City of Burien

Sen. Joe Nguyen was elected to the Washington state Senate in 2018 and has worked as a senior program manager at Microsoft since 2013. His parents were refugees from Vietnam who came to White Center, where Nguyen was born and raised.

During Nguyen's time in the Legislature, he has been an advocate for Washington's families and equality, including playing a leadership role in fully funding the Working Families Tax Credit. In addition, he co-sponsored legislation to require anti-racism and equity training in public schools.

Nguyen is running for county executive to implement sweeping actions on the affordable housing crisis, to reform the criminal justice system with deep changes and accountability, and to make the state's economy work for everyone, not just the wealthiest people. In particular, Nguyen has proposed to make all transit services free to improve access and increase ridership. He also wants to leverage the new Regional Homelessness Authority to significantly scale up the building of affordable housing.

Nguyen has the support of elected leaders including state Reps. Kirsten Harris-Talley and David Hackney as well as state Sen. Bob Hasegawa and Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti. Nguyen is a progressive choice if you're looking for new leadership in the executive's office who will prioritize racial justice and systemic change.

Incumbent Dave Upthegrove is running to bring his tri-part vision of King County to reality: health, jobs, and justice. He was the first openly gay state representative from outside Seattle in Washington history, and he went on to serve five terms in the Legislature before being elected to the King County Council in 2013.

Upthegrove has been a good council member and a solid advocate on several fronts in the county. He has been a leading voice on the council for environmental protections and climate action. As the chair of the King County Flood Control District Board of Supervisors, Upthegrove has worked to repair estuaries and has increased funding for repairing salmon habitats. 

If re-elected, Upthegrove hopes to continue making progress on police accountability by strengthening civilian oversight of the sheriff's office. Overall, Upthegrove has been a reliable vote on many issues but has not been as ambitious on some priorities as Olow plans to be. In particular, he frustrated housing and human service advocates with his opposition to a more ambitious Vets, Seniors, and Human Services Levy in 2017. During our interview, he said he has learned in recent years the value of year-round public engagement, instead of just before a major vote, and this community input has made him more willing to support tax increases if they fund valuable services. He has earned support from both labor and environmental groups in this race.

Hugo Garcia is running for Burien City Council, Position 1. Garcia, whose family immigrated from Mexico more than 30 years ago, states that he learned the values of resilience and tenacity at an early age by watching his father wait tables to support their family of five. If elected, he intends to bring the experience of working families to the forefront.

Garcia is a member of the Burien Planning Commission and chair of the Burien Economic Development Partnership (BEDP). His platform includes housing for all and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that will equitably and sustainably lift up all Burien residents and help local businesses come back stronger. In addition, Garcia is committed to keeping Burien affordable so that working families can continue to live in the community and thrive.

Garcia is facing Martin Barrett, who owns a corporate gift supplier. Barrett is vilifying community members who want to discuss community-based alternatives to public safety. He states that he wants Burien to be a “wealth generator" without providing details. While Barrett's platform does address the need for more affordable housing, he wants to rely on developers to solve the problem rather than making changes to zoning laws and seeking other innovative solutions.

Garcia is the clear choice for Burien City Council, Position 1.

Mayor Jimmy Matta is running for re-election to Burien City Council, Position 3. Matta is the founder of Ahora Construction and serves on the Burien Airport Committee, Soundside Alliance Policy Committee, and Latino Civic Alliance Board. He was first elected in 2018 and has a deep understanding of the struggles that working families face. His family immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala, and by the time he was a teenager, Matta had dropped out of high school to support his family. He later started his construction business and went on to become a representative for the Carpenters Union for over 20 years.

As mayor, Matta worked during the early years of the Trump administration to pass a resolution making sure immigrant communities know they are welcome in Burien. Recently, Matta joined a majority of the council voting in favor of expanding affordable housing in downtown Burien. The new building will include units set aside for Burien residents and veterans.

Matta is facing a challenge from Mark Dorsey. Dorsey is running on a divisive and conservative platform that scapegoats homeless residents. He opposes the downtown affordable housing project and uses a campaign slogan of "Burien first," which echos the worst of our recent political leadership.

Matta is the clear choice for Burien City Council, Position 3.

Sarah Moore is running for Burien City Council, Position 5. Moore serves as vice-chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and co-founded ACLU Burien People Power. Her work experience includes more than 20 years at the Pacific Science Center and managing a quarantine site with King County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moore's platform includes ensuring affordable housing for everyone through partnerships with other cities, state and county agencies, and nonprofit organizations and addressing causes of crime through distributing much-needed resources to Burien's communities. She also wants to prioritize environmental issues, including reducing polluted stormwater that runs into Puget Sound and providing lots of outdoor, walkable spaces.

Moore is facing small business owner Alex Simkus. He's running for city council to ensure entities like the Port of Seattle, the Department of Transportation, and King County Metro are held accountable for what he perceives as poor taxing and spending decisions. While his platform mentions increasing access to affordable housing and making utilities more affordable, Simkus does not bring the same level of detail to the campaign as Moore.

Moore is the best choice for Burien City Council, Position 5.

Deputy Mayor Krystal Marx is running for re-election to Burien City Council, Position 7. She is currently the executive director of Seattle Pride and previously worked for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Washington.

First elected in 2017, Marx has been a consistent progressive voice on the council. She takes a housing-first approach to homelessness, which prioritizes getting people in crisis into stable housing, and has worked to pass a range of tenant protections to keep people in their homes. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marx voted in favor of $5 per hour hazard pay for front-line workers like grocery store employees. Recently, she joined her colleagues supporting an expansion of affordable housing in downtown Burien that includes units designated for Burien residents and veterans.

Marx faces sales associate Stephanie Mora. Her platform is conservative and she blames outsiders and nearby cities for local problems rather than offering solutions for Burien. Mora is also running to repeal the local ordinance allowing critical social services to be built in the city, leaving residents in need to fend for themselves.

Marx is the best choice in the race for Burien City Council, Position 7.