[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, submitted by a verified resident. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The B-Town Blog, nor its staff:]
Crime and safety in Burien is a paramount issue in the city council elections coming up in just a few days and all the candidates have stated in one way or another that they are for a “safer Burien”. But Burien does not exist in a vacuum. What happens in Seattle, for example, policy-wise, can for better or worse, have a “trickle down” effect on Burien given its close proximity to Seattle. Specifically, policies proposed by the candidate for city attorney, Nicole Thomas Kennedy, such as defunding the police and decriminalizing misdemeanors, should they ever be implemented, would make Burien a more dangerous city. But perhaps even more concerning are Nicole Thomas Kennedy’s hateful comments regarding the police. See below:
She referred to the police as “pigs” “Nazis” and “stains on humanity.” Her response to the holiday message from Seattle Police chief Adrian Diaz: “Eat some Covid laced sh*t and quit UR (sic) jobs.” “Property destruction is a moral imperative.”
And her top campaign manager Tye Reed, wears a shirt with an image of a Seattle police car in flames with the caption: “this is a policy proposal.”
More from Tye Reed: “this b*tch mayor Durkan is gonna get her ass beat one day.”
And, in response to a news report of a shooting: “prayers the victim is a cop.”
The Seattle Times, Q13Fox and former Governors Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire all rightly say Nicole Thomas Kennedy is unfit for office. It should be noted that Gregoire does not live in Seattle and therefore would not vote in the Seattle Attorney race, yet she still felt compelled to speak out against Nicole Thomas Kennedy. In light of this, I reached out to all the candidates: Jimmy Matta, Krystal Marx, Hugo Garcia, Sarah Moore, Alex Simkus, Martin Barrett, Stephanie Moore and Mark Dorsey to get their opinions on the Seattle City Attorney race. Do they support this Nicole Thomas Kennedy or do they, like Gregoire, feel compelled to speak out against her?
Krystal Marx: “I am proud to support Nicole Thomas Kennedy.”
Stephanie Mora: “I absolutely do not support Nicole Thomas Kennedy.”
Jimmy Matta: did not respond to my inquiry.
Mark Dorsey: “I am focusing on the City of Burien.”
Sarah Moore did not respond to my inquiry.
Alex Simkus: “Nicole Thomas-Kennedy would be disastrous”
Hugo Garcia: did not respond to my inquiry.
Martin Barrett: “I am not in favor of defunding the police, it is a bad idea.”
Every Burien voter should take note of the responses of the candidates for Burien City Council, and specifically in the cases of Jimmy Matta, Sarah Moore, and Hugo Garcia, an apparent refusal to respond.
Sincerely,
Peter Vandenberg
Gregory Heights
EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have an opinion you’d like to share with our highly engaged local Readers? If so, please email your Letter to the Editor to scott@southkingmedia.com and, pending review and verification, we may publish it. Our letter policy is here, and please note that we will not be publishing any letters about local politics again until after Election Day (Nov. 2, 2021). Letter writers must use their full names and cite sources – as well as provide an address and phone number (NOT for publication but for verification purposes).
