Wow. What a political turnaround. After an election season characterized by the efforts of a white nationalist-affiliated group to overturn the city’s sanctuary ordinance, Burien has emerged with the most diverse and progressive slate of City Council members in its history. Last night, the city underlined its commitment to a more inclusive Burien by electing former farmworker Jimmy Matta as its first Latino mayor.
Last fall, I wrote about some of the tensions roiling Burien, and how local, Trump-style nativism threatened the Seattle suburb’s immigrant population. At the same time, members of Burien’s immigrant communities were, for the first time, running for office. Labor leader Jimmy Matta just edged out incumbent Debi Wagner for her council seat.
When I asked Matta about his council win back in November, he said he was inspired by the leadership positions his kids had achieved in their own right.
“And now they’re saying, ‘Dad it’s your turn,'” Matta said. “When we elect leaders in our community, strong charactered people, people who aren’t afraid of where they come from and who tell their stories to the world, it’s where the New America will be. The America Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of. This is one milestone today that we’ve reached.”
