EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify that Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon was placed on paid administrative leave, not terminated, following the City Council’s April 13, 2026 vote.
After over two hours in executive session at its special meeting on Monday, April 13, 2026, the Burien City Council voted 4-3 to put City Manager Adolfo Bailon on paid administrative leave.
The motion was amended to give the interim city attorney, rather than the mayor, authority to identify an interim city manager before the next regular council meeting.
Voting “yes” were Mayor Sarah Moore, Deputy Mayor Hugo Garcia, and councilmembers Sam Mendez and Rocco DeVito. Voting “no” were councilmembers Kevin Schilling, Alex Andrade and Linda Akey.
The reason for the decision was not publicly announced.
He was unanimously appointed city manager by the council on June 30, 2022, after a national search that drew more than 50 applicants. His first day on the job was Aug. 8, 2022.
At the time of his hiring, Bailon became Burien’s first person of color and first Latino to serve as city manager.
Bailon was selected under Burien’s council/manager form of government, in which the city manager is appointed by the council and oversees the administration of city government, including daily operations, personnel functions and budget preparation.
His hiring contract in 2022 indicated a base salary of $215,000, according to earlier reporting and city records.
Bailon’s tenure drew some scrutiny as tensions rose inside Burien city government. In recent months, council discussions had included the possibility of changing city leadership, and the city had scheduled this special meeting for Monday with an executive session.
In March 2025, Bailon was honored by local nonprofit Discover Burien at its annual “Best of Burien” awards event.
He had also been a central figure in several high profile controversies, including a 2024 conflict with the King County Sheriff’s Office over then-Burien Police Chief Ted Boe, a vote of no confidence from Burien police employees in 2024, and later criticism over city transparency and leadership style.
Video
Below is video of the April 13 vote after council returned from its executive session (NOTE: segments of “dead air” where nothing happened for over :03 seconds were removed from this video, which runs 7-minutes, 47-seconds):
