BREAKING NEWS 7:15pm 1/26/09: Longtime Burien resident and former City Councilmember Stephen Lamphear filed the following Initiative against the annexation of North Highline with the City of Burien Monday (Jan. 26th):

Filed with the Burien City Clerk today at 3 pm.

The language is self-explanatory.

Next action would be to file for an Injunction with the Superior Court to prohibit Burien from acting while petition signatures are gathered.

I now have 120 days to collect signatures; if we get enough, then this will go on the ballot for Burien residents to vote on.

In case you can’t read the scan of the initiative above, the exact wording is:

NOTICE OF INITIATIVE PETITION

TO: Burien City Clerk

Pursuant to statute, the undersigned hereby gives notice of filing an Initiative Petition to the People of the City of Burien, Washington, to wit:

Shall the City Council of the City of Burien be prohibited from entering into any memorandum of understanding or any other form of agreement with the City of Seattle and/or any other municipal jurisdiction and/or any other party or parites for the purposes of annexation the legal result of which would be any form of partitioning of the King County unincorporated urban area generally known as the North Highline Unincorporated Area; and further, shall the City Council of the City of Burien be prohibited from authorizing any annexation plan or proposal to be filed with the Boundary Review Board the legal result of which would be any form of partitioning of the King County unincorporated urban area generally known as the North Highline Unincorporated Area?

YES

NO

Signed this 26th Day of January, 2009:

Stephen Lamphear

Stephen Lamphear wants to stop Burien's annexation attempt.

We were the first to speak with Mr. Lamphear about this, and here are a few choice quotes:

“I did this before in 1995 when Burien tried to adopt a utility tax that was not beneficial to lower income residents – I filed against that, got signatures, and got 21% of voters to sign.”

“My feeling is that if you see something that needs to be done, then it is your job to do it…”

Lamphear, a City Councilmember for eight years (from 1998-2005; he was defeated by Rose Clark), is currently a private citizen who is self-employed as a tax preparer.

He has a somewhat tumultuous relationship with current councilmembers, citing that six members opposed his election once and four another time.

Lamphear plans to speak at tonight’s City Council meeting (which starts at 7pm at the ERAC Center, located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW near Hi-Line Lanes and Azteca), so it could make for an interesting evening.

We’ll post further information as it develops, including reaction from current City Councilmembers.

So…what do you think of this development? Please comment below, or email us.

Since 2007, The B-Town Blog is Burien’s multiple award-winning hyperlocal news/events website dedicated to independent journalism.

4 replies on “Ex-Councilmember Files Initiative Against Annexation”

  1. I would agree that the powers that be are making decisions for North Highline. The area should not be split.

  2. Thanks for your positive comments. If you'd like to help gather signature (or have friends who would) contact me.

  3. It was pretty arrogant of the council to execute the MOU and file with the BRB in the face of an Initiative petition that would prohibit them from doing so.

    If the petition is successful in gathering sufficient signatures and the vote supports the Initiative, the council's action will be void. Certain Burien residents have legal standing at the BRB to contest the city's filing.

    Some residents/voters will remember the referendum I spearheaded in Dec '95/Jan '96 that resulted in repeal of the city's shiny new utility tax. Apparently, the voters have to go through that effort all over again. If you're ready to force the council to listen to the people, contact us at [email protected].

    1. yes it is a sad thing when the good pepol of this green belt have to fight to keep it as it is, the city councel of burien would like you to beleve that it;s good for you and the fact is there in it for the money the porgectid tax increes is 10 doller a mounth but it would rally up from there iv lived in the green belt for 35 years loved it the futcher is that with the burien council running the regulacion;s and permitt for construcion and every thing like utility;s and zoning it would be a shame to see are area go to what is going on in burien now. tax !tax! tax! and moor tax and a few running the show that {have a dreem }of having it there way well as iv talk to some of the residens in burien and some that have moved out of burien they all sayed they dident like some or all of the citys polices I will be on the street with the ones that think of the real futcher and will try my best to stop this once moor like in 1995 and in 1996 all im asking the residence to do one thing think how it would be if thay take us over i feel that my freedom is at stake and I will have a dreem also staying and keeping thing;s gest like they are !!!!!

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