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King County Executive-elect Girmay Zahilay shares transition plans
King County Executive Shannon Braddock and Executive-elect Girmay Zahilay announced next steps for leadership changes and the appointment of key transition team members to ensure a smooth handoff to the new administration.
SEATTLE - For the first time in 16 years, King County has a new Executive-elect, Girmay Zahilay.
On Monday, there was a physical and historical handoff as the first woman to serve as King County Executive, Shannon Braddock, transitioned to the office to Zahilay, the first immigrant and first refugee to hold the job.
"This is our moment to reset, to unite across cities, sectors and communities and to build the partnerships that real progress demands," Zahilay said.
Big picture view:
Zahilay will not only be the first newly elected executive in 16 years, but also only the seventh person ever to serve in this role.
"This is the place where I was able to go from homelessness to public housing and being a refugee to serving now as the leader of our state’s largest local government. That is not something we should shy away from saying, this is a special place we live in," Zahilay said.
He is scheduled to take the oath of office on November 25 and is ready with a plan.
"We are launching a comprehensive transition process designed to ensure that we are ready to govern on day one," Zahilay said.
Dig deeper:
That transition will be guided by a 100-member committee that he says represents every corner and sector of King County. It includes executives from Microsoft, Amazon, Planned Parenthood, various cities, organizations and hospitals. They’ll be focused on what Zahilay calls the "Four B’s" of a better future.
"Number one, ‘Breaking the Cycle,’ we will seek to break the cycle of homelessness, addiction, crime and incarceration that is harming too many people in our region," Zahilay said.
The second B stands for ‘Building for Affordability’ — which he says means increasing the supply of housing, childcare and transit. It also includes setting up a permitting and regulation review task force.
The third B stands for ‘Boots on the Ground’.
"I want you to see us outside connecting, solving problems in a very tangible way, doing community clean-ups, stocking up foodbanks, knocking on doors in low-income communities," Zahilay said.
The last B stands for ‘Better Government,’ which means making the government more accountable, efficient and transparent.
"Right now, we’re facing some of the toughest challenges in our region's history — from homelessness to a skyrocketing cost of living, from public safety issues to a federal government that continues to cut off vital resources," Zahilay said.
What they're saying:
He later described some of those resources in more detail. "We know the president is strivings to cut off lifelines like SNAP that allowed people like my family to eat… cut off Medicaid and Medicare and housing programs, we have to show people that when we come together and fight for our values and the policies that uplift those values anything is possible here and that is exactly why I ran for King County Executive," Zahilay said.
The subcommittees will hold working sessions over the next 45 days and produce a roadmap that will shape Zahilay’s first few months in office, as well as long-term priorities, he said during Monday’s news conference. Zahilay added, they’re also being asked to give three-to-five short-term actionable steps that can be taken so that the community can start feeling the impact quickly.
Zahilay’s office announced they’ve also launched a website where residents can find information regarding the transition and even apply to serve in the administration.
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