Tag Archives: king county

Braddock approved as acting King County Executive — the first time a woman will lead the county

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Braddock

The King County Council has approved Shannon Braddock as acting King County Executive while the legislative process plays out to appoint a full-time leader for the county of 2.2 million people and the selection goes to the voters in November.

Braddock has served as Deputy Executive under Dow Constantine who led the county since 2009 before deciding not to run for reelection this year. Constantine has been chosen as the new CEO at Sound Transit.

Depending on how the council proceeds on naming a permanent leader to finish the year, Braddock could fill the executive role through the end of Constantine’s term. King County voters will select a new executive this fall.

“It’s an incredible honor to be acting King County Executive. I’m committed to providing strong and steady leadership for the people of King County and delivering the essential services communities rely on, from roads, parks and trails to public transit, health, safety and more,” Braddock said in a statement. “Thank you to the County Council for entrusting me with the privilege of serving King County as acting Executive during this transition.” Continue reading →

With Sound Transit CEO vote Thursday, Constantine to deliver final ‘State of the County’ address

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Constantine after cutting the ribbon to open Capitol Hill Station in 2016

King County Executive Dow Constantine will deliver his final State of the County address Wednesday as he prepares to take a new job — leading Sound Transit.

Constantine has led the county since 2009 through years of unprecedented economic and population growth. Constantine also led King County as it struggled with the pandemic and the unrest of the Black Lives Matter movement. He announced late last year he would not seek reelection but pledged to continue “critical work of transit and transportation, climate action, behavioral health, affordable housing, arts and culture.”

King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, with a growing roster of key endorsements, has been seen as the favorite in the race to replace him.

Constantine, who serves as chair of the Sound Transit board, has been tabbed as the next CEO to lead the $3.1 billion public transit agency. Continue reading →

First county Crisis Care Center opening in Kirkland with plans for $1.25B network in place by 2030

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(Image: King County)

Proposals are due by March 21st for providers to be part of King County’s $1.25 billion crisis care center program as the location of the first of five planned new facilities will be in Kirkland.

Connections Health Solutions will run the first facility in the program that is envisioned to create a network of five walk-in centers across the county by 2030.

Connections and the City of Kirkland opened the crisis center in August 2024. Its selection into the program enables Connections to purchase the $39 million building while providing funding to operate a 24/7 mental health care facility. Service is planned to ramp up this spring. Continue reading →

Zahilay launches bid to become ‘the first millennial, immigrant, or refugee’ King County Exec

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(Image: Girmay for King County)

Girmay Zahilay is beginning his run to lead King County with a major head start — the endorsements of the next wave of state Democratic leaders.

Zahilay, who has represented Capitol Hill, the Central District, and nearby neighborhoods from the University District to Skyway on the King County Council since 2020, has launched his campaign in the 2025 race for King County Executive with endorsements from newly elected Governor Bob Ferguson, and Attorney General-elect Nick Brown.

Zahilay also starts the race with the backing of several major labor groups including UFCW 3000.

“King County gave me the tools to climb the ladder of opportunity. Now, I’m running to make sure that ladder is available to everyone.” Zahilay said in his announcement. Continue reading →

Constantine announces he won’t run to keep County Executive seat — Balducci in, Zahilay ‘strongly considering’

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Constantine and his special guest at the 2016 debut of light rail service to Capitol Hill and the UW

After 15 years leading King County, Dow Constantine will step aside.

Constantine announced Tuesday he will not seek reelection in 2025 throwing open the race to replace him as King County Executive. Challengers are already stepping up.

“I ran for executive because I care deeply about this region where I was raised and the people who live and work here,” Constantine said in his announcement. “My priority was then – and still is today – that every person should be able to thrive, be economically secure, and contribute to the life of our community.”

Constantine’s run heading King County ends in cloudier times for the career politician after decades of public service beginning with his election to the State House of Representatives in 1996. At one time on a clear path to a run for governor, Constantine watched as State Attorney General Bob Ferguson guaranteed another Democratic term leading the state in last week’s election. The West Seattle resident turns 63 Friday. Continue reading →

With 10,000 living without shelter, Seattle and King County have new plan for Regional Homelessness Authority

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(Image: YouthCare)

The City of Seattle and King County have agreed on restructuring the King County Regional Homelessness Authority in a move hoped to streamline the $250 million a year effort that will also likely undercut the organization’s ability to develop new solutions to the area’s ongoing homelessness crisis.

Last month, the Seattle City Council approved the plan already signed-off on by the county to transition the RHA “to a single oversight board to improve the agency’s coordination, accountability, and transparency.”

The new agreement creates a Governing Board “responsible for setting strategic policy direction, providing fiscal oversight, monitoring performance metrics, and ensuring the authority is making progress to fulfill its mission,” according to the city’s announcement.

The new 12-member board will include the King County Executive, the Seattle Mayor, two members of the King County Council, one representing a district in Seattle and one representing a district outside of Seattle, two members of the Seattle City Council, three elected officials from the Sound Cities Association, and three members representing individuals with lived experience each individually appointed by the City of Seattle, King County, and Sound Cities Association. Continue reading →

With ‘zero youth detention’ commitments already broken, county council plans vote on keeping 12th Ave youth jail open

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The King County Council will vote in August on legislation some of its members say will affirm the county’s commitment to continuing youth detention at 12th Ave’s Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center.

“Today, the facility is holding 61 young people on charges including murder, manslaughter, rape, child molestation and other serious violent crimes,” Claudia Balducci, Law and Justice Committee vice chair and former director of the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, said in a statement. “It is clear that we continue to have a need for detention. At the same time, our county has long been committed to the success of our young people to keep them out of detention.”

The August vote follows the county council committee’s failure Wednesday to arrive at a consensus on the proclamatory legislation from councilmember Reagan Dunn that creates no new specific policies or programs but would declare the intent of the council to “maintain operations of the youth detention facility.”

The legislation may not be necessary. Continue reading →

King County adding treatment facilities, relaunching Seattle sobering center to take on fentanyl crisis

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A fatal overdose in Cal Anderson (Image: CHS)

At 10:30 AM on Monday, the Seattle Fire Department responded to a reported overdose in a Boylston Ave apartment. The city’s fire chief says his department is responding to an average of 15 drug overdoses a day driven by a surge in fentanyl use.

Officials this week say King County is launching a new “multi-part strategy across five priority areas” to address the crisis beginning this year that will include a new residential treatment center plus five new Crisis Care Centers paid for by the $1.25 billion property levy approved by voters last year along with new initiatives to increase access to overdose antidotes and drug testing.

Previously shuttered services are also being restarted including the reopening of the county’s sobering center that provides a desperately needed facility for people suffering from addiction and heavy drug or alcohol use.

“Substance use disorder is complex, and there is not one single cause, nor one simple solution. That’s why King County is connecting people to treatment and lifesaving interventions that are proven to work, and clear paths to recovery for all,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement. “The increasingly dangerous drug supply across the state and nation, dominated by fentanyl, is contributing to a devastating increase in deaths. There is so much more to do, which is why King County is also working upstream to help prevent substance use disorder, inform and educate the community, elevate early intervention strategies, and provide services and treatment for anyone who needs it.”

The investments range from the new facilities to resources already put in place like the county’s buprenorphine prescription hotline that is staffed 24 hours a day to help people get access to the drug used as a safer replacement in the treatment of opioid dependence.

Five Priorities for Action to Prevent Overdoses in King County in 2024

Priority 1: Treatment and community-based, recovery-focused care for all. Continue reading →

The other November election? Only part of Capitol Hill has big King County Council decision to make

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Seattle Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and Burien Mayor Sofia Aragon are squaring off for the District 8 seat on the King County Council representing western Capitol Hill along with downtown and West Seattle

A criss-cross of county district borders within Seattle

By Cormac Wolf, CHS Intern

There is another choice for local leadership to be made in November — but only part of Capitol Hill will be included in the vote.

Capitol Hill is represented by two county council representatives: Girmay Zahilay of District 2 including central and eastern Capitol Hill, the Central District, and South Seattle, and Joe McDermott of District 8. McDermott has decided not to run again to represent the district spanning from West Seattle, across downtown, and up onto western Capitol Hill, setting off a race between current citywide Seattle Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and Burien Mayor Sofia Aragon. Zahilay is running for reelection unopposed.

“County government exists because lots of different cities wanted to share certain regional services,” says Zahilay. “Imagine hopping on a bus in SeaTac, and trying to travel around all those cities. You wouldn’t want your bus service to have to stop at the city line for SeaTac and then hop on the Tukwila bus and then the bus would drop you off right at the city line and you would hop onto a Seattle based bus. That wouldn’t be efficient.”

“So we set up a county government to be in charge of specific regional services that spanned many different cities and unincorporated areas in King County.”

Capitol Hill is split due to the mechanics of district mapping. Council districts are drawn with the number of people in each district as first priority, with geographic and community cohesion subsequent considerations. This means that in the most densely populated areas of the county, like most of Seattle, the population is sometimes split to ensure each district has an equal population, and some neighborhoods end split by the borders.

Mosqueda has said her pivot to the county level is driven by the prospect of working on public and behavioral health — issues under the county’s purview, not the city’s. She says she would be happy to stay with the city council if she loses this race. The city council will pick a replacement if she wins. Continue reading →

State of King County 2023: A proposal for a new Seattle ‘Civic Campus’ and light rail station

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King County Executive Dow Constantine is proposing the creation of a new “Civic Campus” that would redevelop county property including closing the outdated county jail to “reimagine the courthouse neighborhood” between Pioneer Square and downtown Seattle.

The plan would include building a new light rail station below the campus on the site of the current King County Administration Building.

Constantine’s proposal came Tuesday as the official delivered his 2023 State of the County address.

“We have the opportunity, right now, to create a place – a global metropolitan region – worthy of our children, and of theirs,” Constantine said. “And if we seize it, we can show this state, and this nation, what it means for government to be a catalyst for progress and, in that progress, to leave no one behind.”

Constantine has led the county since 2009. His current term ends in three years. Continue reading →