[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified resident. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of South King Media, nor its staff.]
For years, the looming presence of Dow Constantine has cast a shadow over the city of Burien. From his controversial push for the DESC project, where he applied relentless pressure on the Burien Council to pass it, to his meddling with the powers of the Burien Police, who fall under the jurisdiction of the King County Sheriff, Constantine’s influence has been undeniable.
But it seems that Constantine’s overreach may have finally caught up with him. In the current Burien city council election, he threw his weight behind two far-left candidates, Cydney Moore and Patricia Hudson. However, to his dismay, both candidates are facing a resounding defeat, trailing behind even another far-left candidate, Krystal Marx, whom Constantine curiously chose not to endorse. It appears that the people of Burien have finally realized that Constantine’s preferred candidates do not align with their local interests, and they are making their voices heard at the ballot box.
This revelation extends beyond just the political realm. The SEIU and the Transit Riders Union, who have often found themselves in lockstep with Constantine’s agenda, are experiencing a similar fate. As Constantine continues to shower his endorsements upon far left candidates, it only serves to strengthen the resolve of the local residents, who now have a clear guide on who to vote against.
So let us welcome Constantine’s endorsements with open arms, for they have unintentionally become a beacon of truth, guiding us towards candidates who truly represent the interests of our beloved Burien. The tide is turning, and the people are reclaiming their power.
– John White
Seahurst
White asked us to add this postscript:
“In the primary I supported Cydney Moore but then she refused to support the camping ban so I openly dropped my support. I donated to her opponent, plus I encouraged Cydney to not run, explaining to her that her passion is helping the homeless. I even encouraged her further by donating to help her create a non-profit to help the homeless. In the elections just held, I supported Akey, Andrade and Schilling, not Cydney. I am pleased with the election results. Cydney can now go do what she is passionate about. We remain friends even though we disagree on some things. I will continue to support the Burien Severe Weather Shelter, of which Cydney works hard for. With regards to her camp, well I support anything that will lead to granting our police department the legal right to get the homeless off Burien streets – as long as it’s drug and alcohol free. I know to sum this up seems like mixed messaging but it’s not. It’s common sense. To the NIMBY’s I’d say “wake up, it’s in our backyards now and until we deal with the issues it will always be in our backyards.” Just go to Ambaum and 120th and observe. I also say to the NIMBY’s – “what is your plan and what are you doing to help with compassion and understanding?” I donated to fund a non-profit to help the homeless but I am not a member or officer of this non-profit, nor did I pick the site or church they selected. I have zero say in their decision making. My goal was to provide Police Chief Ted Boe the legal authority to enforce the camping ban. The only way that happens is if Burien opens a sanctioned shelter. Someone would have to run it and it might as well be Cydney Moore because that’s what her passion is.”
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John
I’m not sure of you’re message. Reclaiming power means power was lost. Yet somebody voted for the previous council members. It seems like you’re excited that people you agree with were elected.
Following the opinion you expressed about Dow Constantine this sounds like the good guys beat the bad guys.
But democracy isn’t a football game with good guys and bad guys. The missing piece in this polarized vision is compromise. The middle ground where balance of the needs of the community is found is the power of democracy.
It’s not found in the polarized shouting matches of my way or the highway thinking, that we’ve seen to many of the last years.
Don’t worry, we are leaving your beloved city as soon as possible! Burien is not a place for the poor or for BIPOC communities. Burien is a safe haven for white supremacists, and only that.
Hi Anne, I agree with you. His post was demeaning. I am ashamed to live in Burien, surrounded by folks who think just like him!
Nimby is highly misused to provide a blanket negative label to concerns and objections voiced by citizens on poor plans and policies that affect them directly. A basic responsibility of an elected town representative is to prioritize the welfare of the town/city they serve, versus viewing the resources and future welfare of that town/city as something to be “spent” to solve problems that are beyond the city they serve. This is long been a problem challenging Burien and it got ugly starting in 2017 with aggressive candidate funding and campaigns that resulted in the radical left capture and control of Burien’s city council. That led to voting in crime-tolerant policies and homeless housing projects such as DESC that are oversized for the needs of this city. The DESC project future impact looms ominously over the nearby resident homes, the downtown area and even First Ave because it is too big and intended to bring IN homeless from Seattle – something the city council failed to stop. This is not to say a city should not participate in regional issues but that activity should never result in increasing the size of costly serious long term challenges that we KNOW the biggest issues will be drug use, drug trade, crime and strain on already overwhelmed EMS and police services. We should all watch CAREFULLY not to see DESC start to morph into anything other than stable drug free long term housing.
The only way to stave off growth of drugs and camps is to signal this is not a city that tolerates drugs and unsanctioned camps. When the problem isn’t growing, it becomes more solvable.
Lastly, responding to comments on Cydney Moore – the citizens of Burien need council members that know the difference between their own ideals and charged mission and that of their responsibility to the city. The behaviors that created and contributed to a year long of heightened encampments of influx from Seattle, drugs, crime were not in the interests of the health and safety of Burien businesses and residents. It forced costs on our already fragile retailers to step in to address the camps and frightened people working and living near the camps as well as subjected them to threats. The argumentative behavior of Moore at council meetings was disrespectful to the council and mocked the meetings which are supposed to offer a voice and forum for Burien residents. Many of us look forward with hope to seeing more mature behavior in future meetings when decisions are being discussed on helping homeless AND the drug addicted that live here. We do not need a non- profit commandeering a homeless population growth strategy – let’s hope the focus is on our needy here and the efforts are humble and respectful to the city – with a focus on recovery.