GOLIATH

The present showdown between public and private interests in the looming annihilation of the Semiahmoo headlands by developers--who have taken over Blaine city hall with support from the building and real estate industries--is distorted by The Northern Light newspaper, whose bread and butter is real estate advertising. Cascadia Daily News, owned by developer of Semiahmoo resort, David Syre, likewise skews coverage to favor corrupt city officials and to discredit their opponents, most notably Blaine Water Coalition. 

This showdown involves hundreds of millions of dollars as developers line up to support city annexation of the headlands due to city development standards being much lower than county standards for protecting the environment and public purse. It is now all-out war between the real estate industry and local media on one side, and citizens attempting to protect their communities (Blaine and Birch Bay) on the other.

There will be setbacks and comebacks in this now three-year battle as we transition from the administrative arena to the judicial arena, but the principles remain the same: transparency and accountability are paramount. The public's right to know and to be heard is at stake.

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