Blaine Confidential

While Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward attempts to rewrite history, it is good to review how our community became a place where citizens are threatened by city officials and demonized by the police for holding the city manager and mayor accountable to state law. When the mayor had her meltdown on September 8, accusing Councilman Lewis of conspiring with citizens against her, it was because the issue Lewis discussed with his constituents was establishing a code of ethics for Blaine officials. When Lewis introduced a motion to that effect, he received no support from fellow council members or the mayor.  The Code of Ethics motion by Lewis was made in the aftermath of self-dealing by then council member Mike Hill, who voted twice to rezone the Central Business District where he owns several commercial properties that suddenly became more valuable by his votes. Voting to line your own pocket as a public official (self-dealing) is a crime. Preventing these financial conflicts of interest...

As the once peaceful seaside community of Los Angeles learned, unsustainable growth does not solve problems; it creates them. As a transplant from Los Angeles, you'd think Mayor Steward might understand that, but understanding that and caring are two different things.

Thirty years ago, when the original Whatcom Environmental Council defeated Whatcom County at the Washington Supreme Court protecting Critical Areas such as aquifers and salmon streams, the Bellingham Herald demonized us, leading to death threats and vehicular assault. This year, as Water Planning Matters (formerly Blaine Water Coalition) racked up victories against the City of Blaine for destroying Critical Areas --including our municipal drinking water aquifer, Cain Creek, Dakota Creek, and Drayton Harbor--The Northern Light consistently demonized us, repeating baseless, defamatory allegations by City Manager Mike Harmon and Mayor Mary Lou Steward that led to death threats . Both The Northern Light and Cascadia Daily News (CDN) chose to protect self-dealing developers, including three public officials, rather than hold the City of Blaine accountable for intentional violations of state and federal environmental protection laws and acts prohibiting self-dealing. The Northern Light is ...

Four centuries ago, Queen Elizabeth signed a 'Wanted Dead or Alive' poster of my Irish ancestor, who was leading the Irish rebellion against British Rule. She then sent Cromwell's troops after him. In October, Mayor Steward 'liked' a death threat against me by one of the hoodlums former Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill organized to retaliate against me for exposing his self-dealing as a public official. In November, Steward sent Chief of Police Rodger Funk after me with his bogus accusations, concocted in cahoots with the Ferndale Police Department in violation of my civil rights.

Looking back over the three-year conflict between Mayor Steward and Blaine citizens holding her accountable to state and federal laws, it is clear that the mayor was relying on The Northern Light to cover up crimes by Blaine officials. Those crimes violated the Clean Water Act, Ethics in Public Service Act, Growth Management Act, Shoreline Management Act, and State Environmental Policy Act. Looking at the mayor's scorecard 2023-25, the citizens won. Despite her full-on demonizing of the citizens who opposed her and the police misconduct used to intimidate them, Steward has failed to deliver on any of her big beautiful plan to 1) annihilate the East Blaine aquifer that sustains us by siting 1,000 homes over it, 2) trash the Semiahmoo Spit with 211 condos right on the shoreline, and 3) jack our utility bills to subsidize 1,000 gated, luxury homes by annexing Birch Point. Steward lost big time. Then, she set the police and David Brudvik on the citizens to get even, and landed Brudvik...

December 16 letter to Whatcom County: Self-dealing   by Blaine public officials  became a phenomenon at Blaine City Hall as a result of the February 2023 Blaine City Council retreat, at which they conspired with the new city manager to facilitate self-dealing by downtown developers, as they embarked on a three-year crime spree rezoning commercial properties in the Central Business District that financially benefitted Blaine Planning Commissioner  Sam Randhawa , Blaine City Councilman  Mike Hill , and  Gurdeep Bains  (husband of Blaine City Councilwoman Sarbie Bains).  Self-dealing by public officials is a crime in Washington state.  Under the Blaine Municipal Code, Mayor Mary Lou Steward is responsible for preventing these  financial conflicts of interest  by Blaine officials. When Blaine citizens raised objections to this criminal enterprise led by Mayor Steward, the mayor and city manager Mike Harmon initiated a hate campaign against t...

December 15 letter to Blaine City Council: Despite her best efforts to get us murdered for holding her accountable to state law, Mayor Steward's support for David Brudvik's in person and online  death threats  against us did not go unnoticed. Meanwhile, Blaine City Council apparently finds it just fine that the mayor, city manager, and chief of police defame and demonize us, leading to the petitions for protection and the Whatcom District Court order against Steward's convicted violent felon friend.

December 15 letter to Whatcom County: In my petition for a protection order and in my November 4 oral statement to Whatcom District Court Judge Angela Anderson, I observed that I wonder how the demonization of me by Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward, Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon, and former Blaine City Councilman Mike Hill--that  inspired the death threats  by David Brudvik--will affect my ability to continue living an active civic life, as I have done for forty years. After the exposure of Brudvik in The Northern Light as a convicted violent felon, I got my answer: people are afraid. In order to continue the official self-dealing that has become the hallmark of the Steward administration, Chief of Police Rodger Funk has joined the mayor in defaming and intimidating me and my civic associates, who are engaged in lawful petition for redress of grievances to county, state, and federal agencies, as well as appeals of city land use and water resource plans and decisions. ...

Fifty-three years ago, Washington voters passed the Public Records Act initiative of the people by 72%. Your Right to Know what your government is up to is now threatened by Washington state legislators who want to hide what they're up to.  Recently in Blaine, Mayor Steward went to the mat trying to keep us in the dark, to the point of demonizing citizens for requesting public records that subsequently revealed official perjury, self-dealing, and felony fraud. No wonder she and the city manager fought our requests. Presently, Washington Coalition for Open Government is fighting to keep your right to know by defending the Public Records Act from this attack on our rights by our elected officials in Olympia and at home.

Unlike Whatcom District Court Judge Angela Anderson, Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey failed to protect public interest activists from death threats by a convicted violent felon . Richey has ignored our many pleas for help with ending conflicts of interest at Blaine City Hall that led to this incident precipitated by the mayor's remarks . He is well aware of the self-dealing by Blaine officials under the reign of Mayor Steward.

December 4, 2025 Dear Members of the Whatcom County Council and Planning Commission, I respectfully urge the Council and Planning Commission to consider the following recommendations aimed at protecting the Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas (CARAs) serving Blaine and Birch Bay, and at strengthening responsible governance and sustainable planning practices. 1.  Recommend a Moratorium on New Development Applications Affecting East Blaine and Birch Point CARAs A temporary moratorium is a prudent and necessary step.  Water Planning Matters has recommended such a pause, and strong rationale supports it.  A moratorium would allow the County to conduct a cumulative assessment of risks, ensure long-term resiliency and sustainability, and guide land-use decisions in a manner consistent with the importance of protecting these sensitive environmental areas. 2. Recommend Establishing an Advisory Committee to Develop Recommendations for Protecting Endangered Ecosystems Council leadershi...

December 4 letter to Whatcom County: With an eye toward the 2025 ten-year update to the Blaine Comprehensive Plan, the City of Blaine from 2023-25 fast-tracked amendments to the Blaine Municipal Code that illegally increased development density and reduced environmental protections in critical areas and shorelines. Three of these amendments governing redevelopment of the Central Business District were voted on by Blaine officials with  financial conflicts of interest . These amendments are featured in the proposed Blaine UGA element, despite being evidence of government misconduct. Whatcom County officials need to remove these proceeds of crime from the Blaine plan, and require Blaine to repeal these self-dealing ordinances in order to come into compliance with the   Ethics in Public Service Act   and Growth Management Act. Additionally, they should be referred to the appropriate state law enforcement agencies.