Campaign Corner: Burien City Council- Position 7

Stephanie Mora, Candidate for Burien City Council, (Incumbent) Position 7

“I’ve seen firsthand how homelessness, drug use, and untreated mental illness affect our neighborhoods. My dad’s struggle with addiction and my family’s experience with homelessness during that time fuel my commitment to recovery-focused solutions and protecting families.

I want to work with DESC to get them to change their model from housing first to instead become a sober living facility. I support treatment first, and as it stands DESC is failing the very people they are supposed to be helping.

One of the most horrifying phone calls I have received as a council member was from a woman asking for help regarding DESC after her sibling, who I will refer to as Billy to protect their identity, had recently passed away from a drug overdose. She said that while going through Billy’s phone, she allegedly found text messages with a DESC employee who appeared to have been dealing drugs to Billy.

One of my proudest accomplishments on council was passing Burien’s camping ban, which keeps our parks, sidewalks, and public spaces safe for families. But enforcement must be paired with solutions. I support expanding access to treatment and mental health services, as well as increasing funding for co-response and The More We Love. This partnership has been immensely valuable, changing the face of homelessness and addiction in our city, improving public safety, and preventing countless overdose deaths. I will continue fighting for these proven, life-saving solutions.”

Rocco DeVito- Burien City Council- Position 7

We reached out to Rocco, but he declined to answer the question as of this publishing.