2023 CAMPAIGN: Who are the candidates running for Burien City Council?

BURIEN, Wash. — The General Elections are right around the corner and we interviewed the candidates who are running for open positions in Burien City Council.

We spoke with residents in the area to understand the issues that truly mattered to them and the questions they wanted the candidates to answer.

A common topic among the residents was homelessness. We talked to Sharon Rumans, who shared her thoughts and concerns about the effects of homelessness in the community.

“We are affected by the homeless encampment,” she said.

Rumans said that several parts of Burien, including the outskirts, have not received a lot of support from the city on addressing homelessness, and it’s affecting local businesses, she added.

“There’s a triangle piece of land that is covered with homeless encampments. And it’s not only dangerous, and dirty and looking awful, but we get no answers back as to when this will be dealt with,” she said. “We care. It’s impacting our businesses.”

We interviewed all six candidates who are running for council positions two, four, and six. We asked the candidates a range of topics that residents had shared with us, including the common key topic of homelessness.

POSITION 2 – CYDNEY MOORE:

We spoke with Councilwoman Cydney Moore, who is seeking re-election for Position 2. She has been serving the role since January 1, 2020.

Moore told us that she is currently working on several solutions to address homelessness.

She has increased the human services budget, she shared, which funds services for homelessness outreach programs, including services for drug treatment, mental health, and housing.

Moore is also an advocate for changing policies to promote affordable housing, she said, including programs that support developers to create housing for lower-income families.

“We need people who are committed to developing more affordable housing and keeping people in their homes as well. I was a very very strong advocate for the eviction moratorium during the Covid crisis, which prevented people from losing their homes,” she said.

Moore told us she has also supported programs and efforts focused on renters’ protection, limiting substantial rent increases, and increasing the minimum wage.

“Making sure that people living in Burien are making a livable wage so they can afford to pay their rent, pay their mortgage, afford basic essentials like food, healthcare, and childcare is vital to ensuring people can stay in their homes and stay in our city,” she said.

POSITION 2 – LINDA AKEY:

We spoke with Linda Akey, who is challenging Moore for Position 2.

Akey said there are “many different sides” to homelessness, adding there needs to be a solution to address each part.

She told us that she is focused on supporting treatment programs while working on efforts to expand housing.

“For some people, that might be substance abuse or mental health treatment services,” Akey explained.

Akey said it’s critical to build more homes in Burien that support a wide range of people, who are facing unique challenges.

“Transitional housing, affordable housing, places for women of domestic violence shelters. To be able to go to things like that. I think there’s a lot of options. We have to be able to help people and I want to make Burien a place for everyone to be safe and for them to comfortably live,” she said.

Akey said she has helped create more than 200 non-profits throughout her career and is currently actively supporting Mary’s Place, a non-profit that helps families experiencing homelessness in the city. She has also been collaborating with other organizations to expand shelters in the Burien.

“I’m very interested in making sure we have housing for everybody, and we can make it more affordable. One way we do that is by increasing the availability of housing to try and bring down those rents.” She added, “And with that (working with non-profits) comes the leadership and the collaboration that is necessary to work on city council.”

POSITION 4 – KEVIN SCHILLING:

We spoke with Councilman and Deputy Mayor Kevin Schilling, who is seeking re-election for Position 4. He has been serving the role of council member since 2020 and deputy mayor since 2022.

Schilling said he has been working to address the topic in two different ways – treatment services and keeping public spaces safe.

“We have been enhancing our service outreach and getting folks off the streets and into shelters and services. But we’ve also been doing what we can to make it so that public spaces are safe and accessible for all,” he said.

Schilling said he has heard concerns from residents about the effects of homelessness in several neighborhoods, including concerns around drug use, crime and loud noises. He has taken the feedback to the city council to find solutions, he said.

Schilling has supported an unlawful camping band, which had been passed, he said, making it illegal to have a permanent tent structure throughout the entire day.

He said this new ordinance will help keep public spaces safe for everyone in the city.

POSITION 4 – PATRICIA HUDSON:

We spoke with Patricia Hudson, who is challenging Schilling for Position 4.

Hudson said a key component to addressing homelessness is housing.

She said she is focused on working with different local and regional agencies and non-profits to create housing programs and expand affordable homes.

“When we talk about the unhoused, they need to feel safe. Just like we all do. Without someplace, a roof over our heads or someplace warm to sleep every night, we don’t feel safe,” she said.

Hudson told us that she is also focused on developing relationships with developers and builders to provide incentives for them to build more multi-family housing units in Burien.

Hudson is also focused on wrap-around services, including mental health services and substance abuse or alcohol programs, she told us, adding this would allow people, who are experiencing homelessness, to later transition into work-training programs to build valuable skillsets for the workforce.

POSITION 6 – KRYSTAL MARX:

We spoke with Krystal Marx, who is running for Position 6.

Marx said she had experienced homelessness when she was a young child and understands the challenges many, who are currently experiencing homelessness, face.

“We have to increase the amount of housing we have available. And it needs to be everything from permanent supportive housing like our DESC, that is going up here in Burien this summer, that’s the downtown emergency services center, with 90 units of affordable housing, with supports attached,” she said.

Marx said she is also focused on expanding the affordable housing demonstration program that she had passed during her previous term on the council.

She told us that working with developers is key to identifying opportunities that would maximize the city’s resources to build more homes.

“That allows us to listen to what the demand is and build from there, will help us to address homelessness through providing a wider range of housing options,” she said.

POSITION 6 – ALEX ANDRADE:

We spoke with Alex Andrade, who is running for Position 6.

Andrade said she is focused on leveraging the current agencies and organizations that the city contracts with to provide support for people who may need additional help.

“I want to be sure that people are getting the help and support that they need. Leaving them on the streets. Leaving them to basically doing nothing is not helping them. It’s not humane,” she said.

Andrade told us that identifying the root issues around homelessness in Burien is critical to finding an effective long-term solution.

She said she is focused on holding leaders of contracted organizations and agencies that are committed to helping accountable.

“I want to be sure that those organizations that we are paying for is a small business. You can’t just pay out money and expect results, and if you’re not seeing the results that you want, you should be able to fix things, or tackle it differently,” she explained.

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