King County Council

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; that being said, all current council members have made their party affiliations a matter of public record.

• District 1: Rod Dembowski (D), took office 2013
• District 2: Rhonda Lewis (D), took office December 9, 2025
• District 3: Sarah Perry (D), took office 2022
• District 4: Jorge Barón (D), took office on January 9, 2024
• District 5: Steffanie Fain (D), took office on November 25, 2025
• District 6: Claudia Balducci (D), took office 2016
• District 7: Pete von Reichbauer (R), took office 1994
• District 8: Teresa Mosqueda (D), took office on January 9, 2024
• District 9: Reagan Dunn (R), took office 2005

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.

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 2023, while Councilmembers in odd districts are up for election in 2025. 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. This changed upon the passage of Charter Amendment 8 by voters in 2008, which made all elections for county offices nonpartisan.

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. Currently 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.

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.

History

King County Commission

In December 1852, King County was formed from a piece of Oregon Territory's Pierce County. Washington Territory was established in March 1853 via a federal organic act, allowing Washington to define how counties would be governed. 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.

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. Voters passed the King County Home Rule Charter in an attempt to reform their government in reaction to political scandals. They were the first county in Washington to adopt a home rule charter. The same vote also established the position of King County Executive. The final three commissioners were John Spellman, Ed Munro, and John O'Brien.

King County Council

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

Of the nine original councilmembers, Bernice Stern became the first woman on the King County Council. In 1974, Ruby Chow became the first Asian American and second woman elected to the Council. In 1986, Ron Sims became the first African American elected to the council.

Redistricting

The council was expanded from nine to thirteen members in 1993. 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.

Past councilmembers

:As of 2025

Notes

References

References

1. Board, SW Editorial. (2017-10-04). "Even in King County, the Republican Party Is One Big Gun Silencer".
2. Gutman, David. (2025-12-09). "King County Council mark 2 historic firsts with new member".
3. (4 November 2021). "Sarah Perry wins King County Council seat, ending Kathy Lambert's two-decade hold".
4. (2025-11-26). "Fain becomes First Korean American on King County Council".
5. "Von Reichbauer favors nonpartisan county elections". Seattle Times.
6. Gutman, David. (January 9, 2024). "Barón, Mosqueda become King County Council's first Latino members". The Seattle Times.
7. "Councilmember Reagan Dunn – Biography".
8. (October 11, 2012). "Attorney general's race: Republican Dunn carves his own path". Seattle Times.
9. "Full Council Meetings". King County Council.
10. Gutman, David. (October 10, 2022). "Voters to decide whether to move King County elections to even years". The Seattle Times.
11. Ervin, Keith. (November 5, 2008). "Initiative to make top posts nonpartisan leading handily". The Seattle Times.
12. Rochester, Junius. (November 10, 1998). "King County, Founding of".
13. Lieb, Emily. (September 25, 2006). "King County Commissioners".
14. "King County legislative history".
15. Chesley, Frank. (November 7, 2006). "Stern, Bernice (1916-2007)".
16. (December 7, 2009). "County Council celebrates 40th Anniversary of King County’s “Constitution”".
17. Long, Priscilla. (September 4, 2006). "King County -- Thumbnail History".
18. Downing, Jim. (January 4, 2005). "Four plans surface to shrink County Council". The Seattle Times.
19. Nickels, Greg. (February 14, 2017). "King County Councilmembers, 1969-present". Historylink.