[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by verified resident. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of South King Media, nor its staff.]
To the Editor,
Burien has made significant progress in recent years, thanks to the dedicated efforts of City Manager Adolfo Bailon, the majority of our City Council, and our City Attorney. These public servants have faced considerable challenges and opposition, yet they continue to work tirelessly to improve our city. It is time to acknowledge their contributions and express our gratitude.
When Mr. Bailon took on the role of City Manager, Burien was grappling with a homelessness crisis, rising crime in the downtown area, and dysfunction within City Council meetings. Tents surrounded City Hall, and council meetings frequently descended into disorderly shouting matches. In the face of these challenges, Mr. Bailon provided steady leadership and practical solutions.
He worked with the City Council to address homelessness effectively and stood firm against those who sought to undermine these efforts. His leadership helped transform council meetings from chaotic confrontations into productive forums for genuine problem-solving.
Mr. Bailon, alongside our Mayor and City Attorney, showed remarkable courage by standing up to Dow Constantine and King County officials when they attempted to pressure Burien into decisions that did not serve our community’s best interests. They didn’t just challenge county leadership for Burien — they defeated them. Their unwavering resolve ensured that Burien’s autonomy was protected, the laws passed by our City Council were upheld, and the will of our citizens was respected. As a result, the tents are now gone from downtown, crime is decreasing, property values are rising, and new development is underway. Burien stands as a model for other cities in King County.
I am sure, if there was a regional gathering of city managers, Mr. Bailon would probably be recognized and respected by his peers for his ability to face adversity with unyielding resolve. He is not only a driving force for Burien’s success but also a pillar of leadership that I am sure is admired by city managers across the region.
Thanks to Mr. Bailon’s leadership, Burien is now a safer, more stable, and forward-moving community. The turmoil of past years has been replaced by meaningful progress and a renewed sense of optimism.
We owe our sincere gratitude to Adolfo Bailon, the Mayor, the City Attorney, and all those who work diligently to make Burien a better place.
Sincerely,
– John White
Seahurst
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Bailon is a demonstrable failure, and it is well past time to fire Baillon. He shouldn’t have even been hired in the first place. He is a drain on the city government, and will bankrupt the city if he is not stopped.
There is a reason why he was not hired by other cities with more competent leadership. The sooner you see this, the sooner Burien can correct our direction and start prospering.
Schilling should be recalled for his failure to address Bailon’s incompetence.
Thanks, Mr. White, for your defense of the challenges faced by our city leaders over the past several years. I couldn’t have said it better.
Your eloquent statement is the absolute truth, the activists who support failed Progressive ideals lack the ability to see the damage they continue to wreak on Burien. It’s as if they are so blinded by fervent beliefs they lose all credibility and only look all the more misguided over time trying to achieve an obvious failed utopian
dream.
What a great letter. Thank you Mr. White.
The contrast between the City Manager along with the more moderate council members vs the far left and their activist supporters could not be more clear. On one hand you have people like council member Garcia crying, calling Latina women and other council members Nazis. Or the disgraced former head of planning interrupting a council meeting to approach the council attempting to serve a nuisance lawsuit. What a clown show. On the other we have the calm and adult leadership of the other council members, Adolfo and the City Attorney. Their success, as you point out to in your letter, has enraged the lunatic left.
Go ahead, John. Write to the other City Managers in the region and ask what they think of Mr. Bailon. Anyone can say “probably” and make a statement – go ahead and find out.
I couldn’t agree more. I drive through Burien almost daily and the change from August of 2022 when Adolfo started to today is amazing. I’m sure the majority of Burien residents see the positive changes. And we should celebrate our leaders who are responsible for them – Adolfo, Schilling, Akey, Mora, Matta, and Andrade. While at the same time rejecting the negativity and hyperbolic personal attacks from the extremists and their far left cabal. We have elections coming up and it will be Burien’s opportunity to rid the council of people more interested in their extreme political philosophies than pragmatism that works for Burien.
Anyhow, nicely said John.
Even with the noticeable improvements brought by City leadership the biggest issues currently facing Burien are the fallout from the DESC approval decision and the failure of KC to enforce the camping ban. Each day there is a migration from camps/RV’s/Transit Center and throughout Burien that deal and do drugs outside the facility, the camp and trash in the phone bank entryway due to DESC is not being a good neighbor and needs to be dealt with.
Thanks Bailon & certain members of the council for standing ground! And to this I say…: The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river.
An excellent letter including specific and concrete examples of the really good work by our city manager and city council!!
Thanks to John White for speaking out and documenting these examples.
Forward progress!!
At least 159 citizens agree with me, he has to be removed from office.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hNb8Z3ImbmMRNxvqw7XPENFGNlWPJ4KHMnUrZzrv1aw/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you for sharing that there are 159 other citizens as misguided as you.
Out of the 50,000+ population of Burien and ~65%+ over the age of 18
It’s interesting to see your enthusiastic support for City Manager Adolfo Bailon, especially given the various controversies and criticisms surrounding his actions. While you highlight what you perceive as his successes, a deeper look reveals a more complex and troubling picture.
● You commend Bailon for addressing the homelessness crisis and improving city council meetings. However, it’s worth noting that Bailon’s approach to homelessness has been criticized for prioritizing arrests over services. He canceled the city’s contract with REACH, a service provider, and is now working with a controversial group called The More We Love, which has been criticized for their methods and potential violations of privacy. Furthermore, the claim that council meetings are now “productive” is contradicted by the fact that Councilmember Garcia has been shut out of internal meetings on city policy.
● Your claim that Bailon stood up to King County officials and protected Burien’s autonomy is misleading. In reality, Bailon is in conflict with the King County Sheriff’s Office, suing them for opposing the city’s ban on camping and, according to Sheriff Cole-Tindall, appears to be retaliating against the police chief for not enforcing a law that the Sheriff’s Office believes is illegal. He even went as far as to instruct city employees to stop paying the sheriff’s office. This hardly seems like effective leadership; rather it’s divisive and litigious.
● You praise Bailon’s “unyielding resolve”, but it appears that this “resolve” is in fact a lack of collaboration and an unwillingness to work with others who hold differing opinions. This is demonstrated by his human resources complaint against Councilmember Hugo Garcia for expressing concerns about high staff turnover. Moreover, Bailon is alleged to have made false claims about the reasons for staff departures.
● The praise for Bailon as a “pillar of leadership” and someone who would be respected by his peers seems misplaced given these issues. There appears to be a pattern of using bullying and retribution tactics toward anyone who disagrees with Bailon
Given the concerns about Bailon’s leadership, and the questionable actions of the city manager, your enthusiastic endorsement seems disconnected from the reality of the situation. It might be more useful to carefully examine the facts rather than blindly supporting a leader who appears to be creating more problems than solutions for the city.
Dear JJ,
I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns and provide a response to my perspective on City Manager Adolfo Bailon. That said, I feel the need to strongly push back on several of your points, which I believe don’t fully reflect the reality of the situation or the progress we’ve seen in Burien under his leadership.
Let’s start with homelessness. I agree that addressing it is never simple, and no approach will ever satisfy everyone. However, to say that Bailon’s efforts prioritize arrests over services is simply not true. The shift to partnering with “The More We Love” reflects a new strategy that has already produced results. We’ve seen individuals moved into housing and connected to services, and, importantly, some of the most dangerous and unsanitary encampments are no longer a public health and safety issue. Criticism of the methods or provider isn’t the same as proving they’re ineffective. At the end of the day, progress has been made, and that progress is undeniable.
Your comments about conflicts with King County are another oversimplification. Bailon has had to make tough decisions, and pushing back against the King County Sheriff’s Office was necessary to assert Burien’s autonomy and enforce policies designed to address our unique challenges. Standing up for Burien’s interests isn’t “divisive”—it’s leadership. Disagreements with other entities are part of navigating these complicated issues. Let’s not confuse advocating for our city with poor leadership.
As for claims of bullying and retribution, I think it’s unfair to throw around accusations without real evidence. Leadership requires making decisions that aren’t always popular, and attributing high staff turnover solely to Bailon feels like a convenient scapegoat. Public service is demanding, and turnover is a common issue in city government. Filing an HR complaint is a procedural right, and using it doesn’t mean someone lacks the ability to work collaboratively—it means they’re following proper channels.
Lastly, your suggestion that my support for Bailon is somehow “disconnected from reality” doesn’t sit well with me. My perspective is based on what I’ve seen: a city manager who has cleaned up dangerous areas, connected people to housing, and made our community safer and healthier. Has everything been perfect? Of course not. But I see a lot of positive momentum, and it’s frustrating to see progress overshadowed by what feels like one-sided criticism.
I respect that we may see things differently, but I think it’s important to look at the full picture. Burien deserves solutions, not endless finger-pointing. If you’d like to discuss further, I’m always happy to have a real conversation.
Sincerely,
John White
Burien Resident, Seahurst Neighborhood
Nicely stated
I agree with the letter writer: Burien today is a far better place than it was a couple of years ago. What I don’t agree with is all the commenters attacking “the far left.” The “far right” is just as bad, if not worse. The reason the current city council is successful is because they aren’t “far” anything. They are moderates who are willing to give and take to achieve the best outcome, like the majority of the city’s residents. This is what people in the city (and the country) want. Let’s learn from them!
Balance is the key to everything in life. You’ll get an outcome from any extreme whether its bad or good – that’s life – learn to find common ground / adapt & overcome. I’m not sure how your identifying the public’s political ideologies through text but that’s a different discussion. If you live and think only for extremes, you’ll reap what you sow, and that will never change (because its unbalanced to begin with). People have the right to defend the balance, whether that’s not accepting extremists or pushing out extremist ideas – and more specifically when its causing constant issues within a city council, its local residents, and destruction of public areas. Now if you truly wanted to bring change then learn how to do it with balance instead of negative protesting, and destruction …. You have to understand what Burien used to be before any of the positive changes mentioned above were made, and your reading the frustration that still lingers within Burien residents who had to endure that, they don’t want to endure that any longer. (Hence the folks who have been elected inside Burien’s city council, for that change.)
Agree