I have always been hesitant to write to you because I’ve tried to live by the words of Samuel Clemens that “it is better to keep quiet and let people think you’re an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

As a resident of Burien for 30 plus years, it has become my hometown and I feel extremely fortunate to live here with its temperate climate, rain, greens and blues of the forests and waters, proximity to downtown Seattle and SeaTac Airport and more.

In closely following the White Center annexation issue for a time now, I’ve come to believe that the “small is beautiful” option would be a better choice for the economic health of our respective communities.

Small can be nice. Small is identifiable and a small town image is marketable for both Burien and White Center. It should be a business decision, not as some would argue, a great social issue.

An identifiable community image is important to economic health of any community. It becomes a real tangible asset in marketing a community to the region as a great place to live, work and play. After all, the Highline area IS a great place to live, work and play.

It is pointless to condemn anyone for doing what they believe is beneficial for the common good. There is a ‘good’ argument for annexation. An argument made by some intelligent and well-meaning people. We should be thankful to our City Council members for their willingness to serve in a difficult and sometimes thankless position.

It is also true that we, as human beings, can become hardened in beliefs and attitudes even to the extent that we assume to know what the ‘higher good’ is regardless of the will of the people.

Maybe White Center should consider saying no to this ‘good’ idea so they could say yes to a ‘better’ one. The ‘better’ idea revolves around the subjective. It is hard to evaluate annexation only in terms of dollars and cents. How does one put a price on the sense of community or a sense of identity with that community?

The issue of annexation goes to the core values of the people of Burien and White Center.

If annexation is a critical social issue of survival, then yes, absolutely, White Center should vote to annex. There are some benefits gained with economies of scale in providing public services. The downside is that White Center would give up its own identity and become subject to Burien rules and regulations.

Things would change there. Some businesses would have to move or close. Some zoning would change. White Center identity would quietly die away and become part of the larger Burien identity which then morphs into a larger less unique, less identifiable community with less marketing potential.

In voting for and supporting Burien incorporation in the early ‘90s, my hope was that local control would be better for this community’s future. A small town community identity and community image was my dream for Burien. A community where decision makers were also neighbors who would listen to this or that concern.

Annexation would have the opposite effect. Annexation would increase the distance between both communities and their elected officials.

Jan Noorda
Burien