The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The county 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, though all current council members generally associate closely with one of the two major US political parties. DistrictMemberPartyTook OfficeDistrict 1Rod DembowskiDemMar 5, 2013District 2Rhonda LewisDemDec 9, 2025District 3Sarah PerryDemJan 1, 2022District 4Jorge BarónDemJan 1, 2024District 5Steffanie FainDemNov 25, 2025District 6Claudia BalducciDemJan 1, 2016District 7Pete von ReichbauerRepJan 1, 1994District 8Teresa MosquedaDemJan 1, 2024District 9Reagan DunnRep2005
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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. In 2025, Rhonda Lewis became the first Black woman to be a member of the council. The appointment of Councilmember Lewis in 2025 also marked the first time that a majority of the King County Council members were women.
Notable charter changes 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.
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.
In 2022, Charter Amendment 1 was passed by King County voters with 69% in favor and 31% opposed. 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. 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.
Past councilmembers As of 2025
DistrictCouncilmemberPolitical partyTerm startTerm 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 councilmembersYearDist. 1Dist. 2Dist. 3Dist. 4Dist. 5Dist. 6Dist. 7Dist. 8Dist. 9Dist. 10Dist. 11Dist. 12Dist. 131969Tracy OwenBob DunnBill ReamsBernice SternJohn O'BrienTom ForsytheEd MunroEd HeaveyDave Mooney1974Ruby ChowPaul Barden1976Mike LowryBob Greive1977Bob Gaines1978Gary Grant1979Pat Thorpe1980Scott BlairLois NorthBruce Lanig1982Audrey Gruger1984Cynthia Sullivan1986Ron Sims1988Greg Nickels1990Brian BerdowskiKent Pullen1992Larry Phillips1994Maggi FimiaLouise MillerPete von ReichbauerLarry GossettJane HagueBrian DerdowskiChris Vance1996Rob McKenna1997Dwight Pelz2000David Irons2001Les Thomas2002Carolyn EdmondsKathy LambertDow ConstantineJulia Patterson2003Steve Hammond2004Bob Ferguson2005Reagan Dunn2006Bob FergusonLarry GossettJulia PattersonJane HagueReagan Dunn2010Jan DragoJoe McDermott2013Rod Dembowski2014Dave Upthegrove2016Jeanne Kohl-WellesClaudia Balducci2020Girmay Zahilay2022Sarah Perry2024Jorge BarónTeresa Mosqueda2025De'Sean QuinnSteffanie Fain 2026 Rhonda Lewis
Notes
References
External links King County Council