City of Burien

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 and Abdifatah Mohamedhaji. Barrett, the owner of Sozo Gifts who believes the affordable housing crisis can be solved by incentivizing businesses to build more affordable homes. Barrett opposes redirecting any police funding to community-based services. He states that he wants Burien to be a “wealth generator" without providing details. Mohamedhaji does not have a campaign website or any available information as of mid-June.

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.

Also in this race are Charles Schaefer and Mark Dorsey. Schaefer has laid out a large agenda of progressive positions on his website, but not to the same level of detail as Matta and without his level of experience working as a community advocate. Dorsey is running on a divisive conservative platform that scapegoats homeless residents. He opposes the downtown affordable housing project and uses a campaign slogan of "Burien first," which sounds disturbingly familiar.

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

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 - Washington.

First elected in 2017, Marx has been a consistent progressive voice on the council. She takes a Housing First approach to homelessness 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 Stephanie Mora, John White, John Potter, Patty Janssen, and Elissa Fernandez. Potter, Fernandez, and Janssen, do not have campaign websites available as of mid-July. Mora is running on a more conservative platform that blames outsiders and nearby cities rather than offering solutions for Burien. White is running a campaign focused on his slogan of "Burien-Unite!" and connecting all 18 Burien neighborhoods without offering concrete policy details.

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