Six apply for seat on Blaine City Council

By Stefanie Donahue

On January 8, the city announced six residents had applied for a vacant Blaine City Council position that was left open by Meg Olson in November.

The position represents Ward 2, which encompasses all of the area within city limits that lies south of H Street, excluding areas west of Peace Portal Drive and north of Boblett Street.

Each candidate submitted an application describing his/her experience and reason for applying.

Colin Hawkins

Hawkins is currently the chairperson of the city’s public works advisory committee and has been a member since 2015.

He works as an assistant cook for the Blaine school district.

Hawkins has a combined 15 years’ of experience managing businesses in Blaine, including Paso Del Norte and Border Brew Espresso.

“The city of Blaine has made some positive steps to encourage responsible development and to improve the quality of life,” he wrote. “I would like to help maintain this positive momentum.”

David Gallion

Gallion is a retired auto technician and has six years’ of experience serving on the Blaine Planning Commission.

In his application, Gallion emphasized his support for the Blaine Library.

“I have spent most of my adult life in public services,” he wrote. “My actions will always reflect what is good for Blaine.”

Garth Baldwin

Baldwin is the principal at Drayton Archeology and has four years’ of experience serving on the city’s park and cemetery board.

As an archeologist, he also worked for the Washington State Department of Transportation, learning the federal and state project finance process.

Baldwin is a disabled veteran, which he said provides him with unique insight on the community.

“I want to contribute to the largest extent possible to my community,” he wrote. “I’m an advocate for the people of Blaine and have demonstrated that constantly as a member of the park and cemetery board.”

Jaime Arnett

Arnett is an office manager at Boundary Fish Company in Blaine and a grant writer for Bellingham-based nonprofit Animals as Natural Therapy.

She is also active with the Blaine-Birch Bay Healthy Youth Coalition.

“As someone who both lives and works in Blaine, grew up here and has a child that attends school here, I have a vested interest in seeing my community grow and thrive,” she wrote. “I would love to be in a position to positively effect change towards that end.”

Jodi Greene

Greene is a part-time nurse at the Blaine school district. She also serves as a mentor for teen mothers as part of a Christian ministry called YoungLives and is the vice president of the parish council at Faith Lutheran Church in Bellingham.

“One of my strengths is to gather information and make informed decisions with a balance of common sense and a positive attitude,” she wrote. “It takes collaboration with many different people within a school to help assess the needs of students on a daily basis.”

In a letter, Greene said she would be required to recuse herself from voting on the city’s budget because she is married to a Blaine Police Department officer.

Steven Tojek

Tojek has been a U.S. border patrol agent for more than nine years.

He has experience training youth as part of a workforce development program and has volunteered with a neighborhood planning and community development organization called People United for Sustainable Housing in Buffalo, New York.

“I believe it is to the advantage of the city council to have someone on board that can offer an outside perspective concerning ideas for helping Blaine be a more attractive place to live for future residents,” he wrote. “I also would like to mention the experience I have in my field of work can offer ideas that can leave an impact regarding a more cooperative Blaine when regarding law enforcement.”

Each candidate will be interviewed and one will be appointed on Monday, January 28 at Blaine City Hall. More information can be found at ci.blaine.wa.us/.