Notes From Monday Night’s City Council Meeting

by Gina Bourdage

Here are notes from Monday night’s (May 11th) Burien City Council meeting (PDF agenda here, streaming video link here)…

City Manager Mike Martin Formally Charged With DUI

According to The Seattle P-I, Burien City Manager Mike Martin was formally charged with drunk driving Wednesday (May 6th), based on his arrest on Sunday, April 19th.

As we reported then, Martin, 55, allegedly crashed his car into a ceramic planter in the 12600 block of 14th Ave South.

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 eyes were bloodshot, his speech slurred and he admitted to drinking a couple glasses of wine and two beers…

OPINION: Mike Martin Must Tell The Truth Or Resign

An Editorial by Jim Branson

At Monday’s City Council meeting, several prominent Burien citizens spoke up for City Manager Mike Martin, saying he has done a good job and he deserves another chance. They said he shouldn’t be judged before the facts were known.

Former Council Member Jack Block Jr. said he (Block) had the disease of alcoholism, he had sought treatment for it, and it did not stop him from being a contributing member of society as long as he took the right steps.

One difference between Mr. Block and Mr. Martin is the admission of having a problem…

Notes From Monday Night's City Council Meeting

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…

Burien City Manager Mike Martin Arrested For DUI

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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