-King County Executive.
The county executive manages
the delivery of such regional services as criminal justice,
metro transit, and wastewater treatment.
The executive also directs the local services provided
to those in the unincorporated areas outside of cities.
In 2022,
the county charter was amended to move certain county offices
to even-year elections.
Therefore, in 2025,
the election to King County Executive
will be for a three-year term instead of
the normal four-year term.
King County Executive is a non-partisan position.
All voters in King County can vote for County Executive.
The top two vote getters will advance
to the general election in November.
-For far too long, our voices have been scattered
behind the things that divide us
instead of bringing us together.
For a while, this is the reason I distanced myself
from political issues and know many of you feel the same.
Shaken by the amount of individuals unsheltered
and traumatized by having to physically fight for my rights,
I have decided enough is enough.
I started a business here just last year
and already donated $12,000 back to the community.
By bringing the same approach
into the King County Executive role,
we can begin to make decisions that align more with the issues
that need attending to the most.
As we fall behind on schedules, resolve budget deficits,
and see an increase in crime and housing issues,
and on top of that, facing mental challenges,
we begin to search for hope in leaders and the entities
who promised us change.
We the people deserve a leader
who will make decisions about the community based on people,
not prior engagements or a profit margin.
We need to deeply invest in our housing,
gun reformation, crime, public health,
small business, and education sectors.
This must be accomplished through a coalition
of community efforts and spearheading
by our elected officials in integrity and truth.
We need to bridge the gap between elected officials
and the community
so that the identity between the two becomes one and the same.
And how does this happen?
By coming together to allow our voices to be amplified
throughout the county for the world to hear,
to create a standard of what leadership should look like,
not just on a local level,
but on an international platform as a paradigm
of what change represents in a community
who is dedicated to making it happen.
If you ever questioned the importance of your vote,
now is the time to take a step
and contribute towards a change that depends on you.
Within a few weeks,
we have the chance to put the odds back in our favor.
King County counts. Count us in. Can we count on you?
Thank you.
-I'm Claudia Balducci,
and I am running for King County Executive
because I believe now more than ever
that local government must work for the people we serve.
This moment requires proven leadership and action.
We must make our communities affordable, safe,
welcoming, and sustainable.
And we must defend our rights against attacks
from the Trump administration.
I'll bring an unmatched record of experience and results
to the job of King County Executive.
I come from a family of public servants
and have been one myself for 25 years.
I've worked as a line staffer
and as the director of a large county department.
I served as mayor of the city of Bellevue,
and I'm currently a King County Council member.
I chaired the county council for three years
during the COVID-19 pandemic,
leading us through one of the most challenging times
in recent history.
I'm the only candidate in this race
who has delivered on housing
and emergency shelter with wraparound care,
putting thousands of roofs over the heads of seniors,
working families, and our most vulnerable neighbors.
As the only candidate with direct public safety experience,
I know what it takes to protect the public,
reduce gun violence, support survivors of assault and abuse,
and restore lives harmed by addiction and other crises.
I'm a regional champion for
transit, road safety, and trails,
and I've taken on and overcome well-funded
opposition to bring light rail to East King County.
For decades, I've fought to protect our climate,
clean air and water, habitat, parks, and open space.
Because of my experience,
I'm the only candidate endorsed by a broad coalition
of business, labor, democratic organizations,
and local, state, and federal elected officials.
I'll bring my experience as a lawyer
and my commitment to justice
to fight Trump administration overreach,
safeguarding our values and our people.
And I'll be the first woman and mom elected county executive
at a time when attacks continue on gender identity
and reproductive rights.
As executive, I will work tirelessly for you,
our families, and our communities.
I humbly ask for your vote.
♪♪
-King County voters, I'm Don L. Rivers,
your candidate for King County Executive.
With over 40 years as a King County employee
and a union member,
I understand the real issues facing our communities,
from public safety to homelessness.
We need leadership that understands the three L's:
the ability to listen, learn, and then lead.
I will protect our metro drivers and transit workers 24/7.
Homelessness is our most viable area
of untapped positive resources.
In 2024, while running for governor,
I was offered $950 million to eradicate homelessness.
I plan to put that funding to work for King County.
I support protecting the environment.
I plan to do a study to develop a wastewater treatment plant
for Vashon Island.
I'm committed to safer streets and cleaner neighborhoods.
Crime must be controlled.
We are currently $150 million over budget.
We must do a better job of using taxpayers dollars.
I will always protect freedom of choice
and our immigrant communities.
I'm Don L. Rivers. I need your vote.
I need your support.
Let's move King County forward together.
Thank you.
-Hi. I'm proud to be the only candidate on the ballot
who has the official endorsement of the Republican Party
and serve as the GOP's standard bearer in this race.
People support me because they know
that I am deeply concerned about taxes,
the cost of living, crime, and homelessness.
We are far worse off in each of these areas
than we were when the last county executive was elected.
Under my leadership, we will do much better.
Common sense with compassion.
Did you know that county leaders have increased
your taxes by nearly 50% in the last 10 years?
Do you believe you're getting 50% better services?
With critical services not being provided,
the answer is clearly no.
In addition to keeping costs down,
we must reprioritize the county's
approximately $20 billion budget to fully fund our sheriff,
prosecutor, and other criminal justice services
instead of pursuing foolhardy ideas like closing county jails
and releasing violent offenders into our community.
We must make a meaningful dent in violent crime
and drug addiction in King County.
When elected, I will establish a humane standard for removal
of homeless encampments, and I will enforce that standard.
Statistics show that Seattle has become
the dead-end street for America's homeless population.
King County spends millions on single-occupancy apartments
when we should be building congregate shelters
at a fraction of the cost.
These congregate shelters can house our homeless population
and eliminate the ugly and dangerous outdoor encampments.
I will use my management experience in both private
and nonprofit sectors to reign in King County
and bring it back to America's best places to live and work.
Together, we can make a difference.
Thank you.
-The deepening crisis
of the capitalist system is intensifying conflicts
between the ruling classes of each country.
This is bringing us closer to a nuclear world war.
Only the working class taking power
can disarm the imperialist rulers to stop this.
We live in a class-divided country
ruled by a tiny class of billionaire families
through their Democratic and Republican parties.
Working people need a break from both
and build an independent movement
to defend ourselves against their attacks
on our wages and living conditions.
A revolutionary political party is needed to lead
and organize a mass popular movement
to establish a workers government.
A workers government can start with the needs of millions,
not the profits of a few,
and build a society based on human solidarity.
I support whatever builds this solidarity,
confidence, and fighting capacity of the working class
to defend our interests.
And I oppose anything that undermines solidarity between us
and promotes dependence on this dog-eat-dog system.
Workers and the unions
need to fight for a federally funded public works program
to put millions to work at union wages,
building and repairing infrastructure, schools,
parks, affordable housing, and hospitals,
fight for a shorter workweek at no loss in pay
to prevent layoffs,
and for workers control of production
to guarantee safety on the job and protect the environment.
I oppose all attacks on constitutional freedom
of worship and speech,
freedom of the press, association, and assembly,
due process and other liberties needed and used by the toilers.
I joined with fellow workers
to support labor struggles for higher wages and work schedules
that allow for family time and recreation.
We must fight for amnesty
for immigrants to unify the entire working class.
In face of rising anti-Jewish attacks around the world,
we fight Jew hatred
and defend Israel's right to exist as a refuge for Jews,
and we demand the US get out of the Middle East.
We defend Ukraine's sovereignty
and demand US troops and nuclear weapons out of Europe.
Join the Socialist Workers Party.
Thank you.
-When I talk to people across King County,
I hear the same thing over and over.
Housing is too expensive.
More neighbors are living outside than ever before.
Too many communities don't feel safe.
And after decades of failed promises and business as usual,
we are all frustrated.
I'm Girmay Zahilay,
and I'm running for King County Executive
because I know we can do better.
Every tax dollar must deliver safer, healthier,
and more affordable communities.
That urgency comes from my own life experience.
I was raised in south King County by a single mother
after our family arrived here as refugees.
We experienced homelessness, lived in public housing,
and relied on food stamps.
I know how hard it is to make ends meet.
Today I'm a husband and a father raising my own family here.
That's what drives me to make government work
better for everyone.
That experience also led me to a life of public service.
I worked in the Obama White House,
practiced law at top national firms,
led anti-poverty policy efforts,
and founded and ran a national youth education nonprofit.
I've spent my career expanding opportunity
and delivering results.
As council chair,
I led the work to fund new crisis care centers
to address the addiction crisis,
pass eviction prevention laws to keep thousands housed,
create King County's gun violence prevention strategy,
and invest in thousands of new units of affordable homes
near public transit.
This is what urgent, effective leadership looks like.
That's why I'm proud to be endorsed
by Governor Bob Ferguson, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal,
Attorney General Nick Brown, the King County Democrats,
labor unions, and dozens of local leaders.
They believe in the future we're building together.
As executive, I'll tackle our biggest challenges head on,
fighting homelessness with urgency,
improving public safety, defending reproductive rights,
expanding addiction care, addressing climate change,
and helping small businesses thrive.
If you're ready for leadership that delivers,
I'd be honored to earn your vote.