Friends,

I write my final enews to you with much to share and warm appreciation for the opportunity to represent you on the King County Council for the last 13 years.

Last month I led the Council in recognizing Captain Dan Krehbiel and Deckhands Nick Williams and Cory Bantam of the King County Marine Division who spotted a barge loose in Elliott Bay on November 2 and successfully used the MV Doc Maynard to maneuver it out of harm’s way.

Our December 6 Council meeting was quite eventful. First, my legislation to add two community members to the King County International Airport (KCIA) Roundtable, a group that advises on the KCIA, was passed unanimously by the Council. Adding these community voices was something I first proposed well over two years ago and proves an important first step in responding to the King County Auditor’s recent audit report on the KCIA that can be read here.

The same day the Council unanimously adopted the Doors Open levy that will provide nearly $800 million in projected funding for access to science, heritage, and the arts in King County over the next seven years. Doors Open will fund equitable access, support programming in public schools, and increase tourism and revenue, and support the workforce pipeline to the arts and culture sector through a 0.1% sales tax. An idea 20 years in the making, I was proud to be a sponsor of this legislation.

Also on December 6, the Council adopted a mid-biennium update to the County’s 2023-2024 budget. The last such budget I led as Chair of the Council’s Budget & Fiscal Management Committee, the legislation begins to prepare for a significant gap between existing services and funding levels and projected revenue. The gap will be dire as the Council prepares a budget a year from now unless the Legislature gives the County workable options in the session that begins on January 8. This was challenging work with difficult decisions, though a highlight was appropriating $3 million for the hundreds of asylum seekers living at a church in Tukwila in conditions that are unsustainable. This appropriation was possible through cooperation with the City of Tukwila and the Washington State Department of Commerce.

Lastly, this is the last newsletter I will send to your inbox, as I chose not to run for re-election this year which I shared with you here in January. I deeply appreciated the warm sendoff from my colleagues at the last Council meeting of the year, which included this touching video. The video mentions many accomplishments but ask me about the passenger-only terminal at Washington State Ferries’ downtown Colman Dock and I’ll have a story to tell you when we run into each other in the neighborhood.

As a High School Senior, climbing the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC

I committed to a career in public service after a high school trip to Washington, DC. Serving on the King County Council for the past 13 years, and in the Washington State Legislature for a decade before that, has been a deep honor and terribly fulfilling. Thank you for trusting me with this responsibility.

I’ll continue to be here in West Seattle and look forward to what comes next personally and professionally. While I don’t know what my next professional role will be, my next personal goal is to guest host an episode of Saturday Night Live. If you know Lorne Michaels, please put in a good word.

I look forward to what comes next and hope you’ll join me in wishing my successor Teresa Mosqueda all the best in her new role.

-Joe

Joe McDermott
King County Councilmember