CORRECTING THE NORTHERN LIGHT

The March 26, 2026 article in The Northern Light identifies me as a member of Save Blaine, which I have never been. I was a member of Blaine Water Coalition speakers bureau, as noted on my June 25, 2025 Blaine City Council application. I explained all this in January to the new publisher, Kari Mar.

In 2023, prior to my involvement, Save Blaine called out Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward for allowing self-dealing by Councilman Mike Hill, in violation of the Blaine City Council Rules of Procedure:
Rule 22
Each member present shall vote on all questions put to the City Council except on matters in which he or she has been disqualified for a conflict of interest or under the appearance of fairness doctrine. Such member shall disqualify himself or herself prior to any discussion of the matter and shall leave the City Council Chambers.
Rule 29
Councilmembers should recognize that the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine does not require that a conflict of interest be established, but whether there is an appearance of conflict of interest to the average person. This may involve the councilmember or a councilmember’s business associate or a member of the councilmember’s immediate family. It could involve ex parte communications, ownership of property in the vicinity, business dealings with the proponents or opponents before or after the hearing, business dealings of the councilmember’s employer with the proponents or opponents, announced redisposition, and the like.

Prior to any quasi-judicial hearing, each City Councilmember should give consideration to whether a potential violation of the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine exists. If the answer is in the affirmative, no matter how remote, the City Councilmember should disclose such facts to the City Manager, who will seek the opinion of the City Attorney as to whether a potential violation of the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine exists. The City Manager shall communicate such opinion to the City Councilmember and to the Mayor. The City Councilmember shall also disclose such potential violation of the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine on the record prior to the start of the public hearing.

On June 14, 2025, Blaine Water Coalition exposed Blaine Planning Commissioner Sam Randhawa for self-dealing. On March 23, 2026, I exposed Councilwoman Sarbjit Bains for self-dealing in my COMPLAINT TO CITY CLERK CRAWFORD. The Northern Light covered up all three crimes by Blaine officials. Both Hill and Randhawa subsequently resigned from office without a peep from TNL.

In September 2025, Blaine Water Coalition became Water Planning Matters in recognition of the collaboration with Birch Bay civic leaders, as we successfully opposed annexation of Birch Point by the City of Blaine.  In February 2026, Water Planning Matters examined the judicial bias of Blaine Hearing Examiner Phil Olbrechts, who unlawfully removed evidence from the record proving fraud by Blaine officials using fake wetland and aquifer maps to accommodate developers. In March 2026, I opposed DOWNTOWN LOOTING by the city council.

None of this was ever mentioned in The Northern Light.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BLAINE TOXIC COVERUP

2/25/25 letter to City of Blaine : BLAINE TOXIC COVERUP A Town that Never Learns By  Jay Taber Blaine Water Coalition Blaine City Council member  Mike Hill --recently under investigation by the Whatcom County Sheriff's Department for accosting Blaine Water Coalition activist Otto Pointer at the November 12, 2024, city council meeting (Case #24A39027)--has a problem with his plan to develop condos across Peace Portal Drive from his  Chevron  station downtown. In a November 28, 2023,  Hazardous Materials Analysis Report  presented by GeoEngineers to the City of Blaine, Hill's Chevron is listed as a 'high-risk' Department of Ecology site (Cleanup Site ID # 9280) due to confirmed releases of petroleum products--including  Benzene --on and off the property,  contaminating the groundwater  that migrates from the Chevron station under Starbuck's toward  Cain Creek  and  Drayton Harbor . The  Drayton Harbor estuary  is home t...
Read more

GUEST COMMENTARY REJECTED BY CASCADIA DAILY NEWS

The CDN article about the  East Blaine de-annexation  and UGA Swap excludes any mention of the extensively documented Blaine Water Coalition objections we sent to CDN well in advance. I feel this is not fair and balanced coverage. CDN reporter Julia Tellman attended the July 14, 2025 Blaine City Council meeting where as a city council vacancy applicant I introduced myself as a member of the Blaine Water Coalition (BWC) speakers bureau, and provided both an oral and written presentation with alleged legal violations by the city related to the proposed UGA Swap, as well as BWC's legal objections to previous well-documented evidence of City misconduct. Tellman mentioned none of this, nor the fact that I alone was hastily appointed at the meeting to write the voters pamphlet statement against the city-sponsored initiative, despite four additional qualified  ‘Con’  applicants  (important n ote: the City received only one ‘Pro’ Applicant) . . This city attem...
Read more

CARA PROTECTION DISTRICT PROPOSAL

November 24 letter to Whatcom County Council : Protect ing  Blaine and Birch Bay Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas (CARAs) Whatcom County oversees many special purpose districts with taxing authority to meet public needs. A  CARA Protection District  for Blaine and Birch Bay that can purchase the east Blaine and Birch Point CARA properties under county jurisdiction in order to protect our joint public water supply system, reduce flooding, and control urban pollution fits that purpose well.  Combined with improved stormwater management in the Drayton Harbor and Birch Bay watersheds, putting these aquifers in public hands would allow for public health, educational and recreational opportunities within an area beset by luxury, gated, planned unit developments. They could become forested 'greenway parks' as a n oasis from the surrounding chaos. Recommendation Whatcom  County Council   adopt  a  moratorium on  new  development applications...
Read more