[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written by a verified resident. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The B-Town Blog, nor its staff:]
Yesterday someone sent me a photo of a sticker on a newspaper box in downtown Burien. The sticker read “Burien looks like sh*t” and had a photo of Deputy Mayor Krystal Marx in the middle. Full disclosure – Krystal is a friend of mine and we’ve collaborated on work and volunteer projects. I admire her dedication to this community.
My first thought on seeing this photo was to wonder how this is helping. It makes no sense to me to go on a littering spree to say you’re dissatisfied with how a city looks. My second thought was how ridiculous it is to think that one person on a council of seven people that works in a system of around 100 city employees is responsible for all of the problems in a city of 50,000 people.
I know there are people in and outside of Burien who don’t agree with Krystal’s political beliefs or approaches to governing. And that’s great. I’m a big fan of letting elected officials know when I disagree with them, and I do it often. However, since joining the council, Krystal has been mocked on various Facebook pages, received threatening phone calls, and as I said earlier, taken the blame for issues that no one person can be held responsible for. There are ways to be heard without resorting to childish and mean-spirited tactics.
I don’t know if the person who made these stickers is also behind other harassment that Krystal has faced. But I would ask that person to consider how they would feel if their children were subjected to seeing their parent put down in this way. I urge you to channel your dissatisfaction into something constructive. We all play a part in making Burien a city we’re proud of. And while we might not agree on how to get there, it’s high time we recognize that our elected officials are people too, and deserve to be treated like it.
I’d like to send my support to Deputy Mayor Marx, the six other city councilmembers and city staff who do the challenging work of governing and managing our city. Thank you!
– Margret Alley
Burien resident
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