ABOUT KRYSTAL
(she/they)
Hello!
My name is Krystal Marx, and I am running for Burien City Council because working families can't afford to wait for help. We are getting priced out of our city by high rents, we can't build wealth because we can't afford to purchase a home, we can't seek career advancement because we don't have access to reliable, affordable child care, and we can't let our kids play in our front yards when planes fly overhead because of the negative health impacts. I am running for Burien City Council because Burien is more than just the downtown core, it is 11 square miles of high and low income, industrial and single family zoning, and needs as diverse as the population... and I have experience working on behalf of everyone, with the connections to get right to work.
When I was eight years old, my mom's mental health deteriorated to the point we were kicked out of the house we shared with my grandmother. We lived in her car, under bridges, and on friends' couches in Aberdeen, Washington for over six months. I moved in with my dad, step-mom and step-siblings in Bellevue, where we were active with our church, serving meals to people experiencing homelessness.
It was in high school that I realize I was bisexual, and I began to seek out other members of my community. I graduated from Sammamish High School in Bellevue, and moved to SeaTac to attend Highline Community College and start my family. I earned my Associates of Arts in Sociology in 2006.
My husband and I moved our family of six to the Boulevard Park of Burien in March of 2015, and I immediately fell in love with the sense of community, the passion to fix problems together, our amazing parks, and the incredible food and shopping.
In 2017, I ran for Burien City Council (Position 7), and won! Serving my city from 2018 - 2021 was one of my greatest honors as we passed hazard pay for frontline workers during the pandemic, worked with landlords and renters to unanimously pass a suite of tenant protections, and keep a balanced budget.
Professionally, I worked in the nonprofit world for over 15 years; the last three years as the first Executive Director of Seattle Pride. I currently work for the Seattle Seawolves (Major League Rugby) as the Vice President, Business Operations in Tukwila.
My life outside of work and public office is made up of chasing four kids (three of which are in the Highline School District), supporting my husband - an Army combat veteran - as his caregiver, and leading a volunteer organization focused on homeless outreach and teaching free self-defense to the LGTBQIA+ and faith communities.