The governing board of Discover Burien would like to address concerns regarding a perceived conflict of interest referenced in the Oct. 25, 2006, issue of the Highline Times/Des Moines News.

Discover Burien is a nonprofit organization that educates citizens and businesses about revitalizing our downtown and promotes activities for cultural and economic development in Burien. We are proud of events and services that Discover Burien has sponsored and that contribute to the growing sense of community spirit.

Discover Burien has a contract with the City to pursue a variety of activities. We also have a contract with Discover Burien's Executive Director. One of the Executive Director's responsibilities is to fulfill the City's contract requirements. It is important to understand that the City did not include an ethics or conflict-of-interest clause in its contract with Discover Burien, nor is that language in the Director's contract with Discover Burien.

We point this out not to dismiss concerns about conflicts of interest, but rather to provide the key to resolving them. Clear guidelines are necessary because the perception of a conflict of interest can be highly subjective. We do not want to risk our relationship with the City, merchants or our Executive Director. We are, therefore, anxious to solve this problem fairly and in keeping with our contractual obligations.

In discussions with city staff, we have learned that Burien has not included conflict-of-interest language in any of their outside consultant contracts. They are, however, seriously considering doing so as a result of the current concerns surrounding the perceived conflict of interest involving the Discover Burien Executive Director. When the City uniformly adds such language to their contracts, Discover Burien will gladly amend ours to be consistent with the City's requirements.

John Roberts, President

Dean Anderson, Vice President

Executive Board Members:

Margie Gibb

Rochelle H. Flynn

Ryan Warnes

Douglas Moreland