I attended the Burien Community Conversation on the annexation of North Highline held at Sylvester Middle School on Wednesday, June 7th. The number of Burien residents in attendance was disappointingly small. There were almost an equal number of residents from the North Highline area.

The information handed out was centered mainly around numbers and dollars, probably because it easier to quantify numbers and dollars rather than the impact on the future of Burien as a city.

What struck me most was the repeated subliminal message about how large the deficit would be if Burien did not annex North Highline. It seems like there should be some mitigating circumstances regarding the deficit should the annexation not take place.

The dollar information makes it sound like Burien would make money if the annexation took place. The demise of Burien as a city was not addressed.

Also absent from any members of the city council and the employees of the city of Burien was any mention of an advisory vote. They seemed to want to avoid this topic. Many of those in attendance voiced an opinion that such a vote take place before any decision by the council.

There was an advisory vote on the fireworks ordnance. Annexation is much more important than fireworks. To have an advisory vote after a decision would make everything moot. The small number of residents in attendance seems to imply that most of the residents of Burien are not aware that we will not get a chance to vote on annexation, only the residents of North Highline will get a chance to vote.

The way the information is slanted seems to imply that annexation is the only way to go, regardless of what the residents of Burien want. About 1 percent of the residents of Burien seem to be taking an interest in the future of Burien. It would be nice to know what the other 99 percent is thinking.

James Sharkey

Burien