Dear fellow King County employee,

I am excited to announce that we are relaunching our Executive Branch values and our True North: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. Our True North captures the heart of our work and is a navigational point. Our values guide our work, our decision-making, and the way we show up for one another and our customers. They define the type of organization we are and strive to be, moving us closer to our True North and our goal of becoming the Best-Run Government:

• We are one team
• We focus on the customer
• We drive for results
• We lead the way
• We are responsible stewards
• We respect all people
• We are racially just
• We solve problems.

For each value we have produced a short video featuring fellow King County employees and leaders sharing what the value means to them and their work. We are kicking off the relaunch with our We respect all people value. It doesn’t matter where we work at the County; it is imperative that we treat every person we work alongside and serve with respect. Respect is the foundation of everything we do, and we need to seek to understand all perspectives, beliefs, and values. We need to engage all people in decisions that affect them and recognize all people for their contributions and accomplishments. I encourage you to watch this video to learn more.

In 2019, I launched our True North and values, and we began a monthly learning focus on each. When COVID-19 struck King County at the start of 2020, we put a pause on the values rollout, but we never stopped living them. In fact, our response to the pandemic demonstrated our values in action as we led the way for the rest of the nation. We joined together as one team to solve problems and steward our region through the pandemic. We were guided by our We Are Racially Just and We Respect All People values as we delivered solutions that focused on the customer. We drove for results that followed the science and saved thousands of lives.

Thank you for your commitment and dedication to serving King County, our residents, and region. I look forward to our continued journey together making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.

Sincerely,

Dow Constantine (he/him/his)
King County Executive