by Martin Barrett
Three members of the Burien City Council have refused to sign the Rules of Civility Agreement. It shows!
The Burien City Council’s Rules of Civility were drafted, presented, voted and signed at the Dec.19, 2022 Council meeting. Here is the link to the Rules. Four members of the City Council members signed: Mayor Sofia Aragon, Deputy Mayor Kevin Schilling, Council Members Jimmy Matta, and Stephanie Mora. Three Council Members refused to sign: Hugo Garcia, Sarah Moore, and Cydney Moore.
In light of the last city council meeting and the revelations of Council Member Cydney Moore’s flagrant abuse of the council-manager governing structure of Burien, it seemed to time to reflect on how we came to be seen as a city of dysfunction by our neighbors. City Council Members from neighboring cities have shared with this reporter their bewilderment at how dysfunctional the Burien City Council has become. Two of the neighboring council members communicated that the Burien Council is seen as a sorry joke of a council. Is this what the residents of Burien deserve?
The Burien City Council has displayed various levels of incivility and dysfunction since the 2017 election that brought in Krystal Marx, Pedro Olaguin, and Jimmy Matta as new council members. Each seemed to have an agenda that was not solely about Burien. Marx famously said that Burien should be the safety valve for Seattle’s overflow of self-inflicted social disasters, taking responsibility for anyone who showed up in Burien with whatever demands they made. Matta was voted in as Mayor. He championed the Hispanic community, almost to the exclusion of the rest of the population. Matta became Dow Constantines’ man, carrying out the County’s agenda in Burien for DESC and other projects that did not benefit Burien. Matta then depended on the King County Executive to raise his 2021 reelection funds. Despite outspending his opponent more than 2 to 1, he barely edged out a candidate who did not campaign. While Matta was reelected to the Council, he lost the mayorship, a stern rebuke reflecting his lack of popularity. Olaquin was the Union man, often absent or on Zoom, before COVID. The Council Meetings became more tense.
Enter 2019, and Cydney Moore (who worked as a writer for the B-Town Blog) is elected. Immaturity and dysfunction increased significantly. Moore, whose usual manner is a sour face and arrogant condemnation, became the council’s contrarian, not with rational arguments, but with emotional shaming of those who disagreed with her.
Come 2022, Hugo Garcia and Sarah Moore are sworn in as Burien City Council Members. Civility drops further. In the last council meeting on August 8, Sarah Moore, usually reserved, joined in a senseless attack on City Manager Adolfo Bailon.
In light of the recent escalation of uncivil behavior, the Burien News is asking the three members who refused to sign the Rules of Civility and whose behavior has reflected this rejection to explain themselves. This city, the gem of the sound, deserves a functional city government. We also ask current candidates Krystal Marx, Alex Andrade, Linda Akey, and Patricia Hudson if they, too, will sign if elected to the honorable post of Burien City Council.
Below are the Burien Rules of Civility copied from the document. Here is the link to the Rules also.
BURIEN RULES OF CIVILITY
The City of Burien is a beautiful and diverse community abutting the Puget Sound. Its people are hardworking and compassionate.
The community deserves the best, and it is the Council’s duty to do our best for our community.
In serving this community, Burien’s Councilmembers understand the need of vigorously pursuing those things that benefit the community while following the example of our community and being civil and courteous while we discuss our different opinions.
The following are some thoughts about civility:
1. “I think that, over time, people respond to civility and rational argument.” –Barack Obama
2. “The great thing about civility is that it does not require you to agree with or approve of anything. You don’t even have to love your neighbor to be civil. You just have to treat your neighbor the same way you would like your neighbor to treat your grandmother, or your child.” -Barbara Brown Taylor
3. “Civility does not mean the mere outward gentleness of speech cultivated for the occasion, but an inborn gentleness and desire to do the opponent good.” –Mahatma Gandhi
4. “So let us begin anew, remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.” –John F. Kennedy
With these and other adages in mind, and with the intent of maintaining a productive, safe, and effective work environment, each Councilmember agrees to the following:
1. Presume the best intentions even if you disagree with the idea or position.
2. Discuss issues or conflicts with the Council to allow the Council to find the solution.
3. When confronted by a problem, issue, or differing opinion, offer alternative solutions.
4. Respect each other, staff, and community members. Each represents a valid interest.
5. Promote civility during meetings and interactions and accept nothing less than civility.
6. Maintain the confidentiality of Executive Sessions and Attorney-Client privileged information.
I am curious to know exactly which of the six items each of the dissenting council members objected to. The first 5 items are pretty mild and the 6th is, I believe, a matter of law.
The ones not signing sound like Majorie Taylor Green want to be’s, something Burien does not want or need
– how about adding “accepting with grace if you loose a vote.”