May 30 - June 5, 2019
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Firefighter to be honored at capitol building, page 3
BHS Recognition Night award recipients, page 6
Rehabilitation of water wells underway, page 12
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Six candidates running for Blaine City Council this year By Zoe Deal The Blaine City Council race is heating up, with a total of six candidates seeking to fill the three positions that are available this election season. Richard May and Randy Roose are running for the ward 1 seat; city councilmember Mary Lou Steward is running unopposed for the ward 3 position she currently holds. Their names will appear on the November 6 general election ballot, which will be mailed out on October 16. Running for the ward 2 position are Garth Baldwin, David Gallion and Steven Tojek. All three applied for the position vacated by Meg Olson in November, which ultimately went to Jaime Arnett after a council appointment process. After the August 6 primary election, for which ballots will be mailed out on July 17, the top two candidates will face off in the general election. Jodi Greene was previously in the running for the ward 2 seat but withdrew her candidacy after being advised that her husband’s position as a Blaine Police Department officer was a conflict of interest. Since she missed the county’s withdrawal deadline, her name will still appear on the ballot, although she no longer wishes to remain in contention. This year has been busy for Blaine City Council, from enacting a B&O tax to hiring a new police chief. “We are moving ahead little by little because we have everyone working together,” said Steward. Looking forward, Steward said she hopes future councilmembers will continue to have a willingness to listen and find common ground. It would also be great to see some younger faces added to the “elderly group,” she said. Council ward 1, position 1 Richard May Local business owner Richard May has been a key figure on the Blaine Planning (See Council, page 10)
s A sign welcoming visitors to Blaine was installed on May 22 on Peace Portal Drive near the Marine Drive roundabout. The sign, which features the trawler from the city’s official logo, fell down last winter and needed to be repaired.
Photo by James Fuller
Rud Browne withdraws from state senate race By Jami Makan Current Whatcom County Council chair Rud Browne has withdrawn from the race for the 40th district state senate seat. Browne said that he will instead be spending time with his family and continuing to work on the local issues that he is passionate about. “In the last two years, my primary focus has been to help youth experiencing homelessness, by removing one of the primary barriers which disproportionately keeps LGBTQ and minorities trapped on
the streets – an inability to obtain state-issued ID,” said Browne in a May 20 press release. “This, along with my passion to expand apprenticeship opportunities and address our ever-increasing water-related issues, motivated me to step forward for the 40th district senate seat.” Now, instead of running for the seat, Browne will be endorsing another candidate, Elizabeth (Liz) Lovelett. Browne said he recently reached out to Lovelett, who shared his concerns for the same issues. “After a good discussion, I have decided to endorse her campaign for the 40th district
senate seat, as she has also served in local government, which I believe is prerequisite to being an effective state legislator,” said Browne. This race is to fill a one-year term, requiring an immediate run again in 2020. Browne recently conducted campaigns in 2017, for his second term on Whatcom County Council, and in 2018, for the open state house seat vacated by Kris Lytton. Browne is not the only candidate for this race to have withdrawn from it. Michael Petrish also withdrew from the race on May 20, the same day that Browne took his (See Browne, page 2)
By Zoe Deal In an effort to promote economic growth in downtown Blaine, city council is considering a tax exemption policy to address Blaine’s growing population and its current lack of affordable housing. A public hearing for the proposed multi-family housing tax exemption will take place on Monday, June 10 at 6 p.m. at Blaine City Hall. The tax exemption is an incentive that seeks to encourage new housing options, including apartments, condominiums
and mixed-use structures with three or more residential units, according to the Washington state legislature criteria. Savings depend on the value of improvements, said Stacie Pratschner, the community development services director for Blaine. The property tax rate in Whatcom County is currently 0.89 percent. The exemption covers the improvement value of that new housing from the ad valorem property tax for 8 to 12 years. Any non-residential improvements are not included. To make this happen, the city is looking
to designate parcels of the central business district as targeted residential areas – desired locations for greater density and urban housing development, to accommodate the city’s projected 20-year population growth, according to Resolution Number 1759-19. In that time, Blaine’s urban growth area will see a projected influx of 4,000 people. “The city is planning on building, we’re anticipating, over 1,000 new multi-family units to help address the needs of (See Hearing, page 2)
INSIDE
Hearing scheduled for multi-family tax exemption
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 7 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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