2021 Policing and Public Safety Voter Guide
BURIEN
What’s On The Ballot
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Burien City Council
Burien City Council members are legislators and part of a 7-member legislative body that establishes City policies and laws, adopts an annual budget, approves appropriations, contracts for services and grants franchises. City Councilmembers serve staggered four-year terms; roughly half the Council is up for election every two years. All Councilmembers are "at-large" meaning that they serve the City as a whole as opposed to a specific district.
The City Council chooses a Mayor from among its members at the first meeting of the new year following an election. A Deputy Mayor is chosen annually. The Mayor presides at Council meetings and represents the City at ceremonial functions and inter-governmental meetings. The Deputy Mayor presides in the Mayor's absence.
All legislative and policy powers are vested in the City Council. The council hires a professional city manager, who heads the administrative branch of government, to carry out the policies the council develops. The Mayor votes as a councilmember and does not have any veto power.
[Drawn from City of Burien: City Council and MSRC: Roles and Responsibilities of Local Government Leaders]
The Issues
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Burien Budget & Police Spending
Burien’s budget is a reflection of its priorities and gives insight into how elected officials order the importance of different municipal services based on the amount of money allocated to each. By understanding where the Burien government spends the City’s money, residents can see whether their values are represented or not.
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Burien LEAD Program
LEAD traditionally stands for Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, but in Burien is moving to, “Let Everyone Advance with Dignity”. LEAD is an outreach program focused on individuals who have become involved in the criminal legal system and brings together a team of professionals - police, prosecutors, case managers - to help individuals seek supportive services, treatment, housing, health care and job training. They also track and monitor participants’ progress and work together to anticipate and prevent issues that may get in the way of success.
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Burien - Low Barrier Housing
Low Barrier Housing strives to reduce homelessness by eliminating as many barriers as possible for entry into a residence or for remaining in a residence. The few requirements are focused on safety and harm reduction. The Burien City Council recently voted 6:1 to approve a 95 unit permanent supportive housing development into the city’s Affordable Housing Demonstration Program.
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Community Concerns with Current King County Sheriff
Current King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht has shown a consistent lack of commitment to accountability and to fighting racism within her department, causing many community organizations and some members of the King County Council and other elected officials to publicly request that she either step down from office or retire.
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Needle Exchange Programs in South King County
Seattle King County Public Health fully supports needle exchange programs. The goal is to get used syringes out of circulation as quickly as possible. The longer a syringe remains in circulation, the more opportunities there are for that syringe to pass on a blood-borne disease. Needle exchange programs work. In April 2021, the City of Federal Way asked Public Health to temporarily suspend the program in that city citing concerns over the program’s validity. Public Health agreed. The program was reinstated just two months later.
The Methodology
Candidate Questionnaire
A candidate questionnaire covering important local issues was sent out to all primary candidates in mid June. Based on the candidate answers to a series of Yes/No questions, a candidate comparison card for each race is generated.
In addition, we recommend voters also make use of the fully completed questionnaires made available for viewing as:
Candidate comparison cards may not adequately reflect nuances between candidate positions
Fully completed questionnaires include:
Additional comments by the candidate on Yes/No questions
Longer-form responses to open-ended questions related to policing and public safety
Candidate Ordering
GENERAL VOTER GUIDE:
Candidates are listed in the order that they will appear on the ballot.
PRIMARY VOTER GUIDE:
Candidates who returned a questionnaire are listed first and in the order that they will appear on the ballot.
Candidates who did not return a questionnaire are listed next and in the order that they will appear on the ballot.