Each candidate on the ballot for the Burien City Council Aug. 1, 2023 Primary Election was asked ten questions by The B-Town Blog, covering topics like their reasons for wanting to serve on the council, what they think about current issues in the city, and what kind of solutions they have.
The following responses to the seventh question in our series are from candidates for Position 4, which is currently filled by Kevin Schillinge, who is running for reelection.
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
NOTE: Candidates are listed in order as per the King County Elections online Voters Guide website. Photos and links are to/from each candidate’s profile on the same website.
How would you balance the needs and interests of different neighborhoods and communities in Burien?
Kevin Schilling
“Burien has a beautiful array of neighborhoods that need connection to the core, as well as to their own spaces. We all have strolling paths, parks, and viewpoints that we love. I’ve worked to build on these Burien strengths, plus work to fill in gaps.
“To build on our strengths, I’ve looked to the places that make Buien what it is. I led the effort to permit neighborhood grocery stores, as we’ve seen with the Three Tree Point Store, and I’d love to see more of them pop up. I supported transit investments that expand public transportation offerings in and around the community, even in Burien neighborhoods that have been traditionally car-dependent.
“I also believe some Burien neighborhoods are struggling. I believe neighborhoods with working families, like Boulevard Park and around Highline High School, have some especially urgent needs. They need more support from local government on saving small businesses, decreasing airport noise, and even ground-level issues like flood prevention and reducing gun violence. I’ll never lose sight of Burien’s working families and neighborhoods.”
Patricia Hudson
“In Burien we can work to create multiple neighborhood centers throughout the city, each where there are grocery stores, retail operations, health centers, hospitals and to create small sustainable gathering centers throughout the city to distribute economic growth and greater opportunity to all areas. Each center should reflect the people living in the neighborhood. We should be paying equal attention to the health and wellbeing of all of Burien’s neighborhoods and celebrating our diverse communities.”
Daniel Reed Martin
“In Burien, some voices are louder than others. I will ask my community to hold me accountable to represent all my community members – both those with and those without the markers of prosperity and influence – for my actions while on council. I intend to represent all of us, including the majority who do not or cannot vote. We get through hard times together.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Click here to read the answers to this same question by candidates for Burien City Council, Position No. 2.
Next up in our 2023 election series – we ask Burien City Council candidates:
