Thanking our veterans for their service
King County Executive Dow Constantine
Dear fellow King County employee,
Every year, we dedicate November 11 as a day to honor America’s veterans. For more than 100 years we have joined together to salute the brave individuals who have served in our nation’s armed forces, placing themselves in harm’s way to protect our freedom and security.
King County is home to some 115,000 veterans of all ages. Among their number are 1,277 people we work beside every day, fellow King County employees in every branch and department of King County government who have served or are currently serving. Of those employees, 102 have recorded military service hours (active duty or reserves) in 2019. Thank you for your service.
Expressing our gratitude is important, but we also need to honor their service with actions. Thanks to the voters of King County and funding from the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy, our King County Veterans Program is helping local veterans, military personnel, and their families come home successfully, offering counseling and case management, financial assistance, employment and training programs, and other supports. One particular highlight is the steady reduction over the past two years in veteran homelessness.
Veterans Day is Monday, November 11. I ask you to join me in thanking our veterans and active duty personnel for their dedication, courage, and ongoing contributions to our community.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
Share this:
Pet of the Week: Sparky
Sparky is an 11 year-old, male, black and white, shorthair cat (A581600). His personality color is BLUE, meaning he is a gentle and loving boy who likes to take things slow. Sparky is very affectionate and he loves gentle head and cheek scratches. He has a big purr and doesn’t stop the whole time you are petting him!
Read more at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet.
Share this:
Featured Job: Equity and Social Justice Coordinator – Council
Salary: $74,185.00 – $99,770.00 Annually
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Appointed
Department: KCC – King County Council
Job Number: 2019-10765
Closing: 11/14/2019 11:59 PM Pacific
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
Share this:
2019 Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards
King County Executive Dow Constantine
Last year, I launched the Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards to recognize individual employees and workgroups whose innovations and improvements are delivering excellence for our customers, our organization, and our region.
The awards recognize the employees and teams who are achieving exceptional improvement results for the people we serve and driving us toward our True North: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
In 2018, we honored 15 nominees and five award recipients for their hard work and service excellence. This year’s award categories will include Innovation, Leadership Excellence, and the Road to Excellence. Anyone can nominate a team or team member for the Innovation and Leadership Excellence Awards. The Road to Excellence Awards are given to divisions that achieve one of three levels of progress in the Lean Maturity Model.
I encourage you to start thinking about projects from the past year and team members which you would like to nominate for an award. You may review the nomination criteria here. The nomination period opens Nov. 12.
Thank you in advance for helping us build a King County culture where every employee is committed to innovation, continuous improvement, and performance excellence.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
Share this:
You can make a difference through the Annual Giving Drive
King County Executive Dow Constantine
Dear fellow King County employee,
The Annual Giving Drive brings King County employees together to advance education, provide clean water to villages all over the globe, expand access to safe, warm shelter, and buy food for some of the 1 in 6 Americans that struggle with hunger.
It’s also an opportunity to help those impacted by natural disasters, here at home and around the world. The 2019 hurricane season devastated communities in the Caribbean and the southeastern United States, with Hurricane Dorian causing severe damage and loss of life in the Bahamas, and Tropical Storm Imelda causing catastrophic flooding in Texas; wildfires continue to rage across California.
Hundreds of employees have already participated in this year’s drive through special events, donated food, and volunteering. What’s more, we have already pledged $640,576 and are on the way to our countywide goal of $2.1 million. Your generosity makes a difference for so many people.
Our 2019 Annual Giving Drive runs through Friday, Nov. 22, and provides several options to support the people and communities impacted by these natural disasters, as well as countless causes that are important to each of us. You may do so online or with a paper form.
- Payroll Donation – One time, once a month, or twice a month.
- Time Donation – Up to three nonprofit organizations.
- Credit Cards and e-Checks – on the online storefront.
- Special Events – Raise awareness and money for a particular cause.
- Volunteer – Eligible employees may take up to three sick days a year to volunteer.
Whatever is important to you, when we give together, we can amplify the good we do. If you have any questions, ask your work site Ambassador or reach out to the Employee Giving Program at employeegiving@kingcounty.gov.
Thank you for all you do, both here and outside of work, to help our community and communities around the world thrive.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
Share this:
I-976 impacts to Seattle and King County: if no replacement funds, major cuts to Metro service
King County Executive Dow Constantine outlined possible consequences of I-976, the $30 car-tab initiative that failed in King County but passed statewide in the Nov. 5 election.
King County does not collect vehicle license fees or motor vehicle excises taxes, which would be repealed under I-976. However, the state of Washington, Sound Transit and 13 King County cities including Seattle use these sources to fund mobility projects, impacting Metro operations. Read more.
Share this:
Raise the Sounders FC flag Friday at noon
The Seattle Sounders are on the verge of winning their second MLS Cup, and we want to cheer them on as they get ready to take on Toronto FC this Sunday.
Join your fellow employees and fans at noon on Friday, Nov. 8, as we rally on the Administration Building Plaza (Fourth Avenue side) and raise the Sounders flag to celebrate our hometown club and Major League Soccer’s best fans.
If you are on break or at lunch Friday at noon, or not working during this time, put on your Sounders gear and help cheer the Rave Green to a championship against Toronto FC.
Your attendance is of course strictly voluntary, and employees will not be compensated or receive overtime for joining the celebration. Go Sounders!
Share this:
Discounts for Summit at Snoqualmie and UW Local Government Appreciation basketball games
Employees are reminded that beginning Nov. 7, prices will increase slightly for the Summit at Snoqualmie Corporate Season Pass. This includes Unlimited pass (covering adult, young adult, teen, youth, child, senior, and super senior) and Limited (covering adult, young adult, teen, youth, and senior) season passes. To purchase, follow these online instructions, sales will end Jan. 8, 2020. For more information about rates and discounts for the Summit at Snoqualmie 2019-2020 season, email summitstore@summiti90.com.
King County employees are also welcome to take advantage of discounted tickets to two UW Husky basketball games. These games are part of the UW Local Government Appreciation discount. The two games are Saturday, Feb. 1, at 7:30 p.m. against Arizona State University, and Friday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. against Washington State University. To access the discount for both games visit this link here. For more information contact JRothbaum@pac-12sales.com.
See all available employee discounts at www.kingcounty.gov/employeediscounts.
Share this:
2019 Annual Giving Drive: Spotlight on nonprofits providing services and support for veterans
King County’s Annual Giving Drive Program is underway through Friday, Nov. 22, and almost 1,200 nonprofits are taking part this year. Throughout this year’s drive, we’ll be featuring four nonprofits in different categories. This week, we’re highlighting nonprofits that provide services and support for Veterans and their families in honor of Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
- Heartbeat Serving Wounded Warriors (9525) PO Box 610, Onalaska, WA 98570 – The mission of the foundation is to provide emergency assistance, morale building programs, and innovative therapeutic services for wounded warriors and their families.
- OARS For Women Veterans (0952) 10002 Aurora Ave. North, Suite 36-597 Seattle, WA 98133 – Providing readjustment services, including resources, information, and outreach to women who are or have served in the armed forces of the U.S.
- Special Operations Warrior Foundation (2800) P.O. Box 89367, Tampa, FL 33689 – The foundation provides scholarship grants and counseling to children of special operations who die in the line of duty. It also provides financial assistance to wounded special operations personnel.
- Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust (2816) 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076 – This foundation conducts prosthetic research and device for amputees; brain injury therapy, comfort for survivors, and provides guide/assistance dogs for veterans.
All these nonprofits support and offer services for veterans, active military personnel, or families who have lost their loved ones in the line of active duty. With various nonprofits participating this year, the Employee Giving Drive Program offers employees the option to participate in a nonprofit expo online or in person, making it more inclusive. Don’t forget to also download a Giving Passport, which once you complete, you can be entered for a chance to win a prize. For more information, a list of participating nonprofits or if you would simply like to donate, visit the Employee Giving Campaign Annual Drive Nonprofit Search Directory. Happy giving!
Share this:
Have your say on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5
Dear Colleagues,
It’s election time! You should have received your ballot for the November 5, 2019 General Election. If you haven’t, make sure to get a replacement ballot online or call 206-296-VOTE.
I know the ballot this year is a little overwhelming. The entire front page is state ballot measures and advisory votes (don’t get me going on those advisory votes, ugh). All candidate races and local ballot measures are on the back – so make sure to flip that giant ballot over and vote the back as well! The good news is that there is literally no wrong way to vote. Whether you use a pink glitter pen, forget to use the security sleeve, make a mistake or skip some races, no problem – we’ve got you covered. We can securely count your ballot regardless of ink color, corrections or security sleeves. Even if you skip all 12 of those advisory votes, we will count the races that you did vote for.
It’s easier than ever to return your ballot with 69 ballot drop boxes across the county AND prepaid postage! You can also take it to one of our five Vote Center locations across the county, including in our very own Chinook Building. So please vote and encourage your friends, family and neighbors to let their voice be heard and vote.
To learn more about what’s on your specific ballot, see your voting history and registration information, or to track your ballot, check out our new My Voter Information application. Questions? You can always call us at 206-296-VOTE (8683). You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to get the latest on King County Elections.
Thanks and happy voting!
Employee News 