City of Burien

Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda is running for King County Council, District 8. Mosqueda was first elected to the Seattle City Council in 2017 and has proved a consistent and progressive policymaker. She previously worked at the Washington State Department of Health, Children’s Alliance, Community Health Plan of Washington, and the Washington State Labor Council, with a focus on workers' rights and childrens' healthcare. Among other community roles, she also served on the board of Fuse Washington, which publishes this guide. Mosqueda is a proud third-generation Mexican-American who would become the first Latina ever to serve on the King County Council if elected.

Mosqueda has distinguished herself as a progressive leader on the Seattle City Council. She championed the Jumpstart Seattle legislation, which funds affordable housing, childcare, and climate resilience through a tax on high earners and wealthy corporations. Mosqueda also helped secure paid sick leave and fair wage protections for working people that are often exploited by their employers - like gig drivers, domestic workers, and hotel workers. Her current goal is passing the 2023 Housing Levy, which will be on the ballot for Seattle voters this November and would provide funding for crucial affordable housing, childcare services, and communal and cultural spaces that are disappearing from the city.

If elected to the county council, Mosqueda hopes to use her experience to address new and pressing issues in the county. Some of her priorities include finding locations for the six new county behavioral health centers, building workforce housing outside of Seattle, increasing apprenticeship programs, and more. 

Mosqueda is the clear choice for King County Council from District 8. 
 

Cydney Moore is seeking re-election to Burien City Council, Position 2. Prior to winning her seat in 2020, Moore served as a lead organizer for ACLU Burien People Power and was a board member of the Burien Arts Association.

During her time as a council member, Moore passed a groundbreaking slate of renters' rights protections, upheld pandemic eviction moratoriums and hazard pay, and increased funding for mental health supports, food banks, and rent/utility assistance. She has additionally supported a new public safety model that integrates behavioral health experts alongside police.

Moore has proven to be a vocal proponent of public health and housing for all, even when controversial. Though eventually outvoted, she was one of the three council members who voted to renew and expand Burien's main affordable housing program.

She has recently been in the spotlight for helping to notify encampment residents of their right to shelter in a nearby city-owned lot ahead of a highly-publicized sweep. Burien made headlines this year for forcing people in the encampment to relocate three times, without being able to provide the bare minimum resources that would give them access to shelter beds. Although she did her outreach as a private citizen along with former Burien Planning Commission chair Charles Schaefer, Moore spoke about how the displacement highlights the need for more resources for people experiencing homelessness. Though outvoted, Moore was part of the minority of council members who wanted to accept King County's $1 million offer to support these residents, and voted against further criminalizing people who have been forced to turn to the streets for shelter.

Moore's advocacy for her unhoused constituents stands in sharp contrast to many of the other council members, who responded to Moore and Schaefer's outreach to the encampment by removing Schaefer from his position. This event generated significant backlash, including the resignation of 11 other members of city boards and commissions.

Linda Akey is challenging Moore for Position 2. She is the owner of a small business that assists nonprofits and is the current chair of the Burien Business and Economic Development Partnership. She moved to Burien from Colorado in 2019.

Although her platform states her support for housing and services for Burien residents experiencing homelessness, her approach to issues of safety overall centers the needs businesses over people. Akey was also more supportive of a controversial sweep that displaced residents camping in front of Burien City Hall and was recorded on video questioning the group that was doing outreach to campers in front of her condominium (a group that included the incumbent Cydney Moore). Her statements on the encampment demonize people experiencing homelessness instead of offering real solutions to help residents find a warm, safe place to live. 

Cydney Moore has been a standout progressive voice on Burien's City Council, and deserves your vote for Position 2.
 

Patricia Hudson is a human resources professional with SEIU 775, a home care workers' union. She states that her experience as a working single mother has shaped her view of what it takes to make Burien a more affordable and livable place for all. Her human resources work has given her experience in a variety of fields, including education, transportation, healthcare, and human services. She has also served on multiple community boards.

Hudson is running to represent working people, advocate for living wages, secure more affordable housing, and fund green public infrastructure. In particular, she wants to add more green spaces and bike lanes so that Burien can become an even better place to walk or bike. After the recent controversies between the city council and various volunteer boards, Hudson will work to bring people back together and rebuild trust across the community.

As a council member, Hudson would re-examine what "safety" means to the diverse population of Burien. She would focus on addressing peoples' unmet needs and continuing the community policing alternatives that keep people out of the criminal legal system. Her platform acknowledges that Burien's well-being starts with providing an affordable home for all, increasing mental and behavioral health support, and making sure everyone can get a fair return on their work.

Hudson is the best choice for new progressive leadership in Burien.
 

Former deputy mayor Krystal Marx is running for Burien City Council, Position 6, which is currently held by Sofia Aragon. She previously served on the council from 2017 through 2021. She is the former executive director of Seattle Pride and previously worked for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Washington. Currently, she is the vice president of business operations for the Seattle Seawolves rugby team. 

During her previous term, Marx was 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 frontline workers like grocery store employees. She also voted in favor of expanding affordable housing in downtown Burien that includes units designated for Burien residents and veterans.

Marx is running against small business owner Alex Andrade. Andrade runs the printing business Citlali Creativo and serves on the board of Discover Burien. she is running on a more conservative platform focused on policing and homelessness. Andrade recently told the B-Town Blog that she would support criminalizing people experiencing homelessness and repeatedly said she wanted to give police more power to enforce this law. Not surprisingly, she's been endorsed by some of the incumbents on the Burien City Council who have taken a hardline approach to criminalizing people who have been forced to turn to the streets for shelter. 

Marx has earned sweeping endorsements from our partner organizations, which is a reflection of her progressive values and positive vision for Burien. Marx is the clear choice for Burien City Council, Position 6. 
 

Carlos Ruiz is running for Highline School Board in District 4 to improve the health of our schools. He has worked in technology and consulting and has been very active in the community. He has served as the board chair for the Seattle Credit Union, a board member for the affordable housing organization Southeast Effective Development, and as part of Marvista Elementary PTSA, where his two daughters attend school. 

Ruiz is running to increase community engagement, which is especially important given the diverse community and its equally diverse student needs. He feels it's urgent to address the loss of educators from the district by giving teachers the tools they need to do their jobs. Lastly, because the district is so close to the airport, Ruiz wants to create funding to study local air quality and see if improvements can be made. Ruiz has earned a large number of endorsements, including from several education associations, labor unions, and local Democrats.

Ruiz's opponent in this race is self-described stay-at-home mom Melissa Petrini, who previously ran the Bay Area nonprofit The Friend Tree Autism Center, and who currently serves on the board for Love is My Religion. While her campaign page aims to place herself as an independent who is not taking endorsements from outside groups, she has been recommended by the Family Policy Institute, a far-right religious group often aligned with the book-banning Moms for Liberty organization. 

Highline schools need an advocate who can work with teachers, community organizations, families, and students to help youth thrive in the district. Ruiz is the best choice for the Highline School Board from District 4.