Residents raise intersection sightline, election-device and tree-removal concerns during open forum

Several Blaine residents used the Aug. 18 open forum to raise safety, election-administration and neighborhood-service complaints, asking council and staff to follow up outside the meeting.

Bruce Mathai, a Blaine resident who gave his address as 41019 Ninth Avenue Northeast, said a large green utility box installed at an intersection is blocking sightlines and creating a traffic-safety hazard. “I am not taking this lightly, it is a big visibility danger and acted for safety reasons,” Mathai said, adding that he had engaged a civil engineer to measure sightlines and had submitted videos and documentation to the city. Mathai told council he had cited the City of Blaine traffic-control ordinance (identified in his remarks as “33.12”) and a separate section he referred to as “80 two-three 23,” and said the engineer used AASHTO’s 2011 Policy on Geometric Design when assessing sight distance. Mathai said moving the stop sign had not corrected the problem and asked for action to address the box’s obstruction.

Scott Coggins, who identified himself as a member of ASET (Anoka County Election Integrity Team) and gave his Blaine address, alerted the council to an Anoka County Board of Commissioners vote on July 22, 2025 concerning who may decide whether cities use electronic poll pads or paper rosters. Coggins said the county’s action “reaffirmed that the unelected county auditor... gets to decide” and called that a county overreach. He urged the city to insist on municipal authority over whether to use full electronic pads and to ask the county for a joint agreement that clarifies municipal choice and liability. “Our whole thing is that you can choose whether you want them or not,” Coggins said.

A resident who gave her first name as Cindy (address provided in the record) raised several neighborhood service concerns, including bubbling carpeting and an elevator issue at city facilities, infestation of Emerald Ash Borer and tree removals in the boulevard, nighttime helicopter flights she described over her house and perceived increases in chlorine in the city water. Cindy told council the city recently hired a forester named Chris who is addressing ash-borer grants and that some boulevard trees were marked for removal; she suggested various options for financial relief and tax credits for property owners but did not identify a specific city program for that relief in the public remarks.

Dana Carlson of Northeast Lane used the open forum to describe ongoing personal legal and family concerns and asked for police follow-up. Carlson asked to speak with a detective and said she had filed a police report; she described pending inquiries involving court matters and social-service providers. Her remarks expressed a request for follow-up contact rather than an agenda policy proposal.

No council votes were taken during the open forum. City staff reminded speakers that open forum is not intended for extended back-and-forth discussion and that staff would follow up outside the meeting when appropriate.

Provenance (transcript excerpts used in this article): • Bruce Mathai: “The City of Blaine has developed 33.12, traffic control... The height shall not exceed 30 inches.” — (transcript segment starting 140.22).

• Scott Coggins: “We just want city autonomy... Our point is that the city should be making that decision, not the county.” — (transcript segment starting 279.07).

• Cindy: complaints about Emerald Ash Borer, boulevard trees marked for removal, airport helicopter noise and chlorine in city water — (transcript segment starting 528.90497).

• Dana Carlson: request for detective follow-up and mention of court filings — (transcript segment starting 765.125).