Burien Residents Speak Out on Council Confusion and Transparency | Letter to the Editor

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by a verified Burien resident, who has requested anonymity.

[NOTE FROM EDITOR: Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Highline Journal or Daniel Media.  If you wish to submit a story, photo, article, or letter, please email us at info@thehighlinejournal.com.  We look forward to hearing from you.]

Many Burien residents are confused about what is happening in city government. Here is why.

The new Burien City Council majority seems to be unclear about what the role of city councilmembers is and what form of city government Burien operates under. Burien is a council-manager form of government. According to the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC), the council-manager form consists of an elected city council responsible for policymaking and a professional city manager, appointed by the council, who is responsible for administration. The city manager provides policy advice, directs daily operations, handles personnel functions, and prepares the city budget.

Under this system, the city council is prohibited from interfering with the manager’s administration. The city manager, however, is directly accountable to the council and can be removed by a majority vote if the proper legal procedures are followed (MRSC, paraphrased). This structure is not optional. It is how the city is legally required to operate. The mayor is largely a PR figure, the titular head of the city (elected by other councilmembers, not voters), while the city manager is a hired administrator who runs the city.

This new council majority appears to believe their role is to act as political activists for pet projects, rather than as elected representatives for all Burien residents. Councilmember DeVito openly admitted he interrupted a Planning Commission (12-10-25) meeting by acting as a political activist, thus violating the Burien City Council Rules of Conduct (10.3), Robert’s Rules of Order, and his oath of office, which he had just sworn to at a Council meeting on 12-8-25. Due to personal bias, DeVito swore at, harassed, demeaned, and disrespected a group of residents and attempted to influence the vote of a Planning Commissioner.

Rather than recusing himself from voting on the 2026 Amendment to the 2044 Burien Comp Plan and 2025 Housing Zoning Addendum docket (public hearing topic of the Commission 12-10-26), he stated he would need to stop acting as an activist and instead act as a councilmember. The mayor and other councilmembers, at the next council meeting, did not address these violations or discuss possible consequences or censure.

There are concerns the new Burien City Council majority may be in violation of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and may be leaking executive session information. At a recent council meeting, Councilmember Schilling commented on the mayor’s announcement that the city manager was going to be fired, noting that other councilmembers had not been informed. When asked how the mayor had reached that conclusion, she responded that she believed she had four votes to support the firing.

This raises concerns that decisions may be occurring outside the Open Public Meetings Act, with information not shared equally among councilmembers. This contradicts statements made at the first council meeting of the year about working openly, transparently, and in good faith. Instead, the council has become highly polarized, with frequent 4–3 votes and concerns about open meeting compliance.

The new council majority also appears to be unfamiliar with, or not following, the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine and Conflict of Interest standards. These legal requirements mandate that public officials avoid actions that could lead a reasonable person to believe they may be improperly influenced. While Councilmember Méndez has raised questions about these requirements, no formal training has been requested for councilmembers or the Planning Commission.

With the new majority, there have been concerns about potential violations of the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine and connections to the Raise the Wage Burien Committee involving multiple members.

The previous council, the new council, and the Planning Commission/Planning Department have also been operating without the city’s regular attorney or a parliamentarian present for months. While these positions are funded, they have not been present to provide legal guidance.

This has left the council and planning bodies without the legal direction they need for legislation, voting procedures, public hearings, and how to address potential violations of oath of office. Only after the special meeting placing the city manager on administrative leave did some councilmembers learn that the city attorney had been dismissed, which may explain the absence. It is also unclear why this special or emergency meeting was called, as the situation did not appear to meet prior definitions of an emergency.

Nothing about what has been happening with the new council appears transparent or open, despite campaign promises. If you are a Burien resident who is confused, you are not alone. There are growing concerns that the council does not fully understand budgeting, state-required funding priorities, or legal obligations. There are also concerns about outside influence in city elections and policymaking.

Burien residents should contact their councilmembers and make their concerns known.

[NOTE FROM EDITOR:  If you wish to submit a story, photo, article or letter, please email us at info@thehighlinejournal.com  Even if you wish to remain anonymous, please include your name and phone number so we may contact you privately. We look forward to hearing from you.]