BLAINE CIVIC NIGHTMARE

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. Mayor Steward posted a 'like' on Mr. Brudvik's Facebook death threat video.

Whatcom County has done nothing to protect us and the public participation process in Blaine from official retaliation that deprives us of our civil rights. The three realtors on Blaine Planning Commission voted to rezone properties on which one of them was the listed agent, thereby tripling the real estate commission. A city councilman voted twice to rezone his commercial properties, making himself a windfall. Both these criminal acts and others by Blaine officials were duly reported by us to the county and state without response.

Apparently, protecting the criminal enterprise run by Mayor Steward is more important to the county and state than protecting the citizens of Blaine from retaliation. Since the September 2025 issue of Whatcom Watch exposed the corrupt public participation process in Blaine, no action has been taken by the county or state to remedy this travesty that, thanks to the incitement of violence against us by Mayor Steward, led to the current situation.

Jay Taber 
2025 Transparency and accountability candidate for Blaine City Council appointment
2005-17 Contributing editor of Fourth World Journal
2000 Recipient of Defender of Democracy award from the Public Good network
1994 Critical Areas legal strategist  Washington State Supreme Court  

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