Burien’s City Council moved forward with several key administrative and infrastructure decisions during its Mar. 9, 2026, session, though not without significant internal friction.
While the council unanimously approved $10,000,000 for a future Public Works facility, much of the meeting was characterized by a sharp division among members.
Key highlights included a formal inquiry into the confidentiality of executive sessions, a dispute regarding the potential removal of City Manager Adolfo Bailon, and a series of split votes that determined the new lineup of the city’s various advisory boards.
Executive Session Leak
At the start of the meeting, Councilmember Kevin Schilling described his concerns around recent privacy issues following an executive session. He said that anything discussed while the council is in executive session should not be shared publicly. Later, Councilmember Linda Akey got support to hold a discussion – in a future executive session – about a potential breach of executive session.
Notice To City Manager
Councilmember Schilling also addressed Mayor Sarah Moore and Deputy Mayor Hugo Garcia, who he said had presented notice to City Manager Adolfo Bailon. Moore had told Bailon that she believed that the majority of the council is behind changing city leadership.
Schilling said it was completely inappropriate for the mayor to take steps when there has been no official council action on this, and that this process requires that city rules and regulations be followed. In her defense, Mayor Moore said she had not been taking an official action, and that she planned to discuss this move at the next executive session.
Backlash To Small Business After Public Comments
One speaker said that after sharing her concerns years ago during Public Comments regarding the homeless camp in front of her small business, she has experienced years of backlash. Online trolls have harassed both her and her husband, and their business, and denigrated them for speaking out. She said that there had been a particularly distressing post, which named and ridiculed herself, her husband, and their business. She said this post directly resulted in loss of business, and is still public. The post has supportive comments by many involved in the city in an official capacity.
She added that Councilmember Sam Mendez had created a meme directly mocking her business, and the mayor as well as former city staff had shown support for the meme, commenting and laughing at it. She expressed concerns for the welfare of her business, family, and clients after having brought this issue forward publicly, hoping that speech remains free in Burien.
New Public Works Facility Coming
The council unanimously approved $10,000,000 to fund a future Public Works Maintenance Center. The long-term lease on the current maintenance facility is nearing its end, and the city would like to be able to respond to potential opportunities for a new facility, whether that is leasing short-term or purchasing a longer term option. Councilmember Kevin Schilling said that the city has needed a public works facility for decades, and that this is a good and responsible use of public dollars.
Advisory Board Candidate Selection
The council conducted interviews with candidates for the Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Arts Advisory Board, Business and Economic Development Partnership (BEDP), and the Human Services Commission. In a 6-1 vote, they appointed Erica Beatman to the Parks board. In a more divided vote, Roxana Pardo Garcia was chosen for BEDP. This vote was taken in a 4-3 split, with Moore, Garcia, Mendez, and Devito in the majority and Schilling, Andrade, and Akey in the minority; this split recurred in nearly all the candidate selection votes.
For the Human Services Commission, there were seven candidates for five open seats. Three of the seats are for 4-year terms, and two are for just one year terms. In the split vote described above, Cecelia Martinez-Vasques, Mike Heinisch, and Patricia Hudson were chosen for 4 year terms, and Cathy Jimenez and Sandy Restrepo were chosen for one year terms.
