Crossposted from Cultivating Connections King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) warmly welcomes Sunaree Marshall as the new director of the Housing and Community Development (HCD) division. Sunaree brings 15 years of experience in housing and community development and has helped oversee HCD programs, including critical funding and investments that have supported King County’s flagship Health Through Housing Initiative, expanded the County’s Housing Finance Program, provided critical operational funding to organizations working with people and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and strengthened countywide affordable housing policies. Read more.

Crossposted from the DES Express When the Inquest Program started moving into a vacant courtroom in the King County Courthouse, the room looked, well, a bit dismal. “It was a courtroom that hadn’t been regularly used for the last few years,” said Claire Thornton, an Inquest Program attorney. “There was dust everywhere. Members of the team pitched in to clean, mop, and wipe shelves down.” Once Courtroom E-753 was painted, Thornton, whose husband is an artist, felt like the room really needed art. The program once was housed in the Clark Children… Read More

Crossposted from Metro Matters March 16-22 is Transit Appreciation Week, which recognizes and celebrates everyone who contributes to the operation of the best transit system in America: King County Metro! A highlight of the week is Transit Operator Appreciation Day on Tuesday, March 18. The most visible faces you see every day are the operators—bus drivers, light rail and streetcar operators, Access, DART and Metro Flex drivers and Water Taxi captains and crew—but our regional mobility system has more than 5,700 people working to get you where you need to go comfortably and safely every… Read More

Crossposted from Metro Matters In honor of Women’s History Month in March, we’ve asked some of the fantastic women at King Count Metro to discuss why they work in transit. Desiree Andersen, Metro Transit Operator Being a Metro Bus Operator has been one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. Each day I get to interact with people from all walks of life. I get to look through a unique window into our King County community. Driving for Metro has taught me to be grateful for the little things, having… Read More

Crossposted from the DES Express The airport held a refresher defensive driving course to help both new and tenured employees reduce the chance of accidents and enhance safety while operating vehicles and equipment at the airport. Just in time, course materials included winter driving safety tips as well as defensive driving. A second training is in the works for a future date at the airport to be scheduled. Pictured: The King County International Airport Maintenance team, above, spent part of a sunny January day polishing their defensive driving skills on the airfield.

One of our core King County values is We are responsible stewards – of our finances, our resources, our environment, our heritage, and our future. This value means that we are also responsible for the stewardship of King County government across the executive branch.  Last November, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that, after four terms, he will not seek re-election in 2025. The crucial work of King County employees continues and remains as important as ever. As Executive Constantine wrote in his Nov. 12 employee announcement, “While we have seen much success,… Read More

Crossposted from Metro Matters It takes a lot of people to keep a transit system running smoothly across 150 routes and over 300,000 boardings a day. Bus drivers are the most visible part of any transit system, but there are people behind the scenes who are just as vital in the day-to-day operation of King County Metro. Their responsibilities include training operators, planning the routes that run throughout the region, and literally being the “traffic controllers” who keep track of the buses on their daily runs. Read more.