“I realized I was the problem”: Kate Burke, Spokane City Councilor, reflects on her term in office
Kate Burke estimates that after her first tenure, it took her about six months to smile from other people in the Spokane City Council office.
But when Burke reflects on the tumultuous start to her only term in office, Burke doesn’t blame everyone else.
“They didn’t want to date me, they didn’t want to relate to me, and I really didn’t think I had to relate to anyone,” said Burke.
Burke took office four years ago as an uncompromising, emotional advocate of progressive politics. She decided earlier this year not to apply for a second term.
She still shares many of the same policies and priorities, but leaves with a fresh perspective and a radically different approach to legislation.
“I was definitely ignorant of a lot of things when I wanted to get in, but most of all I didn’t know how the city council affects your day-to-day life. I can’t believe all of the things we can do locally, ”said Burke.
Burke’s journey into politics began as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at Second Harvest, where she encouraged gardeners and farmers to plant additional food so it could be harvested and put on tables.
Burke wondered why this wasn’t a long-standing practice, learning that there previously existed a national law making farmers liable for food-borne diseases – which, of course, made them reluctant to donate.
“It made a click for me that I wanted to spend my time in politics,” said Burke.
Burke got a job in Senator Andy Billig’s office, where her experience of state-level politics piqued her interest in running for elected office. Former Councilor Amber Waldref’s seat opened the next year, and Burke decided to get into the race.
“It is probably the most isolating experience one can have, standing in front of people to be fully judged, and literally just taking it. It’s our culture, ”said Burke. “If you want to go into politics, you have to have a thick skin. I haven’t and still don’t. “
But despite early disillusionment with the hardships of politics, Burke found joy in meeting with voters at their front doors. She easily won the seat to represent Northeast Spokane in November, but there was friction with other council members before she ever took office. That year she criticized the then President of the Council, Ben Stuckart, for not taking seriously her allegations of sexual harassment against a former city council member.
The tension clouded her first few months in office, and Burke struggled to find support.
Burke was the youngest member of the council to join, noted Councilor Lori Kinnear.
“The transition from candidate to councilor and the transition from activist to lawyer – it’s a difficult thing for a lot of people, and it took them a bit to do it. I felt I should have been more patient and allowed her this transition period, and I was impatient because I had been there for so long. “
That year, Burke decided to sober up and join Alcoholics Anonymous.
It helped Burke “understand what drove me insane and insane was that I had my own thoughts on how to find my way around the world and if you didn’t you were bad and if you weren’t in my team. “You were on your team and that’s bad,” said Burke.
When she realized that “I made these rules up, all the stress and tension was gone.”
And as she built relationships with fellow councilors, Burke learned where their values coincide.
“I realized that I was the problem in the council office. Now it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s really easy.’ I just had to get to know people, ”said Burke.
Candace Vumm will often agree with her on town planning, while she and Kinnear agree on environmental policy in general. Karen Stratton supports unions and white-collar workers, while Breean Beggs agrees with Burke on most criminal justice issues. Michael Cathcart shares her passion for open government and supports cycle paths on the streets of the city.
Stratton now regards Burke as a friend.
“We have all learned that you work better as a group, and it is in your best interest to try and make change every day and move people with you,” said Stratton.
Like many people, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Burke to take a step back and evaluate their lives – and how much of it they spent at work. She worked to the point she got sick and relied on cold medication to get through the day.
“It showed me that there really is life to live. I could still work and try to make a difference, but it wasn’t all on my shoulders, ”said Burke.
When Burke looks back on her tenure, it’s less about laws or policies she developed directly – like directing the process of creating a new city flag and banning the use of radio frequency noise transmitters to target young and homeless people from downtown shops to drive out – but about the morals and values she discussed at each meeting.
Burke has spoken less during city council meetings in recent months. It’s not an accident. She’s still sitting there listening and doing background work, maybe shooting a text to get information. But she believes that “people know my opinion,” and when she spoke it had more impact.
Although Burke is quieter during council meetings, he stays open. She was vocal about her experience of sobering up and being a person diagnosed with endometriosis, a painful disease in which tissue that lines the uterus grows outside of the organ.
She has now accepted a position with the State Department of Commerce helping distribute COVID-19 aid and will be staying in Spokane. But she also plans to “take a little time for myself, to rebuild, to live something”.