise , with the Freeman Real Estate scandal serving as the poster child of corruption in Blaine. The choice is yours.

6/19/25 letter to city and county: While Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward laments her woes while playing Mahjong at the country club, the taxpayers of Blaine struggling to survive are being asked by the mayor and city manager to trust them with our blind vote of approval for their  latest unlawful scheme  to annex the Semiahmoo Peninsula as an Urban Growth Area for one thousand luxury homes. In order to fund the hundreds of millions of dollars in electric, sewer and water upgrades to accommodate these new wealthy residents, the City of Blaine proposes to SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE UTILITY BILLS FOR EXISTING RESIDENTS.  This is class warfare . As a retired anesthesiologist from Los Angeles, Mayor Steward might not understand what it's like to survive on Social Security and food stamps, but many Blaine voters do. We should show Steward the door ASAP.

6/19/25 letter to city and county: Who says crime doesn't pay? In Blaine it pays very well.  Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger got promoted and received a pay raise for his crimes. Blaine Planning Commissioner and Freeman Real Estate agent Sam Randhawa by his single vote on the UMU Rezone increased his real estate commission value by $50,000. By his two votes to reduce parking requirements and increase building heights in the Central Business District, Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill increased the value of his numerous commercial properties by millions.  You might say that official crime has become a tradition under the reign of Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward.