EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final entry in our 2025 Voters Guide and Burien City Council Candidate Q&A series. To read the entire series, click here.

Three candidates are seeking election to Position No. 5 on the Burien City Council, offering voters a range of backgrounds and perspectives in one of the city’s most closely watched local races.

Ballots began arriving July 18 for the upcoming Aug. 5 primary election, where all three candidates for Burien City Council Position No. 5 will appear on the ballot. The top two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 8 general election.

Gabriel Fernandez, a lifelong Burien resident and Evergreen High School graduate, is running for Position No. 5 on the Burien City Council. Raised in the construction industry, he emphasizes the importance of responsible growth and equitable investment. Fernandez says he will focus on continuing the city’s recent progress on public safety and ensuring all neighborhoods—not just the downtown core—are supported. “My goal is to ensure every part of Burien is safe, supported, and thriving,” he said. Fernandez is campaigning on practical, community-rooted leadership and a commitment to bringing services and opportunity to historically underserved areas.

Also running for Position No. 5:

• Jamie Jo Skeen – EDITOR’S NOTE: Skeen declined to respond to us.
• Sarah Moore (incumbent)
• Gabriel Fernandez

To help inform voters ahead of the primary, The B-Town Blog invited each candidate to respond to a standardized set of 11 questions covering topics such as public safety, housing, homelessness, economic development, climate policy, and their vision for Burien’s future.

NOTE: Photos and links are from the King County Elections website. We do not correct punctuation, grammar, or fact check candidate statements.

Gabriel Fernandez

1. Why are you runing for Burien City Council? What are your top three reasons and issues you want to address?

Burien is where I grew up. I went to Evergreen High School and have roots in this community. This isn’t just where I grew up and live, it’s where I’m choosing to build a life. I’m not bouncing from city to city chasing the next opportunity. Burien is home, and I’m here for the long haul. I want to spend the next four years leading the city to be a place where people choose to be, whether to work, start a business, start a family, visit, or retire.

I’ve worked alongside my family in construction for years, and through that I’ve seen what our neighborhoods need: opportunity, safety, and leadership that listens. I’m running because I care about the future of this city and I want to help move it forward.

2. Minimum Wage and Small Business: Burien recently passed a minimum wage initiative, while voters approved another. What are your thoughts on this and which version do you think should be enforced? Also, what are your thoughts on the lawsuit/countersuit over the initiative that was passed in February?

I do support fair pay for workers. It will take a good balance. We have to make sure we’re not putting so much pressure on small businesses that they can’t survive. I don’t support the countersuit. We need to look at what works for Burien specifically, not just copy what bigger cities are doing.

3. Affordable Housing and Homelessness: What specific strategies do you support for increasing affordable housing and addressing homelessness in Burien? What is your stance on the recently proposed ordinance regarding homeless encampments at churches/religious organizations?

I want families to have options when it comes to where they live, not be stuck being able to only afford renting an apartment. That is why we need to preserve our single-family homes and zones so people have the opportunity to own a home if they choose.

The homelessness and drug crisis requires real structure. The Ambaum Triangle encampment was just a block from my home, and I saw how encampments throughout Burien impacted the entire city and the neighborhoods they were in over the last couple of years. Overdoses, fires, property crime, assaults, and fear became the norm.

While I do not support the proposed ordinance on church encampments, as I do not support encampments, I recognize that state law allows them. We cannot ban it, but we can lead. I support creating clear, enforceable guidelines to protect both the unhoused and nearby residents. We need to ensure churches are giving residents the proper treatment and services they may need.

4. Public Safety and Policing: How would you approach public safety concerns in Burien, including police funding, alternative response programs, and community trust?

People deserve to feel safe no matter what part of Burien they live in. We’ve made progress in recent years and we can’t afford to backtrack. I support giving law enforcement the tools and staffing they need to deal with root issues like addiction instead of just cycling people in and out of jail. Safety isn’t just about reacting. It’s about building trust, setting boundaries, and offering support where it’s needed.

5. Airport Impacts: Burien continues to experience environmental and quality-of-life impacts from Sea-Tac Airport. Noise pollution, air quality, and land-use conflicts remain major concerns, particularly for residents in North Burien. What is your stand on this issue?

If you live in Burien, you don’t need anyone to tell you how bad the airport noise is. You live it. Between the noise, the air pollution, and the traffic, it’s been a problem for years. While I support our airport commission, it’s time we bring in stronger advocacy from the council dais to push the Port of Seattle to do more for our community. This can’t be ignored.

6. Downtown Revitalization and Economic Development: What is your vision for revitalizing Burien’s downtown core and attracting new businesses, jobs, and community spaces?

I’m not convinced that downtown Burien needs an overhaul. I do think it needs to be cleaned up. However, the same can be said for other areas in the city. The city pays for a contract with Discover Burien to beautify the downtown and hold most of its events there. If the goal is to “Discover Burien,” why is downtown the only part of the city that benefits from it? Holding a farmers market in other neighborhoods could bring more foot traffic to those businesses while also allowing residents who can’t make it to downtown due to mobility issues the opportunity to shop closer to home.

To name one issue that would bring a positive impact to the entire city: removing graffiti. If we paid to beautify the entire city and just focused on graffiti removal instead of flowers and trash pickup on 152nd, I believe more people would be happier with the city. People need to feel safe going to a local shop or bringing their kids into town. That’s not about redevelopment. It’s about basic upkeep and accountability. Beyond downtown, we also need to make sure other parts of Burien get attention too. Too many neighborhoods have been overlooked. Everyone should have access to opportunity and our city planning should reflect that. I want to see small, community-driven growth that fits the people who live here.

7. Public Transit and Traffic: How can the city improve public transit options, address traffic congestion, ensure safe streets for all users, including pedestrians and cyclists?

We need a transportation system that works for everyone, whether you drive, walk, bike, or take the bus. That means fixing unsafe intersections and adding sidewalks to more parts of Burien. This isn’t about massive projects. It’s about doing the basics right. Access to public transit is a necessity in Burien, but reducing Ambaum to one lane was a big mistake for keeping traffic flowing. That project was massive failure that needs to be trashed and given the UNO Reverse Card.

8. Environment and Climate Resilience: What steps (if any) should Burien take to address climate change, protect green spaces, and improve urban tree canopy in light of funding challenges?

Caring for our environment doesn’t have to mean spending millions we don’t have. We should protect the green space we’ve got. Removing dead trees and ivy sooner rather than later would be a good step. Waiting for a dead tree to fall risks damage to nearby plants and people. We need to make sure development doesn’t come at the cost of livability. I’ll support practical, affordable ways to protect our surroundings and keep Burien healthy for the long run.

9. DEI & Sanctuary City Status: What is your stand on Burien’s policies that protect the needs of its diverse population? Also, the city voted to become a “Sanctuary City” in 2017. What are your thoughts on this?

I’ve grown up surrounded by people from different backgrounds, and I believe every person deserves respect and dignity. Burien is stronger because of our diversity and I believe in enforcing laws and keeping our neighborhoods safe. We can care for people and hold them accountable. Those two things are not in conflict. Burien is very diverse but race should not be the only determining factor to live life.

10. Transparency and Community Engagement: What new approaches would you take to increase transparency and improve communication between City Hall and the public?

Too many people feel like decisions are made without them. We need more listening, more honest conversations, and more follow-through. I’ll focus on communicating directly with residents, especially working families who don’t have time to sit through long council meetings. It’s about being available and making sure people feel heard, not brushed aside.

11. Budget Priorities and Tough Choices: Given ongoing budget constraints, what would be your top funding priorities, and what tradeoffs would you consider balancing essential services with new initiatives?

We’ve got to stay focused on essentials. That means prioritizing public safety, basic infrastructure, and services people actually use. I do not support raising taxes on working families. They’re already stretched thin. We need to be smart with what we have and look for waste or unused resources we can reallocate. As a community Burien needs to focus on function and efficiency.

To learn more about all Burien City Council candidates running in the 2025 primary election, check out our comprehensive Voters Guide here.