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BREAKING: Mike Martin Enters “Not Guilty” Plea To DUI

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by Ralph Nichols

Burien City Manager Mike Martin entered a plea of “Not Guilty” on Friday (May 15th) to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol stemming from a minor traffic accident on April 19th. Martin appeared before King County District Court Judge Eileen Kato, who scheduled a pretrial hearing for June 23rd.

Martin, 55, refused to perform field sobriety tests or take a Breathalyzer test when he was arrested following the one-car accident in Burien. As a result, his driver’s license was suspended, as required by state law, when formal DUI charges were filed on May 6th.

On Monday (May 11th), the Burien City Council approved an amended contract for Martin on a 5-1 vote, which imposes strict “alcohol-related conditions” with which he must “comply fully” to retain his position as city manager.

In agreeing to the addition of alcohol-related conditions to his contract, Martin denied committing “any wrongful or criminal act,” but acknowledged “that the facts and circumstances of his arrest may constitute ‘cause’ to terminate his employment under the Original Agreement.”

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Posted inPolitics

City Keeps Mike Martin On, Requires Amended Contract

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by Ralph Nichols

The Burien City Council imposed on Monday (May 11th) strict “alcohol-related conditions” with which City Manager Mike Martin must “comply fully” if he is to retain that position. Martin is scheduled to be arraigned in King County District Court Friday on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The conditions are included in an amendment to Martin’s contract (download and view PDF here), which was approved without discussion with a 6-1 vote by city lawmakers. Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak, who publicly called for Martin’s ouster following his arrest for allegedly driving under the influence, cast the dissenting vote. She also cast the lone vote against Martin when the council hired him as city manager in January 2007.

Here’s a portion of the amended contract…

Posted inPolitics

Burien City Manager Mike Martin Arrested For DUI

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According to The Seattle Times, Burien City Manager Mike Martin was arrested for a DUI Sunday night (April 19th) after his vehicle left the road and struck a ceramic pot in a yard in the 12600 block of 14th Avenue South in Burien (Google street view below).

Apparently Martin was found outside his car, “leaning forward and swaying side to side,” according to King County Sheriff’s records. His breath allegedly smelled strongly of alcohol, his speech was slurred and he admitted to drinking a couple glasses of wine and two beers.

The article goes on to say that Martin refused to perform both field sobriety tests and Breathalyzer tests, and that he was arrested. Under Washington state law, refusing to take a breath test results in automatic suspension of a driver’s license for at least one year. Martin may challenge the suspension or seek approval for an alcohol-ignition device on his car.

According to the Times, this isn’t Martin’s first run-in with the law – he apparently previously resigned as Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Kent after a 2005 hit-and-run incident.

Martin has been city manager since November 2006, and his yearly salary is $135,180.

We’re working on getting comments from both Martin and other city officials, but the Times goes on to quote Mayor Joan McGilton as saying that his arrest will be discussed at the next city council meeting on Monday night, April 28th, which we will cover.

Read the full story here.


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Posted inPolitics

Jack Block Jr. Announces Campaign To Return To Council

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Jack Block, Jr., former Deputy Mayor and Councilmember, on Friday (May 15th) announced his candidacy for Burien City Council, Position 7, currently held by Sally Nelson.

Last we saw Mr. Block was at the April 27th City Council meeting when he voiced his support for City Manager Mike Martin, who was recently charged with a DUI, resulting in Martin’s amended contract.

“I was proud of the investments we made in our community in Burien while I served on the City Council,” said Block in a statement. “But I have unfinished business, and want to ensure that Burien is looking after our working families and their futures…”

Posted inArrests, Business, Law, Politics

Notes From Monday Night’s City Council Meeting

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by Gina Bourdage

Monday night’s (April 27th) City Council meeting was run under a “business as usual” approach, despite the recent news about Burien City Manager Mike Martin’s DUI arrest.

Many in the audience came expecting to hear Martin address the issue, perhaps even issue a public apology or letter of resignation. However, Martin didn’t say one word about his incident, (which happened Sunday, April 19th), and the only references to it were statements of support from four residents, which you can read below…

Posted inPolitics

Burien’s Red Light Camera Citations Are ‘In The Mail’

by Jack Mayne

By Jack Mayne

Any day now, cameras mounted high over three First Avenue intersections will record motorists running red lights and after local review of each photo, citations will be mailed to the owners of the offending vehicles.

The violation fine set by the Burien City Council is $101 now, but state law allows it to go up to a maximum of $124.

There are two cameras at First and SW 148th, focusing both east and west on 148th. The camera at First and SW 152nd tracks westbound vehicles and the one at SW 160th tracks eastbound traffic.

“Those intersections have a lot of accidents and this is really about safety to us,” said Mike Martin, Burien city manager. “It is not about the revenue. What we expect to see is a lot of tickets the first few months and then we expect it to decline. We thought about doing similar things in schools zones, we thought about doing it on Ambaum Boulevard it terms of speeding.”

But not now…

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