Introducing your new King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove

Dear friends and neighbors,

I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself as your new King County Councilmember. I was elected in November and officially took office on January 2nd replacing my friend and mentor Julia Patterson—who retired after a distinguished career. It has been my privilege to represent South King County as a State Representative in Olympia for the past dozen years, and I am excited to continue this work at the Metropolitan King County Council.

Born and raised in South King County, I have spent my career working to make sure our community has a safe and reliable transportation system, decent jobs, and a healthy environment. Our community is diverse—in every sense of the word—and I am continually guided by the values of equality, fairness, and opportunity for all.

As a new councilmember, I will be doing lots of listening and learning. Some of the priorities I have already identified include:

• Upgrading the flood levees in the Green River Valley so residents and businesses can avoid costly flood insurance and development restrictions that would harm our economy.

• Making sure the light rail construction in SeaTac and extension into Des Moines stays on schedule and meets our community's needs.

• Reforming the delivery of county services to balance the county budget and target resources where they are most needed—such as vital health and human services in South King County.

Below are the names and contact information of the new District 5 staff. Please don't hesitate to contact me or a member of my staff if you ever need any assistance. It is our job to work for you.

Sincerely,

Dave

Dave Upthegrove
Councilmember, District 5
Metropolitan King County Council
516 Third Ave, Suite 1200
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 477-1005
www.kingcounty.gov/upthegrove

If you would like to subscribe to my E-Newsletter, send an email with the word "subscribe" in the subject line to district5enews@kingcounty.gov.

The new District 5 team

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the new District 5 Team.

Jeff Muhm – Chief of Staff. I have worked with Jeff off and on for the past 12 years and rely on him for strategic planning, policy analysis and other duties as assigned. Jeff has worked on government finance issues at both the state and local levels, and he is the office lead for transportation and county budget issues. Please contact Jeff at 206-477-0951 or Jeff.Muhm@kingcounty.gov.

David Corrado – Executive Assistant. David keeps things running smoothly for the office and is likely the person you will talk with when you call our direct line. A Kent native, David's experience includes time served in both the non-profit and political campaign worlds, as well as student leadership at the University of Washington. Please contact David with general questions and scheduling requests at 206-477-0950 or David.Corrado@kingcounty.gov.

Kara Durbin – Senior Policy Analyst. Kara brings over ten years of analytical and legal experience to the District 5 team. Prior to joining our office, Kara spent eight years as non-partisan committee staff in the Washington State House of Representatives. Kara staffs land use, water, energy, solid waste and other regulatory issues for our office and may be reached at 206-477-0953 or Kara.Durbin@Kingcounty.gov.

Karan Gill – Senior Policy Analyst and Community Liaison. Karan grew up in Renton and spent the last several years developing evidence based policy proposals at the South King County non-profit BURST for Prosperity (now a part of Children's Home Society). Karan is the District 5 teams lead on health and human services issues and community outreach. Please contact Karan at 206-477-0952 or Karan.Gill@kingcounty.gov.