Letter to the Editor
"Voters deserve transparency about who is trying to influence Burien’s elections, especially when so much campaign money is coming from outside the city..."
[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.]
[Letter from a verified Burien resident. Only punctuation editing and bold added by editor for emphasis.]
Dear Editor and Burien Neighbors,
Voters deserve transparency about who is trying to influence Burien’s elections, especially when so much campaign money is coming from outside the city and the WA State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) website is not reliably available.
At least one third of voters typically do not vote until the last three days before the end of the election, and they depend on the PDC, the KC Voters Pamphlet, and phone site for information about the candidates. However, this year, the PDC site is having difficulties getting information out. I tried seven times and could not get the site to open and run.
The data on the PDC site is critical to knowing who is funding campaigns and who is paying to put candidates in office.
As an example, all four of the Burien candidates running together as a group (Sarah Moore, Hugo Garcia, Sam Mendez, and Rocco De Vito) are stating that they will end the Camping Ban in Burien and release disruptive homeless campers back out onto Burien’s downtown and neighborhoods, as well as wanting to defund the police in the city. All four of these candidates are using a political action business/political consultant named Break Blue Strategies, AKA Break Blue. Break Blue advertises itself as a disruptive organization.
Most voters want candidates in office who are willing to be civil, collaborative, and work across the aisle to get city business done and for the city to be safe. They want representatives who work for the residents and businesses rather than disruptive activists that work for their own interests and ideology.
In the race between Rocco De Vito and Stephanie Mora, De Vito’s $28,311.77 campaign money comes from unions, PACs, and one political party group, and he has only five donors ($1,145 total) listed from Burien. All of the rest of his donors are from out of Burien, out of KC, or out of state. Mr. De Vito was 99.6% supported by campaign donors from outside of Burien, according to PDC records. On the other hand, Stephanie Mora’s $20,105.23 campaign had only three donors from outside the city ($1,325). Burien individual resident voters monetarily supported Ms. Mora by 99.3%. Ms. Mora took no money from PACs, corporations, political groups, or unions. Hers is a true grassroots campaign intended to maintain the Camping Ban and maintain public safety and the police.
In looking at the Sam Mendez vs. Marie Barbon campaign, Barbon’s $15,558.96 campaign is heavily supported by Burien residents (only five out-of-city donors), while Mendez’s $27,809.05 campaign is only supported by six Burien residents. Mendez’s is heavily supported by outside-the-city donors (unions, PACs, one-party political organizations), while Barbon is supported by actual Burien residents.
Again, the same pattern emerges for Hugo Garcia’s $26,535.78 campaign. He is also using Break Blue as a political consultant, as well as at least three other political consultants. He has only 13 donors from Burien residents; the bulk of his campaign funding comes from outside the city. Mr. Garcia has a history of being a disruptive activist on the Council whenever he can’t have his way (by crying during Council meetings and making uncivil, racist comments against other Council members and residents). His opponent, Jessica Ivey, has appeared on the Planning Commission as much more collaborative and civil. Her $19,191.61 campaign has 12 non-Burien donors, but the bulk of her campaign money comes from inside Burien. She supports keeping the Camping Ban and maintaining public safety.
These are things to consider when placing your vote for Council members. Do you want Burien residents and voters deciding your Council, or non-Burien entities owning your Council?
— Burien Researcher
[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.]
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