JOAN McGILTON, MAYOR

Joan McGilton

Joan was elected to a second four-year term on the City Council, Position 3, in November 2005. She was elected by fellow Councilmembers in January 2006 to serve as Mayor for a two-year term. She served as Deputy Mayor in 2005.

Joan has been a Burien resident for 20 years. After being elected to the City Council she retired from The Boeing Company where she worked as an environmental engineer and project manager. Prior to Boeing, Joan was a consultant with an international engineering firm and before that was part of the engineering staff with the City of Seattle Engineering Department where she specialized in long-term planning for solid waste management, recycling and hazardous wastes control. She completed her Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington in 1984 and obtained her bachelors degree in 1977 at the UW, majoring in the marine sciences in order to become a marine biologist at the Seattle Aquarium. As part of the education staff from 1978 through 1983, and in addition to her teaching responsibilities, she was the volunteer coordinator and the Aquarium's research diving officer.

Joan has a strong commitment to community participation and has served on numerous boards and commissions. Joan was one of the founding members of Burien's planning commission and was a member of the citizens' group, Friends of Burien Parks, that founded the Burien Garden Tour, built the Arch at Lake Burien School Memorial Park and helped kick off the Skateboard Park. She served four years on Metro's Citizen's Water Quality Advisory Board and has been a member of several environmental organizations. In addition, Joan is dedicated to bringing more women into science and technology. She headed the organization, Association of Women in Environmental Professions for four years and continues to encourage young women to pursue math and science in high school and college. McGilton serves on the National League of Cities Human Development Policy Committee and is the Governor's appointment to the Puget Sound Action Team.

ROSE CLARK, DEPUTY MAYOR

Rose Clark

Elected in November 2005 to a four-year term on the Burien City Council, Position 5, Rose has a long record of community service. This is the second time she has been elected to the Council, having served from 1999 to 2003 including three previous terms as Deputy Mayor. Previously she served on the Burien Planning Commission, from 1995 to 1997. She is a King County Landmarks Commissioner and served as Service Area Vice President of the Highline Council PTSA. She was the founder and currently is a member of the Des Moines Memorial Drive Restoration Committee. For 30 years she has been an environmental activist.† Rose has lived in the Burien area for 39 years and raised their children here. She has been a community volunteer since the mid-70s, in soccer, Little League, Girl Scouts, Blue Birds, and Boy Scouts. Currently she is a library technician at
 Tyee High School.        

Sue Blazak

SUE BLAZAK, COUNCILMEMBER

Elected to a four-year term on the Burien City Council, Position 1, in November 2005, Sue Blazak has been involved as a community activist since the incorporation effort in 1993. She participated in many of the early visioning meetings and has continued to be involved in public planning processes, both as a citizen, and, for the past five years, as a member of the Burien Park Board. 

She feels it is important for a small city such as Burien to partner with public and non-profit organizations as much as possible to benefit from their established expertise and experience and to share costs. She also wants to implement projects that were developed during her tenure on the Burien Park Board, particularly pedestrian safety improvements and multi-modal linkages. She has lived in Burien for 20 years. She is currently employed with the Highline School District. Before then she worked for King County and at social service agencies serving youth, seniors and disabled adults. She has a bachelor's degree in Social Welfare and a master's degree in Public Administration. She currently serves on two regional transportation committees - South County Area Transportation Board (SCATBd) and PSRC Regional Transportation Policy Board (TPB). She also represents the City of Burien on Suburban Cities Association (SCA) Public Issues Committee.

Kathy Keene

KATHY KEENE, COUNCILMEMBER

Kathy Keene was elected in November 2007 to a four year term on the Burien City Council, Position 6. Kathy grew up in Ballard where she lived until she attended the University of Washington. She moved to the Burien area in 1987 and worked for Boeing for 17 years. Kathy opted for an early retirement in 2005 to pursue her new love of designing and selling jewelry as well as becoming more involved with the community. In 1991 Kathy ran for Water District 20 commissioner, a position she still holds. The governor appointed her in 2005 to serve on the Board of the Public Works Trust Fund. She is currently treasurer for the Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts and serves on the Leadership Development and Legislative committees.

Lucy Krakowiak

LUCY KRAKOWIAK, COUNCILMEMBER

Lucy Krakowiak was elected to the Burien City Council, Position 6, in November 2003. Lucy has lived in Burien since 1988 and has had a massage therapy business located in Burien since 1994. She was born and raised in Kailu-Oahu, Hawaii and graduated from Oregon State University with a bachelor's degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. Lucy explored the field of science as a high school biology and chemistry teacher and a field researcher at the University of Washington, School of Forestry before settling down to her massage and craniosacral therapy career. Lucy cares about her community. She believes that to make a community a great place to live, work, and play, it starts with the individual. She "rolls up her sleeves," learns about the issues and then participates with effective action. Lucy has been the chief organizer of Clean Sweep and a member of the Burien Business and Economic Development Partnership Advisory Board. One of Lucy's goals is to enhance Burien's economic well-being with the revitalization of downtown, the preservation of neighborhoods, the enhancement of education, and the boosting of community services for our diverse population of all ages. Another is to encourage and welcome more Burien citizens to become involved with their community. She hopes to see more folks attending public meetings and taking an active role in the shaping of Burien's future.

SALLY NELSON, COUNCILMEMBER

Sally Nelson

Sally has been a member of the Burien City Council since the city incorporated in 1993 and has played an important role in establishing a strong foundation for the City of Burien. She was elected to another four-year term, Position 7, in November 2005. She was Mayor from 2000-2001, was the first Deputy Mayor of Burien and has served as the chair of various Council committees. She is proud of the role she has played in economic redevelopment and activities she has supported for youth, including the skateboard park and the late night teen program.

Sally is also a member of various organizations including the Burien Arts Association, the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce, the American Association of University Women, Women's Political Caucus and League of Women Voters. She serves on the National League of Cities Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy Committee and the Steering Committee. She was recently appointed vice chair of the NLC CityFutures Panel on Equity and Opportunity for 2006.

Sally is an honors graduate from Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan. She earned her post graduate degree from the University of Washington. She has also completed an international summer school program at the University of Cambridge in England.

Gordon Shaw

GORDON SHAW, COUNCILMEMBER

Gordon Shaw is a lifetime resident of Burien, attending grades 1 through 12 in the Highline School District. He was elected to his first term on the Burien City Council, Position 4, in November 2003. He served as one of the first planning commissioners for the City when the Planning Commission was established in 1995, and helped to develop the City's original comprehensive plan.

Mr. Shaw graduated from the University of Washington, then worked for over 20 years in various transportation-related positions. Mr. Shaw has been involved in many community activities. He served on the Burien Library Guild for seven years including two years as its president. He brings to the Council many years experience in consensus building.