Blaine Confidential

April 16, 2026 Blaine Planning Commission remarks by Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon : "So everything you're going to hear tonight staff have vetted these processes are in play in other communities. They've been vetted by our legal counsel and we ask for your favorable recommendation on these to help us take a step forward in eliminating these barriers, eliminating some of the costs. The last SEPA appeal that the city went through, we spent over $100,000 just on our attorney to defend the city's position only to have a hearing examiner come back and say that staff issued a bulletproof SEPA decision and that it was really well written. And so there are costs in there not only for the developer but for the tax payers to blame that just really aren't necessary. And so we're asking for your help tonight to move this forward to council with a new pass recommendation." Harmon's prejudicial remarks disparaging the citizen effort led by Water Planning Matters ...

  "The City's course of conduct evidences willful delay and concealment." --Judith A Endejan, Endejan Law, LLC Geoffrey Baker vs. The City Of Blaine Complaint for Violation of the Washington Public Records Act

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 Critical Aquifer Recharge Area properties in order to protect our public water system fits that purpose. Watch the   Water Planning Matters video . Putting this aquifer in public hands is of strategic importance to public health. The East Blaine CARA supplies 100% of the drinking water to Blaine and Birch Bay residents, and is now under urgent threat from urban pollution. Community members are alarmed there is no comprehensive plan to protect this irreplaceable resource. Please ask the Whatcom County Council to support Water Planning Matters  declaratory order request  to the Washington Department of Health.

I am an historian of essential history unreported by media. Thirteen years ago, my piece  White Power on the Salish Sea  was published in a Canadian magazine. For thirty years ,  I worked as part of a national network of researchers, analysts, and journalists that did opposition research defending democracy. We provided essential information on domestic terrorism to the U.S. State Department and Department of Justice, and provided estimates of situations to human rights organizers and educators who were targets of the Christian Patriot white supremacists--known for murdering 168 people in the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.  I did open source research , but I collaborated with financial analysts, and private investigators in Toronto and San Francisco as part of the Public Good network. We compared taking down bigots through research to a treasure hunt; sometimes we found gold. Researchers aren't always good writers, though, which is where I came ...

[Excerpts from How City Planning Departments Skirt Compliance in Washington State by Water Planning Matters.] October 15, 2025, the City had released over 100 previously withheld files , including important Department of Ecology (Ecology) concerns about frequently flooded areas, unmaintained ponds that flooded Birch Bay Village, disturbed and unprotected wetlands used for contaminated stormwater, polluted streams and project engineering correspondence...  The City and Applicant discounted Ecology's frequently flooding areas and wetlands concerns , ... and ignored an impaired creek deserving of protection for fish and lagoons in Birch Bay Village, primarily on procedural grounds, choosing to approve the project in a vacuum of missing facts and outdated city maps... There appeared to be concerted efforts by Applicant and City to exclude consequential information that might affect the buildable footprint or higher costs relating to mitigating flooding, pollution or wetlands damage r...

 April 19 letter to Whatcom County Planning Commission: The fraudulent Critical Area and SEPA determinations by the City of Blaine that underlie the designated Urban Growth Areas over the East Blaine municipal aquifer, in the Central Business District, and at Birch Point--combined with the elimination of public participation and the facilitation of self-dealing by Blaine public officials--require that the Whatcom County Planning Commission reject the Blaine Comprehensive Plan in its entirety, and advise the county council to request an investigation by the Washington State Auditor and Attorney General. Given this egregious violation of our civil rights, to do otherwise would expose Whatcom County to unnecessary potential liability.

In May, Whatcom County Council will adopt the 10-year update to the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan, that includes the City of Blaine Comprehensive Plan update. Blaine's update includes municipal code changes that   eliminate public participation ,   financially benefit Blaine officials , and threaten public health .  All are illegal, and this should be communicated by Blaine and Birch Bay citizens to the county planning commission, county council, and county prosecutor ASAP. Whatcom County contacts: pds_planning_commission@co.whatcom.wa.us council@co.whatcom.wa.us 2025update@co.whatcom.wa.us erichey@co.whatcom.wa.us

At the June 17, 2025, meeting at Blaine Public Library with county council members Scanlon and Elenbaas, I confronted them for neglecting their duty under the law to hold Blaine accountable for fraud and financial conflicts of interest by City of Blaine officials in preparing the 2025 10-year update to the Blaine Comprehensive Plan. When I announced our Formal Complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice against the City of Blaine for municipal corruption involving self-dealing by Blaine developers in their role as city officials, Blaine City Councilman Richard May suggested the city might be better off just letting developers [such as Councilwoman Sarbjit Bains] do whatever they want. On March 9, 2026, Blaine City Council did just that .

The one tenth of one percent of Blaine citizens who correspond with county, state, and federal agencies to return the rule of law to Blaine can't do it alone.  Those who are now learning what happened over the last six months--when the real estate industry took over our city government with help from The Northern Light--need to become involved in making our community a place where we can disagree with the mayor without receiving death threats and police retaliation . In the United States, we have the right to hold her accountable for criminal misconduct by Blaine officials. The downtown public assets give away and denial of our civil rights  by Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon--because we oppose self-dealing by Blaine officials--must be stopped if we want to end criminal enterprise at city hall. Complaining to the criminals won't do it. Complaining to those who can investigate and prosecute them might. For starters, contact  Whatcom County Prosecutor   Eric Richey....

April 17 letter to Whatcom County Prosecutor: Dear Prosecutor Richey, I have not heard further from your office since your April 10, 2026 reply regarding my March 31 formal request to you to refer the Blaine Councilwoman Sarbjit Bains  self-dealing  matter (see attached letter to you) to the Washington Attorney General. This matter is of urgent importance, as Central Business District landlords, businesses, and residents of Blaine are drastically affected by the unlawful suspension of the Blaine Municipal Code to benefit downtown developers, including Mrs. Bains and her husband, Gurdeep. Your apparent stalling on upholding the law is causing significant harm. I would hope that your apparent reluctance to refer this for AG investigation and prosecution is not due to Whatcom District Court Judge Angela Anderson overruling you on November 4, 2025 and issuing civil protection orders for me and my associates. While we are grateful to Judge Anderson for protecting us from a convicte...

Blaine has become a community of the depraved and the deprived . Depraved city officials working on behalf of the real estate industry have deprived the elderly on fixed incomes and those living in poverty (13.1%) of any voice in planning Blaine's future. The insatiable greed of the developers and realtors in Blaine is propelling the city toward municipal bankruptcy, due to already unfolding environmental impacts of unrestricted growth, as I warned city officials repeatedly.  The cumulative effect of Blaine's ghastly mismanagement by city manager Mike Harmon, combined with Harmon's propensity to defame--even demonize--open government activists who demand civic reform in order for the city to comply with state and federal law, is severe municipal dysfunction . This dysfunction will ultimately lead to resolution in federal court, once state and federal agencies intervene to reestablish civil rights and the rule of law in our community.

I am a low-income senior and   open government   advocate who just filed a civil rights complaint with the EPA against the City of Blaine for threatening legal action against our group  Water Planning Matters , in retaliation for our adjudication request for a   declaratory order   from the Washington Department of Health, to prevent contamination of our public water system that provides drinking water to the 17,000 residents of Blaine and Birch Bay.  I also filed a complaint with the Washington State Auditor regarding widespread misconduct by Blaine officials--including  self-dealing  and supporting  death threats  against Water Planning Matters leaders. Municipal corruption is exemplified by the current city proposal to  eliminate civic participation, public scrutiny, and government transparency  for city environmental decisions. These  Title 17 SEPA Zoning Text Amendments  to the Blaine Municipal Code vio...

April 15 letter to Whatcom County Planning Commission: On the eve of adoption of the 10-year update to the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan, the City of Blaine planning department (Community Development Services) is attempting to  eliminate civic participation, public scrutiny, and government transparency  for city environmental decisions. The Whatcom County Planning Commission is in a position to reject these unconstitutional SEPA Zoning Text Amendments to the Blaine Municipal Code, which violate the civil right of low-income citizens of Blaine to challenge harmful decisions without paying $5,000 up front. https://www.ci.blaine.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/23743/RFCA---Ord-26-3043-Downtown-Interim-Ordinance https://www.ci.blaine.wa.us/1064/Title-17---Permit-Process-and-SEPA-Zonin

From: Jay Taber 715 G St #22 Blaine, WA 98230 (360) 371-4387 tbarj@yahoo.com To: EPA Office of External Civil Rights Compliance (OECRC) Date: April 13, 2026 Re: Title VI Complaint – Blaine SEPA/Public Participation I am filing this complaint under Title VI (42 U.S.C. §2000d) and EPA’s civil rights regulations (40 C.F.R. Part 7), on behalf of myself and similarly affected residents. I am a Blaine  open government  and environmental advocate with Water Planning Matters documenting  risks to our drinking water , and a party of record in City of Blaine land-use proceedings. The respondent is the City of Blaine, WA, which receives EPA financial assistance, including funding related to water and environmental programs. I allege that Blaine’s proposed land-use code amendments ( Ordinance 26-3043 ) have a discriminatory effect on protected classes and deny meaningful participation in federally assisted programs.  Watch  The Anatomy of Exclusion   video from Water P...

[Below are excerpts from Donna McGaffic's examination of The Northern Light 11/8/25 article by Grace McCarthy , published four days after Whatcom District Court Judge Anderson issued civil protection orders for Donna and three other Blaine open government activists threatened by convicted violent felon and friend of Mayor Steward, David Brudvik, whom Blaine Chief of Police Rodger Funk testified in support of.] At  12:47 p.m. on Friday, November 7 , Grace McCarthy emailed Blaine City Manager Mike Harmon and attached the Ferndale Police Department report:  “I received a copy of the Ferndale Police Department’s investigation into the City of Blaine ( attached ) and am working on deadline on an article about the investigation. I believe it’s important to include the city’s perspective in the article and have the following questions.”   At precisely 5:00 p.m. to the minute , right as the Ferndale Public Records Office closed for the weekend, Grace McCarth...

Under the proposed code changes by Blaine Community Development Services director Alex Wenger , there will no longer be any  proceeding for citizens to introduce expert testimony, independent studies, or even ask questions challenging his environmental decisions--even as he commits fraud in the pursuit of home sales taxes in Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas, such as over Blaine's drinking water aquifer in East Blaine . Below are just two of the items in planning director Wenger's wish list to make him King of Blaine . 1)  Critical Areas Determination (CAD) --to be made by planning director with no public hearing for citizens to introduce evidence, $2,500 for citizens to appeal 2)  State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination --to be made by planning director based solely on CAD made by planning director, $2,500 for citizens to appeal

Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey has sat on my March 31 complaint--alleging undisclosed financial conflicts of interest by Blaine Councilwoman Sarbjit Bains prior to her  March 9 vote that increased the market value of her and her husband Gurdeep's commercial properties in the Central Business District--and a request for referral to the Washington Attorney General public integrity unit. There is no mystery; the facts and evidence are clear. The only mystery is why the prosecutor delays while the crimes continue. Richey's office supported Blaine Chief of Police Rodger Funk when he testified on behalf of convicted violent felon David Brudvik, who on October 13, 2025 threatened to murder me . Given this major conflict of interest in the prosecutor's office, referral is the only honest option. Email  erichey@co.whatcom.wa.us and ask him to act ASAP.

Blaine civics has hit 'critical mass'. The crescendo building since Whatcom District Court Judge Angela Anderson issued civil protection orders for us--after Mayor Steward's convicted violent felon friend David Brudvik threatened to murder us on October 13, 2025 at city hall--is coming to a climax. While Blaine City Council is busy DISMANTLING PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY , the Whatcom County Prosecutor is stalling on a request to investigate Blaine Councilwoman Sarbjit Bains for self-dealing downtown . Atop this hot fudge sunday of municipal corruption sits the maraschino cherry--the Creekside at the Ridge manufactured home park above Blaine's municipal aquifer that will contaminate our drinking water.

The home sales taxes, pad rents, and real estate commissions on manufactured housing are what is driving the present pollution of Blaine and Birch Bay's public water system wells. Those taxes, rents and commissions will pale, however, with the price of removing E. coli bacteria, fertilizer nitrates, pesticide nitrates, and petroleum products from our drinking water. We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars. Blaine and Birch Bay utility bills will skyrocket. The proposed 568-unit manufactured home park ( Creekside at the Ridge PUD ) approved by Blaine City Council will instantaneously introduce these contaminants into the East Blaine aquifer our municipal wells draw our water from. Blaine taxpayers and Blaine's neighbors who rely on this last uncontaminated aquifer in the Nooksack Basin will end up paying for this reckless greed by the City of Blaine, while developer Skip Jansen pockets the profits.

  Blaine City Council  Ordinance 26-3043   is 1)  designed to eliminate public participation  in land use decisions.  2) designed to eliminate  environmental appeal rights  for citizens. 3) designed to eliminate environmental review of most developments. 4) designed to   double Blaine's population in three years . 5) designed to   unfairly burden low-income Blaine residents. T he proposed $5,000 barrier to appeal Critical Area Determinations and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) fraud violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The proposed amendments do not arise in a jurisdiction with a clean administrative record :   1) The City has not issued an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for any Critical Aquifer Recharge Area (CARA) developments despite multiple citizen requests and Department of Ecology guidelines.  2) City planners knowingly issued false SEPA determinations   for East Maple Ridge and Creek...

March 31, 2026 letter to Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey: Dear Mr. Richey, Please see the attached self-dealing complaint and denial to investigate regarding the City of Blaine’s handling of a citizen ethics complaint arising from Ordinance 26-3043. I also attach a June 2025 self-dealing complaint to the Department of Justice and Attorney General to which I was a party of record as well as  The concern presented is procedural. A complaint alleging undisclosed financial conflict was denied and permanently closed by the City Manager without identification of any independent review or referral outside the City’s administrative chain. Given the nature of the allegations and the overlap with other matters involving City officials, I am requesting that your office review this matter and refer it to the Washington State Attorney General for independent review. Please confirm within five business days whether your office will make that referral and advise when it can be transmitted. ...

Watch The Anatomy of Exclusion video from Water Planning Matters. Learn how Blaine's proposed municipal code changes undermine civic participation, public scrutiny, and government transparency. If these code amendments are adopted, Blaine moves toward a pay to play system where only people with money, time, and lawyers can realistically challenge harmful decisions. To file an appeal will cost $5,000, with no low-income waiver for seniors on fixed incomes or citizens living in poverty. If you value civil rights, the rule of law, and public participation, please send an email to cdscomments@cityofblaine.com and to citycouncil@cityofblaine.com

April 9 letter to City of Blaine: INTRODUCTION [I am submitting this as formal public comment and request to be included as a party of record for all proceedings related to SEPA File No. 2024019 and the proposed BMC Title 17 amendments.] DISMANTLING PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY The proposed  Permit Process and SEPA Zoning Text Amendments  by Blaine Community Development Services (CDS) are  designed to eliminate public participation  in land use decisions. These amendments  remove  public hearings for most subdivisions,  triple  the size of developments completely exempt from environmental review, and  double  the financial barriers to citizen appeals of city decisions. New developments would proceed with zero environmental protection and zero opportunity for public appeal.  This new system is not designed to evaluate environmental risk, but rather, to prevent that evaluation from happening by excluding the public.   These  poster...