BURIEN, Wash. — In Burien, locals are learning the latest in a legal fight between the city and the King County Sheriff's Office.
A letter was posted in an article by B-Town Blog. It says King County Sheriff’s deputies, working for Burien under contract, are expressing a vote of no confidence in City Manager Adolfo Bailon and Mayor Kevin Schilling. One of the reasons cited was when Bailon made a request to the sheriff last month for the removal of the police chief in Burien amid a disagreement over the city's camping ban.
In a statement released on Monday, Shilling said the city council appreciates the work of deputies.
“We understand they are in a difficult position while this political issue plays out,” the statement read.
It's an issue that intensified in March when city leaders voted to expand Burien's anti-camping ordinance, saying people are not allowed to sleep within 500 feet of places like schools and parks.
The KCSO responded by saying it would not enforce the ordinance until a judge decides if it is constitutional. That led to the sheriff's office and city filing lawsuits.
"We are caught in the middle. We love our police. We love our city. We love our mayor, so we are caught in the middle,” said Debra George, the executive director of Discover Burien. “We all need to get along. We all need to learn how to work together, and the sooner we can do that, the better.”
"The businesses are definitely feeling a hit by this, you know, all of the negativity that is on the media, and they are feeling a decrease in the foot traffic,” said George.
Rebecca Zielinski owns Sitka Living. She is growing tired of the tense back-and-forth between the city and the sheriff’s office.
"They delay, delay, delay. We are seeing less people shopping, we are seeing people close. It is just, it's scary,” said Zielinski.
"We want the city and the sheriff to sit down and resolve this,” said George.