Burien City Council appoints members to multiple advisory bodies, adopts grid selection process

Deputy Mayor Sarah Moore and the Burien City Council appointed new members to several advisory bodies Monday, filling seats on the Business and Economic Development Partnership, the Burien Airport Committee, the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Advisory Board, the Human Services Commission and the Planning Commission, and adopting a grid-based selection process for future advisory appointments.

The council’s appointments followed a series of candidate interviews in which applicants repeatedly emphasized downtown economic development and hotel attraction, community outreach and equity for historically underserved residents, and concerns about airport noise, air emissions and insulation for nearby homes. During the meeting the council also voted to use a visual grid to record and compare councilmembers’ preferences when more applicants apply than open seats.

The appointments were the meeting’s most consequential actions. Council members moved and voted on slates after interviews and brief discussion about candidate qualifications, community representation and selection process fairness. Council members cited a desire for diversity of experience among advisory members and for transparency in future selections as reasons to adopt the grid approach.

Business and economic development interviews and appointments Kim Davis, Bruce Bright, Jonathan Richards, Torrance Dixon and Tracy Codd were appointed to the Business and Economic Development Partnership (BEDP) after interviews in which most applicants said attracting an overnight hotel and activating downtown were priorities. The new BEDP members emphasized communication with existing businesses and outreach to historically underserved residents. Applicant Kim Davis, who identified herself as the…