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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
April 16 - 22, 2026 IN THIS
ISSUE
Survey opens on Canadian impacts, New art at downtown gallery, page 5 page 3
Baseball loses heartbreaker to LC, page 6
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Hundreds stride along berm at Birch Bay Road Race
Blaine defense attorney throws hat in ring for Whatcom County prosecutor by
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Grace Mccarthy
Ryan Swinburnson, a defense attorney and Blaine School Board president, announced his bid for Whatcom County prosecutor this week in hopes of leading reform in the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The defense lawyer, who has a background in criminal prosecution and civil litigation, said watching what he believed to be weak leadership in the prosecutor’s office play out in the courtroom motivated him to run. “Defense attorneys should not be winning as much as we do here,” Swinburnson said. “And when we do win, that needs to be communicated back to law enforcement.” Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey did not respond to an emailed request on whether he plans to run for re-election. Richey was elected in 2018 and 2022. Public Disclosure Commission filings show Swinburnson will challenge three higher-ups in the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office: Dona Bracke, assistant chief criminal deputy prosecutor; Erik Sigmar, chief criminal deputy prosecutor; and Jesse Corkern, senior civil deputy prosecutor. Swinburnson grew up in Blaine, where his great-grandfather graduated Blaine High School in 1917. He earned his law degree from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in 1999 and began his career as a prosecutor in Albany, Oregon. He then pursued civil and criminal litigation in the Tri-Cities before switching to public defense in 2004. During part of his time as a public defender in Washington, Swinburnson also served as attorney for Morrow County in Oregon. In 2020, Swinburnson moved back to Whatcom County, where he runs Swin Law, a DUI and criminal defense firm in Bellingham. Shortly after returning, Swinburnson said he noticed problems in the prosecutor’s office. There was limited communication with other county departments, an unresolved COVID-19 case backlog and high turnover of felony prosecutors, he said. Newer prosecutors who were
The Birch Bay Road Race saw 616 runners finish 5k, 15k and 30k distance races on Saturday, April 11. The routes started and ended at North Bay Community Church and went along the Birch Bay Berm. Photo by Tiare Bowman/courtesy of Orca Running
Blaine City Council votes down Salishanrequested change to interim zoning ordinance by Grace Mccarthy
Blaine City Council revisited an interim zoning ordinance it approved last month to consider modifications for the historic Salishan neighborhood but ultimately voted against any changes during its Monday meeting. The interim ordinance allows a oneyear experiment in the city’s central business district aimed to attract developers by eliminating building height restrictions, design review and minimum parking requirements. Council members Richard May, Sonia Hurt and Isaac Newland requested the interim ordinance be reassessed after receiving a petition with 61 signatures from Salishan residents. The neighbors requested the garden subdistrict, a narrow area that buffers the Salishan neighborhood from downtown, be removed from the interim zoning ordinance. The ordinance was not discussed at a previous council meeting before the March 9 vote, though a public hearing
(See Prosecutor, page 3)
APRIL 24-26
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notice was published online the Thursday before the Monday meeting. State law allows council to approve an interim zoning ordinance without a public hearing, provided a hearing is held within the next two months and staff creates a work plan to study the changes.
Blaine’s earliest settler families. Vezzetti requested council exclude the garden subdistrict to help maintain Blaine’s historic charm. “Nearly every single day people stop by. They pause and watch the progress. Share
(See Zoning, page 2)
SALISHAN CONCERN Salishan residents lined up during the town hall on Monday to make their concerns heard before the council meeting. Former City Manager Gary Tomsic asked council to rescind the interim zoning ordinance. “I don’t disagree that there is a need for us to do something about sustaining and building upon our downtown area,” Tomsic said. “But I think the thing council members have ignored is the fact that downtown does not belong to downtown business owners.” Salishan resident Wayne Vezzetti said he and his wife, Rachel, are restoring the 1913 Wolten home, which housed one of
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