King County Council

Metropolitan King County Council
King County, Washington
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Chair
Vice Chair
Vice Chair
Structure
Seats9
Political groups
Officially nonpartisan
Committees
List of Committees
    • Budget and Fiscal Management
    • Committee of the Whole
    • Government Accountability and Oversight
    • Employment and Administration
    • Health, Housing and Human Services
    • Law and Justice
    • Transportation, Economy and Environment
    • Regional Policy
    • Regional Transit
    • Regional Water Quality
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Last election
November 4, 2025
Next election
November 3, 2026
Meeting place
1200 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98104
Website
King County Council

The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure is the result of a merger of King County and the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, better known as Metro, which was a federated county-city structure responsible for water quality and public transportation.

Councilmembers

As a result of a county charter amendment passed by voters in the November 2008 elections, all elective offices of King County are officially nonpartisan. While officially nonpartisan, all current council members generally associate closely with one of the two major US political parties.[1][better source needed]

District Member Party Took Office
District 1 Rod Dembowski Dem Mar 5, 2013[1][2]
District 2 Rhonda Lewis Dem Dec 9, 2025[3]
District 3 Sarah Perry Dem Jan 1, 2022[4]
District 4 Jorge Barón Dem Jan 1, 2024[5]
District 5 Steffanie Fain Dem Nov 25, 2025[6]
District 6 Claudia Balducci Dem Jan 1, 2016[1]
District 7 Pete von Reichbauer Rep Jan 1, 1994[7]
District 8 Teresa Mosqueda Dem Jan 1, 2024[5]
District 9 Reagan Dunn Rep 2005[8][9]

Meetings

The full county council meets weekly on Thursdays, except for the fifth Thursday in a month. Public comments are permitted at the fourth meeting of the month. Meetings are held in the County Council chambers, Room 1001, on the tenth floor of the King County Courthouse in Downtown Seattle.[10]

Structure

The nine members of the council are elected by their district to four-year terms in nonpartisan contests. Councilmembers in even numbered districts are up for election in even years without a US Presidential election starting in 2026, while Councilmembers in odd districts are up for election in years with a US presidential election starting in 2028.[11]

The King County Executive is not a member of the Council, and is a separately elected official. The Executive submits legislation to the Council for consideration. Each year in October, the Executive submits a proposed budget to the County Council for the operation of County government for the coming year. The Executive has veto power over ordinances passed by the Council.[11]

Committees

The Council uses its committee structure to consider the legislation before it. Ordinances and motions (policy statements) are assigned to a King County Council committee for consideration, and then are recommended to the full Council for action. Each year, the Council reorganizes and elects a Chair and Vice Chair. In addition, the Council decides yearly on its committee structure and makeup.

There are nine standing policy committees and three regional committees. Members of the Seattle City Council and representatives from suburban cities and local sewer districts are also members of the regional committees. In addition, all nine members of the Council meet as a Committee of the Whole to discuss broad-reaching legislation and issues.[11]

Redistricting

County Council districts are redrawn in the year following the decennial US Census by a five-person redistricting commission using a similar model to the Washington State Redistricting Commission. The council appoints four redistricting commission members, two from each of the two major parties who then elect the fifth member who is also the chair. The redistricting commission must appoint a Districting Master by April 1st who must submit a plan to the commission by December 31st of a year ending in 1. The redistricting commission can amend the plan, but must approve the maps within 15 days.[11]

History

King County Commission

In December 1852, King County was formed from a piece of Oregon Territory's Pierce County.[12] Washington Territory was established in March 1853 via a federal organic act, allowing Washington to define how counties would be governed.[12][13] The territory decided that each county should elect three-member Boards of Commissioners, who passed county laws in the form of resolutions and discussed policy via proceedings.[14]

In 1948 Washington State passed a law allowing for counties to change their governance structures. This allowed King County citizens to vote to change their commissioners board into the nine-member King County Council in 1968.[14] Voters passed the King County Home Rule Charter in an attempt to reform their government in reaction to political scandals.[15] They were the first county in Washington to adopt a home rule charter.[16] The same vote also established the position of King County Executive.[13] The final three commissioners were John Spellman, Ed Munro, and John O'Brien.[17]

King County Council

80 people ran for the new King County Council, and three of the candidates were women.[15] The first King County Council was sworn in on May 1, 1969. The new council passed laws via ordinances and set policy via motions.[14]

Of the nine original councilmembers, Bernice Stern became the first woman on the King County Council.[15] In 1974, Ruby Chow became the first Asian American and second woman elected to the Council.[15][17] In 1986, Ron Sims became the first African American elected to the council.[17] In 2025, Rhonda Lewis became the first Black woman to be a member of the council.[3] The appointment of Councilmember Lewis in 2025 also marked the first time that a majority of the King County Council members were women.[3]

Notable Charter Changes

The council was expanded from nine to thirteen members in 1993.[18] In the 2004 general election voters approved a charter amendment to reduce the size of the council from thirteen to nine, which went into effect January 1, 2006. With four fewer districts, the number of constituents per district rose from 138,000 residents to about 193,000.[19]

Prior to 2009, councilmembers were elected on a partisan basis, and had to declare their political party unless they filed as an Independent. An independent candidate had to receive at least 20 percent of the vote in the primary election to qualify for the general election ballot.[citation needed] This changed upon the passage of Charter Amendment 8 by voters in 2008, which made all elections for county offices nonpartisan.[20]

In 2022, Charter Amendment 1 was passed by King County voters with 69% in favor and 31% opposed.[21] The passage of this amendment moved elections for King County Council from odd to even years and shortened the term of councilmembers elected in the 2023 and 2025 elections from the normal four-year term to a three-year term to accommodate the shift.[22] Prior to the passage of this amendment, elections for councilmembers in even numbered districts were up for election in years preceding US presidential elections, while councilmembers in odd districts were up for election in years following US presidential elections.[23][24]

Past councilmembers

As of 2025[17]
District Councilmember Political party[a] Term start Term end
1 Tracy Owen Republican 1969 1981
2 Bob Dunn Republican 1969 1979
3 Bill Reams Republican 1969 1989
4 Bernice Stern Democratic 1969 1980
5 John O'Brien Republican 1969 1973
6 Tom Forsythe Republican 1969 1975
7 Ed Munro Democratic 1969 1973
8 Ed Heavey Democratic 1969 1975
9 Dave Mooney Democratic 1969 1976
5 Ruby Chow Democratic 1974 1985
7 Paul Barden Republican 1974 1993
6 Mike Lowry Democratic 1976 1979
8 Bob Greive Democratic 1976 1987
9 Bob Gaines Democratic 1977 1977
9 Gary Grant Democratic 1978 1990
6 Pat Thorpe Democratic 1979 1979
2 Scott Blair Republican 1980 1983
4 Lois North Republican 1980 1992
6 Bruce Laing Republican 1980 1996
1 Audrey Gruger Democratic 1982 1993
2 Cynthia Sullivan Democratic 1984 2003
5 Ron Sims Democratic 1986 1997
8 Greg Nickels Democratic 1988 2001
3 Brian Derdowski Republican 1990 1999
9 Kent Pullen Republican 1990 2003
4 Larry Phillips Democratic 1992 2015
1 Maggi Fimia Democratic 1994 2001
3 Louise Miller Republican 1994 2001
10 Larry Gossett Democratic 1994 2019
11 Jane Hague Republican 1994 2015
13 Chris Vance Republican 1994 2001
6 Rob McKenna Republican 1996 2005
5 Dwight Pelz Democratic 1997 2005
12 David Irons Republican 2000 2005
13 Les Thomas Republican 2001 2001
1 Carolyn Edmonds Democratic 2002 2005
3 Kathy Lambert Republican 2002 2021
13 Julia Patterson Democratic 2002 2013
8 Dow Constantine Democratic 2002 2009
9 Steve Hammond Republican 2003 2005
2 Bob Ferguson Democratic 2004 2013
8 Jan Drago Democratic 2010 2010
8 Joe McDermott Democratic 2011 2024
4 Jeanne Kohl-Welles Democratic 2016 2024
5 Dave Upthegrove Democratic 2014 2025
2 Girmay Zahilay Democratic 2020 2025
5 De'Sean Quinn Democratic 2025 2025
Table of councilmembers
Year Dist. 1 Dist. 2 Dist. 3 Dist. 4 Dist. 5 Dist. 6 Dist. 7 Dist. 8 Dist. 9 Dist. 10 Dist. 11 Dist. 12 Dist. 13
1969 Tracy Owen Bob Dunn Bill Reams Bernice Stern John O'Brien Tom Forsythe Ed Munro Ed Heavey Dave Mooney
1974 Ruby Chow Paul Barden
1976 Mike Lowry Bob Greive
1977 Bob Gaines[b]
1978 Gary Grant
1979 Pat Thorpe[c]
1980 Scott Blair Lois North Bruce Lanig
1982 Audrey Gruger
1984 Cynthia Sullivan
1986 Ron Sims
1988 Greg Nickels
1990 Brian Berdowski Kent Pullen
1992 Larry Phillips
1994 Maggi Fimia Louise Miller Pete von Reichbauer Larry Gossett Jane Hague Brian Derdowski Chris Vance
1996 Rob McKenna
1997 Dwight Pelz[d]
2000 David Irons
2001 Les Thomas[e]
2002 Carolyn Edmonds Kathy Lambert Dow Constantine[f] Julia Patterson
2003
Steve Hammond[g]
2004 Bob Ferguson
2005 Reagan Dunn[h]
2006 Bob Ferguson Larry Gossett Julia Patterson Jane Hague Reagan Dunn
2010 Jan Drago[i]
Joe McDermott
2013 Rod Dembowski[j]
2014 Dave Upthegrove
2016 Jeanne Kohl-Welles Claudia Balducci
2020 Girmay Zahilay
2022 Sarah Perry
2024 Jorge Barón Teresa Mosqueda
2025 De'Sean Quinn[k]
Steffanie Fain
2026 Rhonda Lewis[l]

Notes

  1. ^ Although county offices in King County were made officially nonpartisan in 2008, all councillors have made their party affiliations a matter of public record.[1]
  2. ^ Appointed after Dave Mooney resigned to take a state appointment.
  3. ^ Appointed after Mike Lowry was elected to the United States House of Representatives.
  4. ^ Appointed after Ron Sims resigned to replace Gary Locke as King County Executive.
  5. ^ Appointed after Chris Vance resigned to become chair of the Washington State Republican Party.
  6. ^ Appointed after Greg Nickels was elected as mayor of Seattle.
  7. ^ Appointed after Kent Pullen died in office.
  8. ^ Appointed after Rob McKenna was elected as Attorney General of Washington.
  9. ^ Appointed after Dow Constantine was elected as King County Executive.
  10. ^ Appointed after Bob Ferguson was elected as Attorney General of Washington.
  11. ^ Appointed after Dave Upthegrove was elected as Washington Public Lands Commissioner.
  12. ^ Appointed after Girmay Zahilay was elected as King County Executive.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Board, SW Editorial (October 4, 2017). "Even in King County, the Republican Party Is One Big Gun Silencer". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Report, Staff (March 5, 2013). "Dembowski takes oath of office, will represent Bothell, Kenmore and parts of Kirkland". Bothell-Kenmore Reporter. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Gutman, David (December 9, 2025). "King County Council mark 2 historic firsts with new member". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  4. ^ "Sarah Perry wins King County Council seat, ending Kathy Lambert's two-decade hold". November 4, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Gutman, David (January 9, 2024). "Barón, Mosqueda become King County Council's first Latino members". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "Fain becomes First Korean American on King County Council". Northwest Asian Weekly. November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  7. ^ "Von Reichbauer favors nonpartisan county elections". Seattle Times.
  8. ^ "Councilmember Reagan Dunn – Biography". Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Attorney general's race: Republican Dunn carves his own path". Seattle Times. October 11, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "Full Council Meetings". King County Council. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d "CHARTER". aqua.kingcounty.gov. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  12. ^ a b Rochester, Junius (November 10, 1998). "King County, Founding of". HistoryLink. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Lieb, Emily (September 25, 2006). "King County Commissioners". HistoryLink. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c "King County legislative history". King County. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d Chesley, Frank (November 7, 2006). "Stern, Bernice (1916-2007)". HistoryLink. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  16. ^ "County Council celebrates 40th Anniversary of King County's "Constitution"". King County. December 7, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  17. ^ a b c d Nickels, Greg (February 14, 2017). "King County Councilmembers, 1969-present". Historylink. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  18. ^ Long, Priscilla (September 4, 2006). "King County -- Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  19. ^ Downing, Jim (January 4, 2005). "Four plans surface to shrink County Council". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  20. ^ Ervin, Keith (November 5, 2008). "Initiative to make top posts nonpartisan leading handily". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  21. ^ "King County, Washington, Charter Amendment 1, Even-Year County Elections Measure (November 2022)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  22. ^ Browning, Paige (November 10, 2022). "King County officials will get shorter terms next election cycle". www.kuow.org. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  23. ^ Gutman, David (October 10, 2022). "Voters to decide whether to move King County elections to even years". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  24. ^ Denkmann, Libby; Burrows, Jason (June 30, 2022). "On the Ballot: Moving King County elections to even years". www.kuow.org. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_King_County_Council