-Metropolitan King County Council.
The King County Council is the legislative branch
of county government.
The county council enacts laws and sets policy.
To further county policies,
they adopt the county's operating budget.
The operating budget includes spending
for areas such as public health and human services,
metro transit, wastewater treatment,
the criminal justice system, and regional parks and open space.
In 2022, voters amended the county charter
to move certain county offices to even-year elections.
Therefore, in 2025,
the election to county council member
will be for a three-year term instead of
the normal four-year term.
The King County Council has nine members,
each representing a different geographic district.
Voters select from the candidates representing
their voting district.
Positions 5 and 7
will appear on the primary election ballot this year.
The top two vote getters will advance
to the general election in November.
Metropolitan King County Council member
is a nonpartisan position.
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-I am running to represent District 5
on the King County Council.
I am Angela Henderson,
a resolute bricklayer building up our communities over 30 years
when there were very few women on job sites.
I uphold the duty of elected vice chair
of a nonprofit organization.
I advocate for all people
because I believe that when we lift each other up, we all rise.
Our elders, our seniors, and their families of King County
have been displaced for development.
We need better transition plans and resources
as King County develops.
I will champion for price control and housing.
We need affordable
and resilient housing options to maintain
our environmental quality.
Drawing people such as nurses, police officers,
firefighters, and teachers
will undoubtedly benefit the safety
and the well-being of the people already living
in this community.
We must address gun violence,
homelessness, and addiction with real solutions
that don't look the other way.
Let's invest in our programs
that give kids a path of economic stability
in ways that nurture the future technology.
Pre internships for high schoolers.
Paid internships and trade pathways to apprenticeships
will indeed decrease the impact of student debt,
improving on wraparound services with essential resources
for students' basic needs.
Upgrading our police and fire stations that offer
after-school spaces will support kids' mental health,
public safety while investing in our youth development
and educational growth.
So all individuals in our communities
are empowered to achieve their dreams.
Let's increase ways to
for us to support all small businesses in critical sectors,
weathering tough times
and help to anchor our local economy
against reckless tariffs and inflation.
We must foster an environment
where these businesses overcome challenges.
Elect Angela Henderson.
I know the value of hard work and a job well done,
and with an unwavering commitment to serving
the residents of District 5,
let's work together to build King County.
-Hi, I'm Ryan McIrvin, and I'm running for King County Council,
District 5.
South King County has always been home for me.
It's where I grew up, and it's where my wife and I are now,
raising our two daughters.
My dad was the one who first inspired me to give back,
and that value of service is something
I carry with me every day.
For the past 20 years,
I've worked in public service to help build stronger,
more connected communities,
and over my three terms on the Renton City Council,
I've focused on expanding opportunity, improving safety,
and investing in the future of our region.
Regionally, I've worked across city lines
with county partners on housing, transit,
and smart growth through committees
like the Affordable Housing Committee,
the Regional Transit Committee,
and the Growth Management Planning Council.
Because the challenges we face don't stop at city borders
and neither should our solutions.
Public safety is the issue I hear most about.
It's about more than enforcement.
It's about trust, compassion, and real solutions.
I led efforts to bring body-worn cameras to Renton
and serve on the Renton Regional Fire Authority Board,
where we support co-responder programs like FD Cares
to connect people in crisis with care,
not just handcuffs.
In my role at UDub Bothell,
I worked to expand access to education
and strengthened workforce development,
especially for first-generation college students
and working families.
I believe in creating pathways to opportunity
that lift people up and strengthen our economy.
I'm also passionate about protecting our environment.
As a runner, cyclist, and board member of
the Issaquah Alps Trails Club,
I've supported salmon habitat restoration,
floodplain protection,
and a regional network of parks and trails
that connect people to nature and to each other.
I'm running for county council
because I believe government should be rooted in community,
guided by equity, and focused on delivering real results.
I'm proud to be endorsed by the King County Democrats,
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs,
and many more local elected officials across the county.
I'm ready to keep showing up and doing the work.
If we stay committed and lead with heart,
there is no challenge we can't overcome together.
I'd be honored to earn your vote.
-The values we spent a lifetime defending
are more important than ever.
King County has made great strides.
Now we need to ensure we keep moving forward.
Hi, I'm Kim-Khanh Van,
your choice for King County Council District 5.
I believe King County must be rooted in safe,
healthy communities,
real opportunity for all, and transparency
that centers the people we serve.
I came to this country as a child refugee from Vietnam.
Through hard work,
I became a first-generation law school graduate,
immigration attorney, and a JAG lawyer
with the US Volunteer Services Joint Services Command.
I also founded the Renton Police Foundation,
run a small business
for which I'm a member of the Kent Chamber of Commerce,
served as a Rotarian and present the Kiwanis Club of Renton,
and on both a PTA and Scouts mom.
I've never forgotten where I came from.
For six years on the Renton City Council,
I've strengthened public safety
by investing in officer training,
funding mental health responders,
and launching the Downtown Patrol District unit
and Renton's first equity commission.
I've stood with Boeing machinists, healthcare workers,
firefighters, teamsters,
and grocery workers supporting raise the wage
and expanding economic opportunity countywide.
I've worked through
the King County Coalition Against Hate and Bias
and the Seattle/King County
African Americans Reparations Committee.
Nationally, I served on the National League of Cities
Rail Council and Economic Development Committee.
I've expanded apprenticeship
through the Renton Technical College Foundation
and supported immigrants, refugees, seniors,
LGBTQI+ communities,
and veterans through Riverton Park Church,
Northwest Immigrant Rights Projects,
and One America clinics.
These are serious times.
Our values and democracy are under attack.
With over 20 years of service and resilience,
I'm ready to stand firm on the principles
we've always believed in and will protect the progress
we've built together.
Join us at Elect Kim-Khanh Van
to ensure what matters most for our community.
I'm the only candidate so endorsed by the 33rd Democrats,
and I humbly ask for your vote.
-Hi, I'm Steffanie Fain,
and I'm running to be your next King County Council member
for District 5.
People across south King County are frustrated.
And I am too.
The system isn't working,
especially on issues around public safety,
homelessness, and affordability.
As an attorney, nonprofit leader, and parent,
I bring decades of experience building consensus
and achieving results by rising above divisions
and focusing on shared goals.
Since 2021,
I've served as the Harborview Medical Center Board President,
guiding King County's hospital
through overlapping public health and financial crises.
Our behavioral health system is broken,
and fixing it requires a regional approach
with experienced leadership and established partnerships.
Our community needs more than good intentions.
We need a strong advocate with the courage
and common sense to push for real change.
I'll improve public safety by supporting first responders
and reforming how we address mental health crises,
addiction, and youth violence.
I'll also bring urgency and accountability
to the homelessness and affordability crisis,
prioritizing measurable outcomes, compassion,
and smarter investments.
After years of spending with too few results,
it's time to ensure public dollars go to programs
that actually help people.
I've lived in south King County for nearly two decades,
raising my children in public schools,
coaching youth sports,
and supporting programs that serve our diverse community.
I've worked alongside leaders in healthcare,
business, labor, and government to get things done.
That's why more than 70 local leaders,
including U.S. Representatives Adam Smith
and Marilyn Strickland,
former Governor Chris Gregoire,
the majority of south King County mayors,
and a coalition of labor unions,
business and community leaders have endorsed my campaign.
My husband and I live here with our two sons
and extended family nearby.
This is our home and I care deeply about its future.
I'd be honored to earn your vote.
-I'm not running because this is the next step
in a political career.
I'm running because I've lived the same challenges
so many families in south King County
are still navigating -- housing instability,
economic uncertainty,
and systems that too often ignore working people.
I left a career in tech to do the work
that mattered most to me -- grassroots work,
building programs, mentoring young leaders,
helping others navigate the same barriers that I faced.
And when existing systems didn't open their doors,
I built new ones.
That work turned into something bigger,
a national nonprofit platform
that's helped thousands of people access opportunity.
And now I use that same experience to advise
companies and nonprofits on how to build with equity in mind.
In this race, the two central issues are clear --
affordability and safety.
From housing to childcare,
the cost of living has made it nearly impossible
for working families to stay rooted here.
I'll fight for workforce housing that supports the people
who keep our region running --
teachers, first responders, grocery clerks, tradespeople --
and push for equitable development
that delivers affordable homes, not just market-rate units.
We also need to expand access to high-quality childcare
so families can actually afford to work and raise kids here.
As a father of two young children,
I feel the urgency around rising crime and violence.
But real safety means more than just law enforcement.
It means faster emergency response.
It means better coordination between police,
social workers, and mental health professionals.
And it means investing in community organizations
that are already doing the work to support youth and family
before crisis hits.
South King County has been overlooked for too long.
I'm not here to manage the status quo.
I'm here to change it.
Because I don't just understand these struggles,
I've lived them.
I'm not backed by political legacy or big donors.
I'm backed by working people, teachers, nurses,
bus drivers, small-business owners,
the people who keep this region running
but are rarely at the table when decisions are made.
This campaign is not about chasing power.
It's about putting people first
and making sure government finally works for those
who have been left behind.