When citizens discovered what Whatcom County Natural Resources Planner Matthew Mahaffie was doing, they did not just complain — they built an airtight case. Attorney James Grifo submitted 120 pages of property records, permit documents, and transaction evidence directly invoking RCW 42.23.070, Washington’s anti-corruption statute. The evidence included property transactions involving Mahaffie’s live-in girlfriend Lara Kratzer, his mother Reta Stephenson, his company Dead Goat Properties LLC, and suspiciously fast permit approvals. County Executive Satpal Sidhu had no choice but to investigate. Or did he?
The timeline below documents the dates, dollar figures, properties, and connections between the parties — the same evidence Grifo presented to the county on May 9, 2024, and the same evidence the subsequent “independent” investigation chose not to fully examine.
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For the full evidentiary record — including the “Magic Memo” that appeared in PDS files with no author or distribution record, the Brissenden dual-employment problem, and the institutional response — see our Statement of Investigative Findings.
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