Five candidates apply for Blaine City Council seat

Five candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for a vacant Blaine City Council position representing east Blaine, southeast and part of central Blaine.

The city of Blaine received the five applications from Michael Ashby, Juliana Kenny, Eric Lewis, Martha Menard and Jiggy Sorrell to fill the Ward 1 Position 2 seat. The seat was left vacant in August by former city council member Kerena Higgins after she moved out of the ward.

Blaine City Council is anticipated to interview candidates during a study session before its regular meeting on Monday, October 14, deputy city manager Samuel Crawford wrote in an email to The Northern Light. All of the candidates fulfill the requirements to serve, Crawford said, such as having lived in Blaine for at least a year and being registered voters.

Michael Ashby retired from a 32-year career in law enforcement where he last served as chief of police for Nooksack Tribal Police Department, according to his application. Ashby currently works as an investigator for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. He is chairman of Industrial Credit Union’s board of directors.

Juliana Kenny owns a copywriting and brand strategy business and has 14 year of experience managing staff at marketing companies, according to her application. Since moving to Blaine in 2021, Kenny said she’s been invested in the city’s growth while wanting to preserve its beauty and history.

Eric Lewis is a semi-retired electrician who has lived in Blaine since 2009. He is a member of Blaine Community Theater, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9474 in Custer and duty officer for the Red Cross. Lewis said he wanted to contribute to the development, beauty and stability of Blaine, and will consider all sides when voting.

Martha Menard founded Cascadia Financial Health, a consulting company providing financial education, this year and has a PhD in research, statistics and evaluation from the University of Virginia. She’s a member of Blaine Arts Council and Blaine Chamber of Commerce who wants to improve the community through local government, according to her application.

Jiggy Sorrell is director of programs at Brilliant Planet, which is helping give 100 free bikes to children in Blaine and Birch Bay, and is a gas station attendant, according to his application. He said he is committed to addressing affordable housing, tourism, youth programs and economic
development.

The Ward 1 Position 2 seat covers central, eastern and southeastern parts of the city, east of 6th Street and east of I-5 to city limits. The area includes the neighborhood directly north of Blaine school district, the neighborhoods around Lincoln Park and the IGA Market shopping plaza, all of east Blaine, and follows east of I-5 to where city limits end near O’Dell Street.

Council member Richard May also represents the city’s first ward.