After weeks of silence surrounding his final departure from Burien City Hall, former City Attorney Garmon Newsom II is speaking out, albeit with restraint.
In an email exchange with The B-Town Blog, Newsom confirmed he is running for a seat on the Seattle Municipal Court, and offered a measured but pointed reflection on his six years serving the city.
Newsom Declines Comment on Departure Amid Potential Litigation
“My campaign — and my nearly 34-year legal career — is grounded in fairness, experience, and common-sense justice,” Newsom wrote. He declined to comment on the circumstances of his departure, noting that “pending claims and potential litigation” prevent him from addressing current city matters. This language raises questions about whether a legal dispute between Newsom and the city could be forthcoming.
Newsom described his tenure in Burien as wide-ranging and substantive. Beyond courtroom work, he said his role included advising the council and city staff on legal, operational, and policy matters, drafting ordinances, and managing contracts for prosecution, public defense, court services, and indigent defense screening, as well as the city’s risk and insurance programs. He also said he worked to “strengthen council processes while encouraging a culture of respectful, constructive engagement.”
Proud of His Litigation Record
On his litigation record, Newsom expressed clear pride. He pointed specifically to the Oasis Church encampment case as an example of how his office approached complex, politically charged legal matters. In that case, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Burien, affirming that the church was required to obtain a permit for its homeless encampment. Newsom’s account pushes back against any suggestion that the city acted in bad faith: his office, he said, offered to waive the permit application fee and asked the church to apply so that public health and safety inspections could be conducted to protect those living at the encampment. The church declined. Litigation followed, and every court that heard the case agreed with Burien’s position.
“I am proud of Burien’s strong litigation record during my tenure,” Newsom wrote. “Those outcomes reflected careful preparation, thorough legal analysis, and a commitment to serving the council and Burien’s interests.”
Interim Leadership in Place as Newsom Pursues Election
Now Newsom is seeking a different kind of role, one on the other side of the bench. His candidacy for Seattle Municipal Court Judge draws on the full arc of his career, including time as a prosecutor. He wrote that prosecutorial experience taught him not just when to bring charges, but when not to, and when alternatives to incarceration better serve justice. “Often, a prosecutor is the only person a victim speaks to in the legal system,” he noted, “and that responsibility requires sound judgment, empathy, and integrity.”
Back in Burien, city leadership remains in flux. City Manager Adolfo Bailon is on paid administrative leave. An interim city attorney (Ann Marie Soto) and an interim city manager (Bob Larson) are now running day-to-day operations. No public explanation has yet been given for any of these changes.
Newsom, for his part, appears to have his sights set on what comes next. “I seek this role to ensure that every person who comes before the court is treated with fairness, respect, and justice,” he wrote. “I continue to wish the council and community the best moving forward.”
