[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified Burien resident. It represents the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of South King Media or its staff.]

We haven’t even made it past the primaries, and I guess the mudslinging has already started. I suppose that means Edwin knows he’s not going to do so well in this primary and is desperate to hold on to his seat.

When this mailer hit my mailbox, it practically screamed, “I, Edwin Obras, support encampments” (read our previous coverage about it here).

The no confidence letter Edwin references in his mailer was written in response to the City Manager’s decision to replace our Police Chief at the time, following a disagreement over the non-enforcement of our anti-camping ordinance (Ordinance 832). Despite that letter last year, Kevin Schilling was the one who received the endorsement of the King County Police Officers Guild. That alone speaks volumes to me.

So I’m thinking it’s one of two things. Either Edwin didn’t do his homework and had no idea what the letter was actually about and chose to run with it anyway. Or he read the full letter, realized it stemmed from our anti-encampment ordinance not being enforced and still chose to use it because he actually supports encampments near parks, schools, libraries, and daycares.

Here’s something to keep in mind: when some people are worried about losing their job, they start throwing anything they can, hoping something sticks. And I guess this BS mailer, built on half truths and out of context quotes, was the worst thing they could dig up on Kevin Schilling.

Nice try, Edwin.

But this mailer doesn’t just go after Kevin. It goes after the city I serve, the work I’ve done, and the progress we’ve made together. That’s where I take issue. I took this personally.

Let’s set the record straight:

  1. Kevin Schilling received the endorsement of the King County Police Officers Guild. That’s the same King County Sheriff’s Office we contract with for police services.
  2. According to the same public safety report this mailer tries to cherry pick from, crime in Burien is actually down from previous years.
  3. We hired the outreach organization that our officers specifically requested. And guess what? We no longer have tent encampments.
  4. Because we contract with the Sheriff’s Office, our deputies often respond to calls for service in unincorporated King County, including White Center. The reality is King County made significant budget cuts, and the areas that lost police coverage are the unincorporated ones. That’s not a failure on Burien’s part. It’s a county level decision. And our city and our officers are paying the price because they’re county contracted deputies. So yes, our officers are probably the busiest around.

This mailer doesn’t just try to smear Mayor Schilling. It misleads the public and disrespects the hard work that’s gone into making Burien safer and stronger. Our community deserves better than this.

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, and I’m especially proud of the work Mayor Schilling and I did together while I served as Deputy Mayor last year. The city was targeted with frivolous lawsuits, one of them from the county itself, but we stood firm in protecting Burien. And through it all, it was Mayor Schilling who grabbed the bull by the horns, made the tough calls, and led with courage when it mattered most.

That’s the kind of leadership I respect. And that’s the kind of leadership we need.

– Stephanie Mora 
Burien City Councilmember
These are my personal views, not the official position of the council or the city.

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23 replies on “LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Burien Councilmember Mora defends Schilling, slams Obras’ campaign mailer”

  2. This is what successful leadership looks like and why the Progressive Left will stoop so low in an attempt to discredit all the forward progress. Our own Council election will soon be mired in lies spun by Activists trying to buy a seat at the table, all so they can push outside interests and failed ideals while serving as minions and stooges.

  3. Edwin Obras is a blind activist that has absolutely no business running in politics. Goof troop

  4. Thank you Stephanie Mora. Your account of events and rebuttal of Edwin Obras’ smear campaign against Kevin Schilling, and by implication the Burien City Council and Government Agencies is correct. I live in downtown Burien in the epicenter of the homeless encampment issue, and have seen the worst of much of it. I have also seen the efforts of the Burien Police department in dealing with this crisis before the intervention of the King County Sheriff who is in charge of our Burien officers and the other contract city officers. That intervention led to unnecessary suffering and several overdose deaths on our streets. Businesses also suffered as customers stayed away. Despite the efforts of a group of individuals to maintain this status, the Mayor, City Council and City Manager stood for Burien following the law and won a court case affirming the city’s right to govern. I have worked with the Burien Police department on several occasions, including the Crisis Response team dealing with homeless and other individuals. I have great respect for our Police Department and our officers. The solid working relationship the city has with the officers is a result of our strong leadership from our city manager and Mayor Kevin Schilling. Edwin Obras’ use of innuendos and misinformation to endorse and stand for the smear campaign against Kevin Schilling reveals his true character, a weak person who cannot stand on his own merits. Burien, the 33rd legislative district and the Washington State Legislature deserve much better.

  5. Just now I received another Obras flyer in the mail, he touts backing from a multitude of groups, but where’s the Police support? Oh that’s right, he doesn’t have any and those fellow politicians are a glaring example of where the party went off the rails and became puppets of Progressive extremists.

    1. ….our current administration fired a well loved police chief, and has actively combatted our police at every turn, when they were trying to ensure YOUR constitutional rights were upheld. NOW you care that a councilmember doesn’t have a police endorsement? Come on, man.

      1. Spinning facts above….

        Burien Police Department isn’t independent. It’s controlled by King County.

        If you don’t remember, King County told the police to stand down, ignore the city’s requests, and let public safety fall apart — even while Burien’s City Council demanded action. It went to court, and Burien won. So who was wrong??? The court made that clear and King County lost. You’ve eloquently claimed this false fact above regarding Burien administration: ” actively combatted our police at every turn, when they were trying to ensure YOUR constitutional rights were upheld”

        Patti Cole-Tindall (the King County Police Chief) and Dow Constantine were pulling the strings during that time. The police chief wasn’t fired for doing his job — he was let go because he wouldn’t serve all of Burien’s residents, especially the most vulnerable. He got caught between two political forces, and instead of standing with Burien, he folded to King County’s failed policies.

        Standing up for constitutional rights means protecting everyone — not just serving a political agenda. If the police union refuses to endorse a councilmember who demands accountability and fairness, that’s not a red flag. That’s a sign someone is doing their job.

        Burien doesn’t need performative politics or selective enforcement. We need real leadership — people who protect our neighborhoods, support our city’s decisions, and put Burien first. Not King County. Not Seattle. Just Burien.

        No outside agendas or outside organizations controlling or meddling in this city’s politics. (Especially anything coming out of King County or Seattle) Let me ask you how downtown Burien looks today compared to a few years ago???? Very thankful for our current city council listening to the citizens and businesses that keep this city running correctly! I have previously disagreed with your views and again today, I highly disagree with your views based on FACTS not opinions.

      2. T.T.
        Obras is not a Burien Council member, he is an appointed legislative member in Olympia. Get your story and facts straight.

        1. You’re right that I misspoke regarding Mr. Obras’s position there. However my point stands regarding your position on Schilling’s relationship with the police. Why is it OK for Schilling to disregard the police, but not Obras? That’s a double-standard. Both of them work for both of us; only one of them tried to pass a contentious law and bypass constitutional review.

  6. Thank you Ms. Mora again you have put out the words so many of us here in Burien believe in and want to say but have a hard time putting them down in writing!
    You will have my vote as hopefully many others, we need your spunk in our Burien City Council!

  7. I am not especally keen on either of them. Mora’s endorsement and defense is not a positive, considering the wrenches she has thrown into dealing with the homeless issue, hindering progress, and her poorly thought out proposals and amendments she has made due to her ideology during her term.

    Glad she is not running again.

    1. I completely agree with NotMySideOfTheCloud about Mora. And Schilling.

      Mora’s take on important issues for me are flawed, severely lacking and concerning.

      I will never get over her suggestion that the unhoused should poop on the ground like dogs. Someone with that standpoint is not suitable in the least to serve on city council.

      Her alignment with Schilling is expected but also a red flag to me.

      Time for both Mora and Schilling to go.

      1. Thank you for not letting people forget about that comment! It was vile and wholly inhumane. I don’t want anyone working for me who can’t at the very least recognize the humanity in the people she represents, whether she likes them or not.

    2. Actually Stephanie Mora will be on the ballot in November. There is only one other candidate for her position so both go on to the general election. Her “ideology” has been part of the success Burien has had in dealing with the homeless issue and public safety since the court decisions supported cities regulating camping on public property. Burien’s improved relationship with the police department and the new police chief, support for the police and fire department mobile crisis response teams and partnership with The More We Love has positively changed the situation for the homeless and the city. Ms. Mora is a voice of reason on the council and should be reelected.

  8. Crime EVERYWHERE is down from previous years. This isn’t unique to Burien or our current council’s leadership.

    1. Why does the cartoon image of a cat hanging onto a cliff by its claws come to mind after reading your response? lol thats right.

      – Very happy with current Burien Council and all their policies and fights they have won for the city of Burien over the last few years! The city of Burien only, along with its residents!

      1. What I meant was, “Crime is down everywhere, including places that didn’t enact camping bans. This includes Seattle, where police presence is notoriously low compared to previous years. Therefore, while Schilling’s policies probably did contribute to our reduction in crime, there were other ways of doing this that wouldn’t have been so contentious and included a little more empathy.”

    2. It went down everywhere because there was a reaction by the voters in every major city to the destructive policies that were being executed across the country. (equity sounds good. I’ll vote for that… oh wait, it leads to drug addicts overdosing in my neighborhood and tents full of zombies all over the city?… Nevermind.) The recovery is happening, but it is because of strong leadership. You’re wrong.

      1. I’m not wrong that this is not unique to Burien. But I think you make a good point that policies like Burien’s have likely led to a reduction in crime. I also think the way in which this law was implemented, and our leadership’s lack of support for alternatives, was short-sighted and sets a bad precedent. In an America where fascism is on the rise, I don’t want any small group of people to wield power without constitutional review.

  9. It was never Schilling all by his lonesome trying to improve public safety in Burien, you single him out as the ringleader when the majority of the Council and City Manager sought that change. In addition all those efforts where found to be legally standing and Burien is only better, safer and not being bullied by the KC Sheriff anymore.

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