Six candidates running for Blaine City Council this year

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 Commission for nearly a decade, focusing his attention on economic growth and revitalizing downtown. As a candidate, May said he brings a lot of institutional knowledge from being “knee deep” in Blaine policy.

Over the years, he’s served on the Blaine parks board, the Whatcom County appeals board and the Whatcom County charter commission along with involvement in the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, the board of Blaine Community Theater and the Everson Nooksack Chamber of Commerce.

May is looking forward to having the opportunity to shepherd through projects he’s worked hard on as a planning commissioner, primarily efforts to drive economic development downtown through changes in zoning that bring more residents to the area.

He also believes the current budget has room for improvement and efficiency, and he is interested in making sure Blaine is “getting the most bang for our buck.”

“I want to make sure we get the biggest impact, and that it’s sustainable. I am committed to hearing everyone’s concerns, taking a more proactive approach and digging a little deeper for the best outcomes,” May said on his website.

May also wants to take a second look at topics that normally just get brought forward and approved quickly by the council and “make sure we are getting it right.”

On the other end, he has noticed community frustration with a lack of communication from the city council, especially when councilmembers are backed into a corner and have to make an unpopular decision. Though this is sometimes unavoidable, May wants to keep an open line of communication with the public and offer an additional explanation when needed.

“I’m just going to work that little bit harder for the citizens of Blaine,” May said. “My goal is to be really responsive, the most responsive city councilmember possible. If I can’t do what [the public] asks, I want them to know why.”

Randy Roose

When he wasn’t professionally racing motorcycles across the country, lifelong Whatcom County resident Randy Roose spent his summers on a family-owned property in Birch Bay, instilling a passion for the area deep in his veins.

Roose now owns RNR Services Inc., which has offered maintenance, lawn maintenance and cleaning services to Blaine and Birch Bay since 2007. As a small business owner, Roose wants to see more affordable housing options in Blaine.

“My type of employee is making $12.50 to $16 an hour. To hire someone from Blaine for any of our positions is next to impossible; it’s part of a growth plan that needs to be addressed,” Roose said.

And it’s not just landscaping that suffers. Roose said other small businesses around Blaine are struggling to hire quality employees – especially those in the tourism industry.

Roose is running to offer a better voice in decisions that are being made.

“I want to represent more small businesses that need help. If [the city] wants to increase tourism, who’s going to service people coming here? More things need to be in place to serve them,” Roose said.

Roose said he’s a problem solver who is able to work well with others. He’s spent his career serving the community and sees city council as another way to support his home.

“I believe our city needs change, and it needs people to come in with a different point of view,” Roose said. “We’re either growing or we’re dying.”

Council ward 2, position 3

Garth Baldwin

Garth Baldwin is a sixth generation Blaine resident and owner of Drayton Archaeology. If he is elected to city council, he plans to be honest and straightforward and set realistic priorities to put the interest of the majority forward.

“You owe it to your constituents to be their advocate,” Baldwin said. “My first and foremost concern is what is best for the city, even if I don’t like the idea. You can’t play special interest.”

Baldwin has four years of experience serving on Blaine’s park and cemetery board, along with working for the Washington State Department of Transportation to learn the federal and state project finance process. Baldwin is also a disabled veteran, which he said gives him a unique insight into the community.

Baldwin’s primary goals if elected are to improve the city’s image as a business-friendly place, continue to push for development downtown and see the Cain Creek waterway flourish.

“There are great things happening right now. It would be really great if we could encourage the current course of development that’s taken place,” Baldwin said.

Changing the way people see Blaine isn’t an easy task, and it’s not about hanging baskets or spending thousands on studies, Baldwin said. The primary course Baldwin sees to raise Blaine’s image is to better promote the many city programs that spawn economic growth and help businesses relocate to Blaine.

Another path Baldwin has identified is seeking more state funding.

“We’ve been getting left behind,” Baldwin said. “Getting some of those things that the city of Ferndale has been enjoying and the city of Lynden has been enjoying from Olympia is something that needs dire attention. We need to get our ducks in a row and compete for some of the infrastructure money that’s out there from the government.”

Baldwin is running because he wants to help the community he was born and raised in.

“You want to make a difference, you put yourself in the fight,” he said.

David Gallion

David Gallion, a retired auto technician with six years of experience serving on the Blaine Planning Commission, is running for city council to be an advocate for the people.

Gallion said his experience on the planning commission has brought him closer to processes at the city and community levels.

“I had a lot of contact with community leaders, talking to them, finding out what their needs are and what they need to do,” he said.

Gallion also said he’s comfortable with the other side of things.

“Half the battle is just persuading the other council members, and I have a good reputation in talking to them,” he said. “If you vote for me, I’ll start running with a mind that ‘yes we can’ and make real change. Not just say it, actually do it.”

If elected, Gallion wants to take steps toward building reserve funds for the city to bring up the confidence of the community. Gallion said Blaine has been held back in several key areas, and he’d like to get in and try to make a difference.

“If you look at the direction the city council is going, they don’t seem to be getting a lot done,” Gallion said. “I stick with things. [City council] is not a stepping stone for me. Blaine is my town, and I plan on working 100 percent as a city councilmember.

In his free time, Gallion said he has clocked thousands of community service hours working with the library and the Friendly Visitors Program, where he visits with isolated members of the community.

Gallion believes in starting small and local, especially in the realm of environmental issues.

“I’m not going to tackle the world’s problems, but I’ll take care of Blaine and fight for it,” Gallion said.

“If you want to give me a chance, I will not disappoint.”

Steven Tojek

Steven Tojek has been in law enforcement in the Blaine area for nearly nine years and has experience training youth as part of a workforce development program.

Tojek said he’s running for city council to be in a position to hear people out and have an influence on local happenings. In the city council meetings that he’s been to, Tojek said he’s seen too many unhappy people.

“People have to feel their voice matters. Getting the community involved in the city of Blaine matters,” Tojek said. “You want better for the community regardless of how much it needs it.”

His proposal to remedy this issue is to establish a better website or system for all city departments that will act as a forum for Blaine residents to share their complaints.

Tojek said he also wants to resolve ongoing problems.

“If I see an issue, I think it should be fixed,” Tojek said.

“There are some ground-level things in Blaine that have been ignored for so long. It’s concerning.”

A native of Buffalo, New York, Tojek has experience volunteering with a neighborhood planning and community development organization called People United for Sustainable Housing in the area.

Though Tojek doesn’t want to get into specifics yet, he said something that’s stood out to him since moving to Blaine is the lack of adequate street lighting and sidewalks.

Overall, Tojek said he wants to support the community as a city councilmember who strives to be equitable.

“I keep things fair, regulated properly and not one-sided,” Tojek said. “Nobody’s perfect, I’m proof of that, but I strive to keep things fair.”

Council ward 3, position 5

Mary Lou Steward

Steward isn’t happy to be running unopposed, in fact, she’s been encouraging people to run for city council for a while. A retired anesthesiologist, Steward says she’s running for a second term because “My particular area, Semiahmoo, needs to have somebody on this council” and she enjoys working with people and being a part of the greater city.

Moving forward, Steward said she hopes to foster a greater dialogue with Blaine citizens.

“The city council can only represent the need from the citizens of Blaine if they know what we’re doing and we know what they want us to do,” she said.