[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written by a Reader. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The B-Town Blog nor its staff. During this election year, we are allowing each Burien City Council candidate one chance to introduce themselves in this manner as a public service at no charge (also of note: Charles Schaefer is not related to BTB Publisher Scott Schaefer):]

Hello Burien!

I’m Charles Schaefer and I’m hoping for the opportunity to serve you on the Burien City Council. I’m a lifetime resident of our community and have a long record of public service, starting with my service on the Burien Teen Leadership Council from 2004-07 while I attended Highline High School. I’ve also participated in many community events such as the Strawberry Festival and Clean Sweep. In addition to having regularly attended council meetings for the past few years and offering solutions to the issues we are facing, I volunteer on Fridays at Transform Burien, which is a ministry serving the homeless and low-income individuals in our area. I’m not waiting to take office to help the community I care about.

I am an accountant and will bring that expertise to the council’s budget process. I also have served on several boards, including a church, non-profits, and the Libertarian Party of Washington State, of which I am currently the treasurer.

While city council is a non-partisan race and I look forward to working with councilmembers of various beliefs, I think it is helpful for voters to know the philosophy with which I will seek to address the issues that come before the council. I will be a consistent voice advocating for solutions which give people more freedom as opposed to those which take it away. It is a commitment of mine to make sure ALL voices in our community are heard by the council, not just the ones I personally agree with. To that end, bringing back the youth council will be my first priority if elected.

Public safety is the top concern I hear from our residents. I am the only candidate who has put forward a plan to fund additional police as well as other strategies to reduce crime that will not require raising taxes or cutting other services.

While I believe charitable organizations like the one with which I serve have a better track record at addressing the homelessness issue, I do believe there is a role for the council to play by reducing regulations that limit the creation of additional housing and by making changes to address our regressive taxation structure, which places unfair burdens on our small businesses and low-income residents.

It is important to have elected officials who are not afraid to engage with their constituents in an honest and transparent manner. I would be that type of councilmember if elected and I would be honored to have your vote.

– Charles Schaefer

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