LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Lawlessness for Political Gain

"We are seeing the chess moves that Dow Constantine is making to push down Burien city officials..." - D. Sims

The following letter was submitted by Dan Sims, verified 60+ year Burien Resident.[NOTE FROM EDITOR: Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Burien-News or Daniel Media. If you wish to submit a story, photo, article or letter, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.]Dear Burien-News Editor,I believe it needs to be crystal clear what is truly going on inside the City of Burien with the homeless problem and the political agendas being thrown around. There have been too many turns in the last few years for everyone to see the full picture.I also believe it’s time for the (King County) government and (City of Burien) to start working together as professionals or hopefully find a way to survive without each other. The problem started when the division of control happened… instead of solving the homeless issue in Burien, King County continues to waste Burien taxpayer money due to the conflict of policing/interests.This sounds like the stronger of the two parties wants everything their way, regardless of whom that affects or destroys, instead of just talking and coming up with a solution.The King County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Burien have an interlocal agreement where the king county sheriff’s office offers its police services. King County deputies wear Burien police uniforms and logos while on the job. The King County Sheriff’s office is controlled by the King County Executive Dow Constantine.The City of Burien hasn’t been aligned with King County in a few different areas over the last couple years… and we are seeing the chess moves that Dow Constantine is making to push down Burien city officials (Ex: suing Burien, taking our city police away, etc, etc.) In the wake of what Dow has created, Burien residents get to deal with the mess and the lawlessness.The City of Burien needs to start figuring out how to get out of their grip. An actually Burien police force would stop this relationship, even if we started small and eventually grew… it's better than what we have today. Plus were already paying for King County Police services, so we do have some kind of allotted budget already, along with potentially adding a police fund tax which could be voted on and debated; Believe me, I don’t want another tax but if it comes to that, I’d be interested to know what it would take to create a Burien Police Force.I’m tired of this rope show, I’m tired of the arguing, and I’m tired of not seeing any problems solved.Pick a path and lets go!- Dan SimsBurien Resident

(The following Timeline is also by Mr. Sims:)

(Enlarged for ease of reading...)

[NOTE FROM EDITOR: If you wish to submit a story, photo, article or letter, please contact us. Even if you wish to remain anonymous, please include your name and phone number so we may contact you privately. We look forward to hearing from you.]