On Friday, April 18, 2025, the City of Burien hosted a “City 101” presentation, an in-depth look at the structure and operations of local government aimed at encouraging residents to engage more deeply with civic life and consider running for public office.
The one-hour event was a basic overview of the city’s council-manager form of government, targeted towards for new candidates for Burien City Council.
According to the city’s website:
“The council-manager form consists of an elected city council which is responsible for policy making, and a professional city manager, appointed by the council, who is responsible for administration. The city manager provides policy advice, directs the daily operations of city government, handles personnel functions (including the power to appoint and remove employees), and is responsible for preparing the city budget.”
Additionally, the city clarifies the roles of the mayor and city council:
“The mayor in council-manager cities is generally selected by the city council. The person selected must also be a councilmember. In optional municipal code cities or first class cities, the mayor may be directly elected by the people. The mayor presides at council meetings and is recognized as the head of the city for ceremonial purposes, but has no regular administrative duties.”
Led by City Manager Adolfo Bailon with support from his staff, the “City 101” presentation explained how the city manager/council relationship works, what departments the city has, how laws are made and more, along with input from city staff.
Around 15 or so people showed up in the City Hall conference room, including staff.
City Manager Bailon and Mayor Kevin Schilling opened the session, emphasizing the importance of transparency and participation.
“We on the City Council work together to finalize a budget, prepare ordinances, and collaborate with staff in our council-manager form of government,” said Schilling.
Bailon added:
“This is just our introduction to city government… we want to make sure you leave with a good understanding of who we are and what we do.”
Department heads across all city functions—from public safety and parks to finance, legal, communications, and human services—shared highlights of their roles.
Attendees were introduced to department leads and learned how laws are made, how city council operates, and how residents can serve on advisory boards or run for council.
A recurring theme throughout the presentation was how many departments have historically operated with limited staff.
“Up until recently, we’ve been operating with one person in many positions,” Bailon said. “We’re doing a lot with very little.”
Staff also stressed the role residents can play as ambassadors for city services.
“We do have the programs, but people don’t always know they exist,” said Bophary Do, Recreation Specialist.
Devin Chicras, communications manager, added:
“The more people are connected to our channels, the better we can serve the community—especially when it comes to emergency alerts and service access.”
Bailon concluded by reaffirming staff’s commitment to council support:
“Our job is to make council members successful… we provide the facts, the background, the tours—and help them lead with the information they need.”
For more information, residents are encouraged to visit burienwa.gov.
Video
Below is an edited version of the event, as filmed/edited by Scott Schaefer (running time 1-hour, 3-minutes):
Presentation
Download the city’s full presentation here (PDF file).
