Burien residents may have noticed something unusual recently – the faces at the top of city government have changed, and no one at City Hall is saying much about why.
City Attorney Garmon Newsom II is no longer with the city, a move reportedly confirmed by removed City Manager Adolfo Bailon following a special executive session earlier this month. However, in a narrow 4–3 vote after that same closed-door meeting, the City Council placed Bailon on paid administrative leave and directed Interim City Attorney Ann Marie Soto to begin the search for an interim city manager, who was announced at the April 20 meeting.
Newsom, who joined Burien in 2020 and brought nearly three decades of municipal law experience to the role, had been a fixture at council meetings and a consistent legal presence across some of the city’s most contentious decisions in recent years. In his place is a contract interim city attorney, Ann Marie Soto, brought in from outside Burien.
According to PubliCola – which cited unnamed sources – Bailon summarily fired Newsom earlier this month. Notably, Newsom would have been the person providing legal advice to the council as they deliberated over whether and how to remove Bailon himself. That detail has not been confirmed on the record by any city official.
The city clerk, members of the council, and other city contacts have declined to provide information, citing the confidential nature of employment matters. The council has not yet offered a public reason for placing Bailon on paid administrative leave, and executive sessions are closed to the public and considered attorney-client privileged.
What is clear is the sequence: Newsom is gone, Bailon is gone, and the city now has an interim attorney and an interim City Manager. Recent council sessions were notably missing an experienced parliamentarian, a role typically filled by attorney Newsom.
The city also finds itself with newer leadership at the council level. A recently selected Mayor, Sarah Moore, and Deputy Mayor, Hugo Garcia, are the officials who initiated the move to place Bailon on leave, and are now presiding over a city hall in transition.
For residents, the practical concern is continuity. The interim city attorney is unfamiliar with Burien’s ongoing legal matters, ongoing contracts, and pending litigation. How long the city will operate in this interim state remains unknown.
This publication reached out to city officials and received no substantive response. Garmon Newsom could not be reached for comment. Anyone with direct knowledge of these events is encouraged to contact The B-Town Blog at scott@southkingmedia.com.
Burien Leadership seems to be missing in action. We now have a temporary City Manager and City Attorney and a new majority on the City Council. But, we also have limited visibility into why we have key positions temporarily filled, why long-term and competent leadership has been replaced, and when temporary positions will become refilled or permanent.
Transparency is in the dictionary, but not in city hall.
What’s going on???
The loss of Garmon Newsom and Adolfo Bailon is a benefit to the changing of the council from conservative to progressive.
It is a sad state of affairs for the democratic party when moderate democrats are labeled conservative by their own party because they are not radical leftists. This region is starting to wake up to the false narrative of the “progressive” agenda. This newly elected council talks out of both sides of their mouths. They say they support small business and then raise B&O taxes, sales tax, and ridiculous minimum wage standards which will hurt business. They say they support expanding tree canopy and protecting sensitive environmental landscapes, and turn round and adopt zoning that will decimate the tree canopy and harm habitats. They say they support public safety but you can bet the no camping laws will be over turned soon and Burien will once again be filled with the filth lawlessness of people camping on public sidewalks and parks with open drug use, crime, violence with no accountability. There is nothing “progressive” about any of these failed policies.
With this change we can expect epic poor decisions and failures of fiscal management, all that is at the forefront of progressive policies all around us and in the news. Burien will inevitably be famous for throwing good money after bad all in some feel good nonsense like Seattle and King County does.
Is that inherently a good thing? Please explain?
Conservatives ask: “What can I do for myself, my family, my community, and my fellow citizens?”
Progressives ask: “What is unfair?” “What am I owed?” “What has offended me today?” “What must my country do for me?”
Great reporting by Mellow DeTray. She has grown in her role as Burien government reporter. More like this!
Incompetence rears its ugly head. These 4 have made a mess that will cost Burien dearly for no good reason except revenge.
Absolute failure. After over 40 years of living here and paying taxes, it’s incredibly hard to watch AGAIN.
The recent past years in Burien have been the worst I’ve seen.. Progressive city council members seem 100% unfit to govern, pushing one-sided policies without considering the broader community and siding with outside interests instead.
We need balanced, competent leadership!
We dont need progressive extremists, or people that work for outside interests which is what we currently have in Burien. Wake up residents of Burien
We dont need to take on the progressive liberal’s traumatic past which shaped their biased, one sided, perspective of life. This is not balanced, its 100% one sided which why it continues to fail every time governing.
Excellent article by Mellow DeTray. This is disquieting news and does not say good things about the management skills of the new Council majority. What about continuity? How about some planning?
Of the two, Garmon Newsom was the legal fact and interpretation anchor. He was the straight talker. He did a professional job of hiding his justified frustration when Council members did not like what they heard at times, at least in public council meetings.
This may go back farther, to when Chief Boe was let go. Maybe we will never know the details, but that is no reason to ignore it. Balion had a checkered history, and seemed to try to assert more power and influence than he actually had.
The city attorney was reportedly on the same type of leave from May – December of 2025 and the sky did not fall. But it does feel alarming that the city manager would abruptly fire the person who would oversee his removal. Best wishes to GN on his run for judgeship.