King County Executive

Last updated
King County Executive
Dow Constantine (19090348039).jpg
Incumbent
Dow Constantine
since November 24, 2009
AppointerElectorate
Metropolitan King County Council (unexpired terms)
Term length 4 years
Inaugural holder John Spellman
Formation5 November 1968 (charter approved)
1 May 1969 (charter took effect)
Salary$248,148 (2021)
Website King County Executive

The King County executive is the elected county executive of King County, Washington. The office was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968. [1] Previously the powers of the county executive were vested in a three-member county commission, which with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter in 1969 ceased to exist. The county executive is elected every four years and the office is nonpartisan.

Contents

The first county executive was John Spellman, from 1969 to 1981. The current executive is Dow Constantine, elected to replace Ron Sims since he resigned to become Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration on May 8, 2009.

Elections

Elections for the County Executive have historically taken place in odd-numbered years. However, in 2022, an amendment to the County Charter was passed which would move elections for several county elected offices to even-numbered years. To do so, the 2025 King County Executive election will be for a three year term, instead of the normal four years.

2025 County Executive election

In November of 2024, Constantine announced that he would not seek re-election in 2025, and King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci of Bellevue launched a campaign. [2]

List of executives

OrderKing County ExecutiveParty [a] Took officeLeft officeTermsNotes
1 JohnDSpellman.jpg John Spellman Republican May 1, 1969January 14, 19813+Resigned to serve as Governor of Washington
2 Ron Dunlap RepublicanJanuary 14, 1981 [b] November 18, 1981<1
3 Randy Revelle 01.jpg Randy Revelle Democratic November 18, 1981January 1, 19861
4 KCE Tim Hill.jpg Tim Hill RepublicanJanuary 1, 1986January 4, 19942
5 Gary Locke.jpg Gary Locke DemocraticJanuary 4, 1994January 15, 1997<1Resigned to serve as Governor of Washington
6 Ron Sims official portrait.jpg Ron Sims DemocraticJanuary 15, 1997 [b] [c] May 8, 20092+Resigned to serve as Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
7Kurt TriplettDemocraticMay 8, 2009 [b] November 24, 2009<1
8 Dow Constantine (19090348039).jpg Dow Constantine DemocraticNovember 24, 2009Incumbent4+

Notes

  1. The office of King County Executive is elected on a non-partisan basis, the following is for informational purposes only.
  2. 1 2 3 Appointed to serve out remainder of term
  3. Subsequently elected to full four-year term

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Spellman</span> Governor of Washington from 1981 to 1985

John Dennis Spellman was an American politician who served as the 18th governor of Washington U.S. state from 1981 to 1985 and as the first King County executive from 1969 to 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King County Council</span> Legislative body of King County, Washington, US

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle City Council</span> Legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington

The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-large positions; all elections are non-partisan. It has the responsibility of approving the city's budget, and passes all legislation related to the city's police, firefighting, parks, libraries, and electricity, water supply, solid waste, and drainage utilities. (The mayor of Seattle is not considered part of council.)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors</span> Five-member governing body of Los Angeles County, California

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio county government</span> Legal and administrative structure of counties in Ohio

Ohio county government is the structure of official managerial and legal bodies of the counties of Ohio, USA. It is marked by a loose organization and a diffusion of power, the basic framework not having been changed since the nineteenth century. The Ohio Constitution allows counties to set up a charter government as many cities and villages do, but only Summit and Cuyahoga counties have done so. Counties operating under a constitutional government do not possess home rule powers and can do only what has been expressly authorized by the Ohio General Assembly. However, Article X of the Ohio Constitution gives county government benefits similar to those conferred on cities and villages under the home rule amendments of 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Board of Supervisors</span> City legislature in San Francisco, California, US

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco in the U.S. state of California.

In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary widely across jurisdictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey</span> Political office in Jersey City, NJ, USA

The Mayor of the City of Jersey City is the head of the executive branch of the government of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances; prepare the annual budget; appoint deputy mayors, department heads, and aides; and approve or veto ordinances passed by the City Council. The mayor is popularly elected in a nonpartisan general election. The office is held for a four-year term without term limits, although the current term is a four-and-a-half-year term, due to a change in election dates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayor of Portland, Oregon</span> Government role in Oregon, US

The mayor of Portland, Oregon is the official head of the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The officeholder is elected for a four-year term and has no term limits. By law, all elections in Portland are nonpartisan. The current mayor is Ted Wheeler, who has served since 2017, and was first elected in the 2016 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of New Jersey</span> Overview of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey

The government of the State of New Jersey is separated into three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The powers of the State of New Jersey are vested by the Constitution of New Jersey, enacted in 1947, in a bicameral state legislature, the Governor, and the state courts, headed the New Jersey Supreme Court. The powers and duties of these branches are further defined by acts of the state legislature, including the creation of executive departments and courts inferior to the Supreme Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dow Constantine</span> American politician

James Dow Constantine is an American lawyer, urban planner, and politician who is the county executive of King County, Washington, since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Constantine served on the King County Council from 2002 to 2009, and in the Washington State Legislature between 1997 and 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayor of the District of Columbia</span> Head of the executive branch of the D.C. government

The mayor of the District of Columbia is the head of the executive branch of the government of the District of Columbia. The mayor has the duty to enforce district laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the D.C. Council. In addition, the mayor oversees all district services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and the district public school system. The mayor's office oversees an annual district budget of $8.8 billion. The mayor's executive office is located in the John A. Wilson Building in Downtown Washington, D.C. The mayor appoints several officers, including the deputy mayors for Education and Planning & Economic Development, the district administrator, the chancellor of the district's public schools, and the department heads of the district agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Johnson (Seattle politician)</span> American politician

Robert M. Johnson is an American politician. He served on the Seattle City Council representing the fourth district, covering northeast Seattle and the area around the University of Washington, from 2016 until his resignation in April 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Washington gubernatorial election</span>

The 2020 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020. It followed a top-two primary held on August 4. Incumbent governor Jay Inslee, the Democratic candidate, defeated Loren Culp, the Republican candidate by a wide margin. Inslee, who was eligible to run for a third term due to the lack of gubernatorial term limits, initially launched a campaign for president of the United States in the 2020 election. When he dropped out of that race in August 2019 due to extremely low polling numbers, he announced he would seek a third term as governor. Several other Democratic political figures considered entering the race if Inslee did not run, including Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson; no other major Democratic candidates entered the race. Republican Loren Culp, the police chief of Republic, Washington, placed second in the top-two primary and advanced to the general election alongside Inslee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snohomish County Executive</span> Elected chief executive of Snohomish County, Washington, U.S.

The Snohomish County Executive is the head of the executive branch of Snohomish County, Washington. The position has four-year terms and is a partisan office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snohomish County Council</span> Legislative body of Snohomish County, Washington, US

The Snohomish County Council is the legislative body of Snohomish County, Washington. The county council was created in 1979 and consists of five members serving four-year terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Essex County Executive</span>

The County Executive of Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, is the chief officer of the county's executive branch and oversees the administration of county government. Approved in a 1977 referendum, the office was inaugurated in 1978 at the same time the Board of Chosen Freeholders, which plays a legislative role, was reconfigured to include a mix of at-large and district seats. The executive offices are located at the Essex County Government Complex in the county seat, Newark. When the first executive was elected in 1978, The New York Times described that the position was "considered by many to be second in power only to that of the Governor."

Joseph-Thanh Nguyen is an American politician who is a member of the Washington State Senate from the 34th district. Nguyen, a second-generation Vietnamese American, was raised with his three siblings in White Center, Washington, by his mother. He was a candidate for King County Executive in 2021 but was defeated by Dow Constantine 56 percent to 44 percent.

The Pierce County Executive is the head of the executive branch of Pierce County, Washington. The position is subject to four-year terms and is a partisan office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2025 King County, Washington Executive election</span>

The 2025 King County Executive election will be held in King County, Washington during the 2025 United States general election. Incumbent County Executive Dow Constantine announced in November 2024 that he would not seek re-election.

References

  1. HistoryLink Essay: King County voters approve first Home Rule Charter on November 5, 1968
  2. "King County Executive Dow Constantine won't run for reelection | Cascade PBS". www.cascadepbs.org. Retrieved 2024-11-24.