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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 8h

This morning I joined One America Votes to kick off a phone bank to defeat I-645 and preserve sustainable revenue for schools, childcare, healthcare, and more. Check your mailbox right now. Your ballot is there. Please vote NO on I-645 and return it by Tuesday, Nov 3! Learn more: no645.com

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 20/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us this weekend for King County’s inaugural Regional Day of Service at White Center Heights Park! Join our new King County Volunteer Corps at kingcounty.gov/volunteer, and we’ll connect you with organizations in your community that need your time.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 19/10/2026

Metro’s Next Stop is our plan to expand and improve bus service across King County by 2038, with more frequent buses, faster trips, and better connections. Learn more: kingcounty.gov/metro/NextStop

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 18/10/2026

We opened King County’s 99th official ballot drop box, making it easier for people to make their voices heard! Just 10 years ago, we had only 10 drop boxes. By next week, we’ll have 100. Great work, King County Elections. Make your voice heard and get your vote in before Tuesday, November 3rd 🗳️

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 16/10/2026

We’re launching a new Permitting Advisory Panel to speed up permitting and build homes and open businesses more quickly. Our King County teams have already brought down wait times by 25% and dramatically increased customer service. Now it’s time to do more. content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAK...

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Today, we’re celebrating 41 new affordable homes at Creekside Village on Vashon Island! 🏡 King County invested $8.375 million in this project because affordable housing should be within reach for people across our entire region, including our island and rural communities.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Skyway, we’re delivering a Community Center for you! After decades of community advocacy, we have the building, the land, and dedicated resources to begin the project. Now we get to help shape it together.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Last week, we convened the King County-Cities Climate Collaboration, K4C, to accelerate climate action across our region. Extreme heat, smoke, and floods have brought the climate crisis to our doorstep. Climate action must be a core part of how we govern, with the urgency these threats demand.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

We all have a role to play in making our neighborhoods better. That’s why we launched the King County Volunteer Corps, and that’s why we’re inviting you to its first Regional Day of Service with Duwamish Alive!

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I was proud to propose an amendment with @mayorofseattle that is keeping Graham Street Station on track to be built by 2031, and today I got to celebrate that progress with the neighbors who helped make it possible. It was so much fun joining the Graham Street block party!

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Could you go a week without driving? This Week Without Driving, we’re challenging you to leave the car at home and explore the many ways to get around our community.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Pinehurst Station is open! Proud to cut the ribbon on a new connection to jobs, schools, and our region for North Seattle neighbors. Thank you to the workers and community advocates who made it happen. Let’s keep building a more connected King County.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Today, I sent my second supplemental budget to the King County Council: a $746 million proposal to expand housing and shelter, improve transit and infrastructure, protect parks and natural areas, support workers and small businesses, and take action on climate change.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

500 units of shelter and affordable housing in 500 days. That was our commitment in March. Today, about six months later, I’m proposing investments to move more than 600 homes and shelter spaces forward across King County. Read more: content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAK...

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Next year, King County will ask you to vote on a major initiative that supports kids, young people, and families. It’s called the Best Starts for Kids levy, and the current version invests more than $800 million to help kids grow up healthy and safe. Tell us what you think! publicinput.com/j37526

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This proposal will be included in my second omnibus budget, which I’ll transmit to the King County Council on September 24th.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

My administration is committed to a collaborative process in the development of this office, and we look forward to engaging with workers, employers, and stakeholders to build out a model that best serves the needs of our region.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Working people are the backbone of King County, and I’m dedicated to making sure their rights are protected, their work is valued, and their workplaces are healthy.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Yesterday evening at the Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council’s monthly delegate evening, I announced my proposal for a $500K investment to launch a new Office of Labor Standards.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I am thrilled to launch of the King County Volunteer Corps! Through the Volunteer Corps, we’ll connect local orgs with neighbors ready to show up and help. Ready to volunteer? Sign up for opportunities. Leading an org that needs volunteers? Let us help spread the word. kingcounty.gov/volunteer

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

We are expanding options for people in behavioral health crisis. The first crisis care center in Kirkland is open, and another location in Seattle will open next year. We are currently doing the important work to site 3 more centers in South and East King County, plus one for youth. Thank you DCHS.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Out near Redmond visiting our King County Road Services teams working on a fish passage project in Cottage Lake! On NE 128th Way, crews are replacing a rusted pipe beneath the road with a larger culvert that lets the stream flow more naturally and gives salmon and trout an easier path upstream.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Started this Saturday morning in one of the northeasternmost parts of King County, Baring, Washington, where our King County teams stepped up for a community that lost a critical lifeline when the historic Baring Bridge was badly damaged during the December floods.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

After months of a difficult strike, I congratulate UNITE HERE Local 8 members and Embassy Suites on reaching an agreement and ratifying a new union contract that serves the interests of both workers and business.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Metro Flex is available in Federal Way and Auburn! This latest pilot will run for two years and allow riders to book on-demand trips within the service area. It’s an easy way to connect between neighborhoods, transit hubs and more! Learn more: bit.ly/3UArZvn

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Today I’m announcing my proposal to invest $100 million in conservation funding to protect 1,500 acres of open space throughout King County, delivering on our commitment to the voters who have consistently and overwhelmingly approved the revenue sources that make these investments possible!

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Every year, millions of people visit our region to experience our food, art, history, culture, and neighborhoods. We’re investing $900K in tourism projects that celebrate local culture and history, strengthen neighborhood economies, and create jobs. Apply: kingcounty.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Sound Transit announced that Pinehurst Station will open for service on Wednesday, September 30. The newest Seattle station will connect communities near NE 130th Street to high-capacity rail rapid transit service, with 1 and 2 Line trains arriving every 4-5 minutes.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

King County families with children in 5th grade and younger: We want to hear from you. The Best Starts for Kids Health Survey helps us understand how kids and families are doing. Your responses will help guide the work of Best Starts for Kids. bit.ly/4xgR78U

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Major transit expansions start today! what’s changing? 🚌 9 new bus routes ➕ 3,000+ additional trips every week ⏰ More frequent service on key routes 🌙 More evening & weekend service 🚆 Better connections to light rail Thank you to all of our Metro teams: kingcountymetro.blog/2026/08/03/k...

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

We just opened the new South County Recycling and Transfer Station! The new station is mostly powered by renewable energy, with King County’s largest rooftop solar array, and was designed to reduce odors, noise, and traffic impacts while protecting the surrounding environment.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

What’s up, Vashon! Yesterday, we spent the day on Vashon Island meeting with community and seeing some of the work happening across the island. Thank you to all of King County teams, including DNRP and DLS, who continue to deliver excellent services and make people’s lives better every day.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Please join me in congratulating Metro’s Transit Operator of the Year, Tamieko Cook! Our bus operators are the face of King County; dedicated public servants who show up every day to connect hundreds of thousands of people to jobs, school, health care, family, and everything in between.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

King County won a major legal victory against the Trump admin. The 9th Circuit ruled in our favor, blocking the feds from forcing us to adopt harmful anti-diversity, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ+, & anti-abortion policies. Because of this win, King County expects to receive $364M in federal grants.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

We’re expanding Metro Flex to Auburn and Federal Way! Starting August 31, riders in both communities will be able to book on-demand rides, all for the same $3 fare as a Metro bus. Youth 18 and under ride free. Visit kingcounty.gov/metroflex to learn more, or call 206-258-7739 to book a ride.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

We’ve launched hundreds of jobs for youth and young adults through our new King County YouthWorks program. Congrats to all those who completed their summer placements! More opportunities here: kcyouthworks.org

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

ICE activity in King County continues to tear families apart and add fear and uncertainty amongst our residents. Today, I sat down to share updates on the work we have been doing and our continued commitment to making this region safe for all.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

King County Metro has been awarded $22.14 million in federal funding to invest in the future of our Water Taxi system! Thanks to Senator Murray, we can invest in the infrastructure that keeps our region moving, giving us the potential to expand transit options in West Seattle and Vashon.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Last night, I joined our Open House on the future RapidRide R Line to hear directly from people who use the current Route 7. There are still opportunities to weigh in on this transformation especially as I challenge Metro to deliver a quality product as fast as possible: kingcounty.gov/rapidride/r

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

King County is investing $36.2 million to bring energy-efficient heating and cooling to more homes and community spaces across our region.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Our King County communities count on clean water, and everyone has a role to play in protecting it. I’m proud that King County is helping high school students be part of the solution through the Clean Water Ambassadors internship program, co-hosted by @kingcountywtd and @mountainstosoundgreenway

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

We’re investing $2.75 million to help 30 organizations strengthen food security across King County. These capital grants will improve food bank facilities, expand food storage, purchase refrigerated delivery vehicles, and help community partners serve more neighbors.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Today, I announced that King County has been awarded a $15 million grant to support crisis intervention training, gun violence prevention, and other community safety initiatives.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

“Executive Zahilay announced that Metro will expand bus service across King County starting Aug. 29, including 9 new routes, 3,000+ new bus trips/ week, and better connections to new light rail. The changes include the launch of Metro Flex, an on-demand transit service.” tinyurl.com/MetroService2026

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the King County Immigrant and Refugee Commission Community Meeting. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to complete the Commission’s Community Needs Survey. Your feedback will help shape future policies, programs, and investments. bit.ly/m/kcirc-comm...

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The information provided by Sound Transit today shows we can deliver light rail to Market Street by 2042 through cost savings and additional financial capacity. I’m ready to do everything in my capacity as a Board member and regional leader to make this happen. www.soundtransit.org/blog/platfor...

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

This work would not have been possible without our new Arts & Culture Manager in the Executive Office, Jonathan Cunningham. Jonathan brings extensive experience in arts funding, cultural partnerships, and public policy, most recently serving as Deputy Director at 4Culture.

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Executive Girmay Zahilay @girmayzahilay.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Earlier this week, I announced that King County reached a one-year lease agreement with CREATE48 Media Network to keep Harbor Island Studios operating while we develop a long-term strategy for the facility. Read more: executive.kingcounty.gov/2026/07/07/e...

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