Blaine Confidential

Perjury by Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon against Blaine Water Coalition leaders is intended to incite violence against us for holding him accountable for fraud. His perjury and fraud include 1) lying to the city council regarding adoption of the 2024 Department of Ecology Stormwater Management Manual, 2) rezoning the Central Business District to financially benefit Blaine officials Mike Hill, Gurdeep Bains, and Sam Randhawa, and 3) misleading voters on the 'Reduction of City Limits' Proposition 2025-07, which is intended to expand the city limits by annexing Birch Point.  Now, Harmon is committing perjury stating Blaine Water Coalition has cost the city half a million dollars in public records requests and attorneys fees to defend the unlawful Avista at Birch Point Planned Unit Development from our appeal. Harmon provides no proof of expenses, other than to say public records requests take staff time, and lawyer's fees have increased significantly. So what. That's...

Less than 24 hours after a Whatcom District Court commissioner issued a temporary protection order against David Brudvik for threatening Blaine Water Coalition leaders in response to the incitement of violence against us by Mayor Mary Lou Steward and City Manager Mike Harmon, Brudvik's associate, former Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill, had Blaine PD issue Notice of Trespass orders against us, forbidding us from setting foot in the Blaine Visitor Center (leased by the city from Hill), Bordertown Mexican Grill, Chevron, and Starbucks (also tenants of Hill). All of this is in retaliation for exercising our civil rights to hold our government accountable. After apparent contact by his tenants, Hill has backed down, and only forbids us from his Chevron station. Blaine PD, meanwhile, has only informed one of four leaders threatened that they can now enter the businesses of his tenants. It seems they now realize they were used by Hill to intimidate citizens who had done nothing wrong. Ca...

303 LISTING (impaired water body, federal) CWA Clean Water Act (federal) DOE Department of Ecology (state) EPA Environmental Protection Agency (federal) ERTS Emergency Report Tracking System (city, county, and state) SEPA State Environmental Policy Act SMA Shoreline Management Act (state) SMP Shoreline Management Plan (city and county) TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load (of pollutants allowed under CWA) 

Jay Taber to Department of Ecology   (submit your comments on Drayton Harbor cleanup  here ) Blaine Water Coalition, waterplanningmatters.org , is working on cleaning up Drayton Harbor through SEPA appeals, Growth Management challenges, and filing ERTS reports of SMP violations unenforced by Blaine Code Enforcement. Unfortunately, the state regulatory gap in forcing municipal compliance with the Clean Water Act or State Environmental Policy Act places that burden on citizens, whose only recourse is to hire a lawyer. Not exactly what the legislature had in mind for public participation. You as scientists and educators don't set state enforcement policy, but it needs to be communicated to management in Olympia that this regulatory gap is contributing to the Drayton Harbor TMDL/303 problem, and the City of Blaine is now 14 months overdue in adopting the mandated 2024 Department of Ecology Stormwater Management Manual. Hopefully, the 22 SMP violations sent to DOE by Water Planning...

October 22 letter to Whatcom County Council, cc Planning Commission: Thank you for reining in Blaine urban sprawl! [they just voted 6-1 against any Blaine annexations] We have been fighting this costly UGA nonsense for two years. We will continue working to bring Blaine into compliance with state and federal law, and to harmonize Blaine's comprehensive plan with Whatcom County's. Our most recent challenge in this endeavor is the incitement of violence against Blaine Water Coalition by Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward and Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon. This government misconduct in retaliation for being held accountable by citizens must end. On October 13, Blaine Water Coalition leaders were threatened by name at the city council meeting. A temporary restraining order has been served on the perpetrator, who was motivated to issue death threats by the mayor and city manager's remarks. All of this was enabled by the failure of the Whatcom County Prosecutor to protect us over th...

The direct mail flyers supporting Proposition 2025-07 in the mail delivery alongside our ballots and voters pamphlet in Blaine was paid for by Ocean Farms LLC. Ocean Farms LLC is the Avista at Birch Point developer hoping to have Birch Point annexed by the City of Blaine because city development standards and critical area protections are far lower than Whatcom County and Washington State, thus making more profits for developers (and more pollution for Birch Bay). Unfortunately for Ocean Farms,  Whatcom County on October 3 sent a letter to the City of Blaine  essentially saying Birch Point annexation is off the table due to the entire area being a Critical Aquifer Recharge Area, and due to the failure of Blaine City Council to adopt a Capital Facilities Plan showing detailed costs of annexation to Blaine taxpayers, which is required by state law prior to any annexations. They also told Blaine it has enough vacant land without annexing. The only  purpose  of the fra...

After Whatcom County Sheriff's Department served Mike Hill's associate David Brudvik--a convicted violent felon--with restraining orders yesterday for threatening four Blaine Water Coalition leaders on October 13, former councilman Mike Hill today had Blaine PD phone the four of us to say we are banned from his properties downtown for five years. These properties include Chevron, Blaine Visitor Center, Bordertown Mexican Grill, and Starbuck's. 

T he Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas (CARAs) at east Blaine and Birch Point differ in both volume and geology. Both have shallow aquifers perched above the clay layer, but only east Blaine has a large deeper aquifer containing ancient glacial water in sufficient quantities for Blaine and Birch Bay. The shallow perched aquifers in east Blaine and Birch Point can be contaminated by improper stormwater management and other sources of pollution, that can then run off into Drayton Harbor and Birch Bay. The fossil water in the east Blaine deep aquifer can be polluted if the clay layer is penetrated. The east Blaine aquifer provides 100% of drinking water for Blaine and Birch Bay.

On Thursday October 23 at 5:30 pm, Washington State Department of Ecology will present the   Drayton Harbor Cleanup Plan   at Blaine Public Library. The previous DOE presentation of their data on Drayton Harbor pollution was to gather public input and other agency responses; now it's time to act on the data provided by all participants, especially DOE, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Blaine Water Coalition ( waterplanningmatters.org ). As one example of things that must be fixed in order to comply with state and federal environmental law, Cain Creek human fecal pollution must be reduced by 67-99%. Another example is that Blaine is now 14 months overdue in adopting the DOE 2024 Stormwater Management Manual, required by state law. Yet another example are the documented 22 Shoreline Management Program violations unenforced by Blaine Code Enforcement.

In the mistitled article Blaine Withdraws Controversial Urban Growth Area Proposal at Cascadia Daily News, it notes the letter from Whatcom County Planning that essentially closes the door on any annexations by the City of Blaine. Blaine Resolution 1984-25 , passed on October 13, states the city will continue to pursue the annexation of a Birch Point UGA, and pause pursuing the Urban Growth Reserve Area at Birch Point until after the vote on the fraudulent Proposition 2025-07 .

October 18 letter to Blaine City Council: I noticed that Councilman Lopez, who moderated the October 13 town hall, cut off Blaine Water Coalition speakers at the 2-minute mark, but allowed former councilman Mike Hill's friends to ramble on for an extra minute. In case you were wondering about the first speaker, David Brudvik, he was served yesterday with a restraining order for his threatening remarks before you against Blaine Water Coalition member Tina Erwin. On Monday, the Whatcom District Court will process the petitions for protection by Blaine Water Coalition leaders Geoffrey Baker and myself.  It was revealing that not one of you said anything about the Mike Hill-David Brudvik hate campaign launched before you against Blaine Water Coalition, which was motivated and provided targets during the September 8 council meeting demonization of our organization by Mayor Mary Lou Steward, and repeated defamation of us by Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon, on the record. Not on...

October 17 letter to Whatcom County: For county officials not living in Blaine, it is perhaps difficult to comprehend the criminal misconduct that defines the City of Blaine government. This past Monday, at Blaine City Council, past council member Mike Hill (who was investigated in 2024 for accosting Blaine Water Coalition spokesman Geoffrey Baker) organized a hate campaign against BWC leaders that included Hill's associate, convicted violent felon David Brudvik. [Mr. Hill has a record of felony arrest for battery that was pled down to misdemeanor.] Mr. Brudvik issued death threats against BWC leaders Geoffrey Baker, Tina Erwin, Donna McGaffic, and myself during the town hall open session, and then passed out his manifesto with our names on it to the audience. Mr. Hill and Mr. Brudvik also threatened Blaine City Council members Richard May and Eric Lewis.  Blaine Chief of Police Rodger Funk was present, and neither he nor Mayor Mary Lou Steward said a word. This incident was the di...

On Monday October 13, during the town hall in Blaine City Council chambers, David Brudvik (a friend of former councilman Mike Hill who himself accosted Blaine Water Coalition spokesman Geoffrey Baker on November 12, 2024 ) issued a verbal and written threat of violence against four Blaine Water Coalition leaders. This demonization and incitement to violence was   organized by an apparently intoxicated Mike Hill , who resigned after being exposed for self-dealing (profiting financially from his votes as a public official--a crime). Blaine Chief of Police Rodger Funk was present, but did nothing.  This  stems from the September 8 attack by Mayor Steward against Blaine Water Coalition  and Councilman Lewis, based on an anonymous hand delivered letter full of baseless allegations and no evidence. City Manager Mike Harmon repeatedly defames us individually and collectively on the record at council meetings, as he did on October 13. Motives include 1) Discredit me as chair...

Today's letter published at Cascadia Daily News: Editor, At a time when Whatcom County and the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) are planning on how to ration potable water as our population grows, one would think it prudent to protect already identified high-quality Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas (CARAs) that can supply safe drinking water for the present and the future. Especially CARAs that are independent of the Nooksack watershed and the DOE adjudication process now underway. To meet the current needs of Blaine and Birch Bay residents, the City of Blaine CARA in east Blaine must be redesignated as a conservation area, and the CARA at Birch Point adjacent to west Blaine must be conserved for the future needs of the forthcoming city of Birch Bay.  These clean drinking water reserves, unpolluted by agricultural or urban runoff, are vital resources that Whatcom County and Washington state are obligated to protect. At the DOE presentation on Drayton Harbor pollution rec...

October 12 letter to City of Blaine: In light of the October 3, 2025, letter from Whatcom County to the City of Blaine stating that the entire Birch Point area Blaine wants to annex for a luxury residential Urban Growth Area (UGA) is a  Critical Aquifer Recharge Area  that cannot be developed under the Growth Management Act (GMA), it is pointless for Blaine City Council to adopt  Resolution 1984-25 , a revised annexation plan for Birch Point.  Since the only  purpose  of the City of Blaine 'Reduction of City Limits'  Proposition 2025-07  is to convince Whatcom County to  allow Blaine to expand its city limits by annexing Birch Point  for luxury housing, and the county has rejected that, the resolution placing this on the ballot should be repealed. De-annexing the East Blaine UGA makes no sense. It should be redesignated a  Protected Conservation Area , and kept in the city so we can protect our drinking water. Likewise, the  o...

October 11 letter to City of Blaine: In case you didn't notice, the City of Blaine's house of cards annexation plans just collapsed. No dog-and-pony show by City Manager Mike Harmon or Community Development Services director Alex Wenger can change that. The county is against it, and the community is against you. Time for you to stop wasting $25K per month on lawyers to protect your criminal racket, and time for you to fire Harmon and Wenger for wasting what little goodwill the citizens might have shown you, and turning our city government into the laughing stock of Whatcom County. The tide has turned, and you will be held accountable for official misconduct.

Reading the October 9 letter to the editor of The Northern Light from former Blaine City Manager Dave Wilbrecht regarding the proposed UGA Swap/Birch Point annexation, the following remarks caught my attention: " We’ve seen this before. In 1996 Blaine annexed East Blaine, where development stalled for years due to the high costs of utility infrastructure. Only after state funding helped cover those costs did East Maple Ridge move forward, while Grandis Pond remained unbuilt because utilities were financially unfeasible. I wonder if Birch Point faces the same fate." In 2024, the City of Blaine undertook a massive sewer upgrade on G St and vicinity to accommodate East Blaine development over the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area. State funding covered part of that, and Whatcom County loaned the city the rest. Now it appears that cost to taxpayers was wasted, and the city wants us to pay for their mistakes. Of historical note, in 1994, when I led North Cascades Audubon Society to ...

I don't know the number of households in Blaine and the portion of Birch Bay receiving Blaine water, but the $40 million for sewer and water extension to the proposed Birch Point Urban Growth Area, less the developer impact fees, can be divided by the number of households in arriving at the monthly increase on utility bills.  What's missing in the proposed Blaine Comprehensive Plan is the projected increase in taxes and utility bills to service bonds for the increased capital and operational costs associated with treating both stormwater and sewage from proposed Birch Point annexation and development. This information would be revealed in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a Capital Facilities Plan (required by Washington State), but the City of Blaine refuses to do Environmental Impact Studies that uncover environmental constraints on developers, such as Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas (CARAs). And now, the City of Blaine is proposing that Whatcom County allow them to...

Under the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA), Whatcom County is mandated to supervise the cities within its jurisdiction, and is responsible for harmonizing county development standards and critical area protections with those of the cities. Blaine's stormwater standards, shoreline setbacks, and critical area protections are far less than those of Whatcom County and Washington State, making them unlawful.  This means Whatcom County cannot legally approve the Blaine Comprehensive Plan as it now exists, even with the last-minute maneuver by Blaine Community Development Services to salvage the 460 acre Urban Growth Area at Birch Point, despite the October 3, 2025, Whatcom County Planning letter opposing Blaine's plan due to the entire area consisting of a Critical Aquifer Recharge Area, which must be protected under GMA. Learn more at  NO TO BIRCH POINT UGA .  Blaine voters should  VOTE NO ON PROP 7 .

October 10, 2025, letter to City of Blaine: Resolution 1984-25 , directing city staff to revise the preferred Urban Growth Area alternative as expressed in the Request for Council Action on October 13, 2025, removes the 299 acre Urban Growth Reserve Area at Birch Point until after the November 4 election, in which Blaine voters will vote on the fraudulent city-sponsored  Proposition 2025-07 , the title of which (Reduction of City Limits) misleads voters, since the  stated intent of the proposition  according to the city is to convince the county to  let Blaine annex 460 acres at Birch Point as an Urban Growth Area . The concerns by Whatcom County Planning are not addressed by this last-minute city maneuver to salvage annexation of 460 acres at Birch Point while under fire from Birch Bay and Blaine residents who would be required to foot the bill for traffic improvements, stormwater treatment, and sewer system expansion in the form of significantly increased utility b...

October 3, 2025, letter from Whatcom County Planning to Blaine Community Development Services: From: Matt Aamot  To: Alex Wenger (AWenger@cityofblaine.com)  Cc: Mark Personius  Subject: 2025 Update / Blaine UGA Proposal - Updated Sept 29, 2025  Date: Friday, October 03, 2025 12:10:00 PM Attachments: Blaine Proposed UGA Expansions - Critical Areas (GIS email Sept 8, 2025).pdf GMHB FDO 2011-04-11 text searchable.pdf  Hi Alex:  County Planning has several concerns about the updated City of Blaine UGA/UGA Reserve Proposal (September 29, 2025), including [edited for brevity]: LAND CAPACITY "The land capacity surpluses cause concern relating to compliance with this requirement of the Growth Management Act." CAPITAL FACILITIES "Blaine’s UGA proposal indicates that City water and sewer plans will be updated in 2026 following adoption of the Comp Plan (pp. 15 and 18). Additionally, the North Whatcom Fire & Rescue Capital Facilities Plan update has not been...

The scheduled October 9 Whatcom County Planning Commission hearing on Blaine Urban Growth Areas (UGAs), especially the West Blaine Urban Growth Area  (rescheduled from September when Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger failed to show up), was also a no-show for Mr. Wenger. The UGA element of the Blaine Comprehensive Plan is hotly contested in current letters to the editor at The Northern Light news. As I noted in my September 26 letter to Whatcom County Planning Commission , Wenger's city hall open house on the Blaine Comprehensive Plan was an "exercise in deception." My letters to the Whatcom County Planning Commission for the October 9 hearing: Blaine UGA fraud Blaine Comprehensive Plan deceptive Oppose Blaine UGA proposal Illegal Blaine UGA amendments

September 26 letter to Whatcom County Planning Commission : The scheduled October 9 UGA presentation by Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger requires an orientation to felony fraud committed by Mr. Wenger that directly harms the Drayton Harbor watershed and Waters of the United States.  The June 14, 2025 Formal Complaint by Blaine Water Coalition to the U.S. Department of Justice, Washington State Attorney General, and Washington State Auditor alleges criminal conduct and ethical violations in connection with the City of Blaine 2025 Urban Mixed-Use rezoning action (included in the Blaine UGA element). This is the latest example in a documented pattern of regulatory non-compliance and enforcement failures by the city, which are the subject of existing complaints before the Department of Ecology.  In the June complaint, we reveal that Alex Wenger hired a consultant to rewrite Blaine zoning laws to favor the financial interests of developers, and altered the...

October 6 letter to Blaine Planning Commission : The 'Gang of Three' realtors on Blaine Planning Commission--Don Enos, Sam Randhawa, and Jennifer Plombon--all  voted on March 13, 2025 , to allow Commissioner Randhawa to commit perjury and self-dealing (see attached).

Jiggy Sorrell   and   Eric Lewis   are running against each other for Blaine City Council. On  Jiggy Sorrell's website , he is endorsed by Senator Sharon Shewmake. The  Eric Lewis  site includes an endorsement by Senator Sharon Shewmake. In an email from Mr. Sorrell, he said he is a Republican. Eric Lewis was endorsed by Whatcom Democrats. Senator Shewmake is a Democrat who has some explaining to do.

David Syre, owner of Cascadia Daily News (CDN) and Trillium Corporation (developer of Semiahmoo Resort), made his money clear-cutting the Nooksack River watershed and the Birch Bay watershed, causing flood damage taxpayers had to pay to fix. The current CDN coverup of criminal misconduct by the City of Blaine collaborating with Birch Point (Semiahmoo headlands) developers reeks of corruption.  Learn more at Guest Commentary Rejected By Cascadia Daily News .

The unlawful eagle tree massacre in September 2025 at 1117 Leighton Street (DRAYTON REACH, DIV 2, LOT 15) happened within the Blaine Shoreline Master Program buffer along Drayton Harbor, thus violating the Shoreline Management Act and Critical Areas Ordinance. A restoration plan, performance bond, and civil penalties are in order, as is referral to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Eagle Act), and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (non-permitted tree removal). Three mature Douglas Fir trees that eagles use for perches when hunting salmon were deliberately girdled to cause their death. Wire mesh was placed over the cuts to disguise the damage. The owners of the property, Gurdeep S. (a developer) and Sarbjit K. Bains--a Blaine City Councilwoman --list their address as 381 6th St, Blaine.  Blaine Community Development Services was notified mid-September, taking no action, while additional girdling occurred through September 28.  Removing trees for views is very profitabl...

1. Restore oral public comment (three minutes per person) at every city council meeting. 2. End conflicts of interest by Blaine officials by enforcing the Ethics in Public Service Act. 3. Enforce state laws that protect aquifers, creeks, and Drayton Harbor from urban pollution. [These are duties of the mayor, city manager, city planning commission, city council, city development director, and city attorney that since 2022 have been neglected and concealed from the public, causing significant harm to our community and environment.] Citizens concerned with this embedded corruption at Blaine City Hall should contact the Washington State Auditor (conflicts of interest), Washington Secretary of State (election fraud), Washington Department of Ecology (shoreline management), and Washington Attorney General (perjury, self-dealing, and fraud).

 [The following letter was sent on October 2 from Save Blaine (one of the organizations defamed by Mayor Steward on September 8) to Jiggy Sorrell, candidate for Blaine City Council.] Mr. Sorrell,     On September 15th you proudly announced Mayor Mary Lou Steward’s endorsement, stating you were “incredibly honored” and that she demonstrated   “integrity and vision”   and that   “her support means the world.”   With respect, the public record shows otherwise.     On September 8th, during an official City Council meeting, Mayor Steward, acting in her official capacity from the dais, stated the following on the record:     “So I’m just going to say that I will give Mr. Lewis two weeks to do the honorable thing and resign. Otherwise, I will put forward a motion to censure, or at least for any executive session or attorney–client information having to do with the Blaine Water Coalition, Mr. Lewis will be excluded.”   ...

October 2 letter to Whatcom County: The Northern Light  article  about the Blaine Comprehensive Plan observes that the meeting was attended by Blaine and Birch Bay residents. It does not mention that it was standing room only, packed with opponents of the plan, in particular the  West Blaine Urban Growth Area   ( UGA Swap ) and the proposed annexation of Birch Point under the ruse of the fraudulent Reduction of City Limits  Prop 7 . It does not mention the self-dealing by Blaine officials involved in producing this plan who have direct financial conflicts of interest, making the plan illegal under Washington State law. These issues were raised emphatically, which you'd never know reading TNL.

 October 2 letter to Whatcom County: In The Northern Light  article  about the Blaine Comprehensive Plan, it is noted that,  "  The open house marked the city’s first official step of public engagement in the planning process, which the city planners have been working on for over a year."   The Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) requires "early, continuous, and inclusive public participation throughout the planning process." Not at the end. This fact invalidates the Blaine Comprehensive Plan for violation of the cornerstone of GMA--public participation. It must be abandoned and started over.   Jay Taber,  Water Planning Matters

October 1 letter to Whatcom County Planning Commission : Water Planning Matters, formerly Blaine Water Coalition, will participate in the Whatcom County Planning Commission hearing to  oppose the City of Blaine UGA/UGA Reserve Proposal . Additionally, I wish to submit the following concern for the hearing record about the invalidity of the Blaine proposal due to  direct financial conflicts of interest by three Blaine officials  who used their office to engage in self-dealing--voting on rezone amendments to the Blaine Municipal Code on their own properties, a crime in Washington State under the Ethics in Public Service Act. In section IV, UGA Growth Allocation Proposal, it states, "The City has already taken the first few actions, including increasing maximum building height in the Central Business Waterview District, adopting a residential parking relief program for the entire Central Business District, and creating a new Urban Mixed Use zoning to accommodate middle housi...

Whatcom Democrats have endorsed Eric Lewis for Blaine City Council. Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward and Democrat State Representative Alicia Rule (former Blaine City Councilwoman) have endorsed his opponent Jiggy Sorrell , a Trump-supporting Republican.