Burien Council Removes City Manager Adolfo Bailon Without Cause in 4-1 Vote

After more than three months on paid administrative leave, the Burien City Council voted Monday night to remove City Manager Adolfo Bailon from office.

Following a 45-minute executive session that ended shortly before 10 p.m., the council voted 4-1 to add Resolution 537 to the agenda.

The resolution, passed later in a 4-1 vote, terminated Bailon’s employment agreement without cause, removed him from the office of city manager, and provided severance pay pursuant to his employment agreement. Under the resolution, Bailon’s removal becomes effective 30 days after he is served with a copy of the resolution.

The council approved a separate 4-1 motion suspending Bailon from duty with pay until his removal becomes effective.

Late night council action called 'a charade'

After Resolution 537 was introduced, Councilmember Kevin Schilling objected to inviting public comment after adding the resolution to the agenda so late in the meeting. He called the process "a charade," saying it gave residents no meaningful opportunity to participate.

"This is ludicrous," Schilling said. "I'm literally looking at an empty room. Chairs have been put away, and it's 10 o'clock at night... I think this is pretty crazy, Mayor."

Following the advice of the city attorney, the council opened public comment because the item had been added after the regular public comment period. Six commenters spoke, one present and five virtual. Speakers were generally supportive of the council’s action.

During public comment, one speaker urged the council to terminate Bailon's employment for cause rather than without cause, referencing what he described as "abusive behavior" and stating there were "specific reasons why he was placed on administrative leave."

As a "point of order," Councilmember Alex Andrade halted the commenter, then raised concerns that members of the public appeared to be referencing information the council had only recently received in a confidential report.

"I'd just like to point out that we just received a report, and for us to be hearing that we know why he's being let go is improper," Andrade said. "How that information has gotten out when we just received a report on Friday—that's a question that needs to be asked."

Schilling left the meeting before the vote on Resolution 537 and did not participate in the final votes. The final 4-1 vote was Moore, DeVito, Mendez, Garcia in favor. Andrade opposed.

Before adjourning, the council asked Interim City Manager Bob Larson to begin the process of recruiting candidates for the city manager position. Larson responded, “Yes, I will commence immediately.”

Bailon was placed on paid administrative leave in April while an outside investigator reviewed concerns raised by the council. Resolution 537 states the council’s decision was based on the findings and conclusions of investigator Kathleen Haggard’s July 13, 2026 report, while also specifying that Bailon’s employment was terminated without cause under the terms of his employment agreement.

Here is video of the full July 27, 2026 council meeting with this portion of the meeting starting at approximately 4:28:00.