Opinion: Case to recall twice-censured Poway councilman is rock-solid

How much damage can Councilmember Tony Blain do to Poway?

We wish that were a rhetorical question. Unfortunately, it’s not. The answer is coming into sharp focus.

When running for the Poway District 2 City Council seat, Blain campaigned on promises of transparency, lower water rates and rooting out imaginary corruption. What he has delivered instead is chaos, liability for the city and a pattern of misconduct that is anything but public service.

Blain isn’t simply a “disruptor.” He has shown a consistent disregard for the responsibilities of public office — and the law. Today, he is under investigation by the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office over numerous allegations.

In fact, on June 3, Blain’s vehicle was searched by armed DA investigators in the Poway City Hall parking lot. Blain has misused his position to attempt to silence critics — demanding that the city initiate law enforcement action against private citizens with whom he disagrees and, when denied, calling the Sheriff’s Department himself.

Blain is now being sued by the city of Poway for repeatedly refusing to provide public records from his personal devices related to city business — a clear violation of the Public Records Act. He even instructed a constituent via text to “Delete all my texts to you OK — Poway Mayor & Attorney trying to sue me. Let’s change to Signal App — they can’t access it.”

In February, he became the first council member in Poway history to be censured by his colleagues, and has since been censured a second time. Each of these actions alone would justify removal from office. But none are as damaging as what Blain has done to the city’s professional staff and the consequences that follow.

His abuse and defamation of senior city employees have created real legal exposure for Poway. An independent investigation by the respected law firm Van Dermyden Makus found that Blain’s attacks were unsupported and malicious.

In one particularly reckless move, he sent an email to more than 250 elected officials and media outlets across the country accusing the city manager and city attorney of being “unethical and corrupt.”

The investigation found Blain had no evidence to support these accusations. On July 3, the city attorney sent Blain a formal demand for retraction and apology, citing the report’s findings and offering to waive legal claims if Blain admitted he lied and issued a public apology.

Five days later, on July 8, an attorney for the city manager submitted a letter of potential claim against the city citing defamation, harassment and creation of a hostile work environment. The damages from Blain’s misconduct could well exceed seven figures.

Even after all this, Blain’s reckless behavior is unchanged.

Despite multiple warnings, he continues to use the city email account for political messaging, including attacks on the mayor and promotion of his own 2026 campaign for mayor. He continues to email city staff despite being preempted from doing so due to their formal complaints against him.

He continues to send emails to the full council in violation of the Brown Act. And as recently as July 9, he demanded that the city initiate law enforcement action to interfere with residents lawfully gathering recall signatures.

The financial impact of Blain’s actions is already staggering.

Poway has spent more than $250,000 on outside legal services related to his conduct. That figure is likely just the beginning. The potential long-term costs — in legal judgments, settlements and reputational harm — could run into the millions.

The disruption to city operations and staff morale is real, which is why the Poway Firefighters Association, the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and Teamsters Local 911 have all endorsed the effort to recall Tony Blain.

Blain claims he is under attack simply because of political differences. He couldn’t be more wrong. It’s about accountability, legality, the effective functioning of local government and basic human decency.

Poway deserves better. Enough is enough. Tony Blain needs to be recalled.

Edmondson and Mullin are both former Poway City Council members and are co-founders of the Committee to Recall Councilmember Tony Blain 2025.