SELF-DEALING PHENOMENON
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 the citizens for holding the city accountable to state law.
That campaign culminated in the Whatcom District Court protection orders against the mayor's friend David Brudvik for death threats made against these citizens, which the mayor inspired by her defamatory allegations and publicly supported online. As we look ahead to 2026, three of the newly-elected city council members are delinquents in bed with the mayor. Restoring democracy to Blaine will take some time.
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