County employees rally to help during severe rains and flooding
Crossposted from the DES Express When forecasts started showing heavy rain would inundate the region and cause local rivers to flood last month, employees at King County Emergency Management sprung into action. As they do in severe weather and other emergencies, they activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Renton on Dec. 8, calling upon other divisions in the Department of Executive Services, county departments, and local partners for help. Read more.
HR communications professionals make lasting impact through their work
By Greg Wilson, Environmental Health Services Division, Public Health – Seattle & King County When individual talent meets genuine care for community, extraordinary things happen. This is evidenced through communications specialists Lilia Cabello Drain and Joanna Gangi, within the Department of Human Resources (DHR). Their daily work demonstrates how authentic commitment transforms routine tasks into meaningful community service. Read more.
Celebrating a milestone year: King County GIS Center honored with dual Enterprise GIS awards in 2025
Crossposted from GIS and You 2025 marks a defining moment in the history of the King County GIS Center (KCGISC). This year, our team was honored not once, but twice, by Esri, receiving the Enterprise GIS Award at both the Esri CIO Summit and the Esri User Conference (UC). These recognitions shine a spotlight on more than three decades of vision, innovation, and unwavering commitment to building one of the most advanced and impactful enterprise Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programs in the nation. Read more.
‘To tell you the truth, I don’t even want to retire, but I know it’s time’
Crossposted from the DAJD Employee Newsletter Nearly 37 years after being handed the keys for his first shift in Seattle, Sgt. Tammy Lowe reflects on his career. He started at the King County Correctional Facility and would later help to open up the brand-new Regional Justice Center in Kent. Over the years, he worked just about every assignment in the jail but liked his final role the best: Maintenance and Supply sergeant. Read more.
Career Connections: What does it take to become an airport firefighter?
Crossposted from the DES Express Airport travelers rarely see them, but a specialized team of firefighter-deputies stands ready every day for the worst-case scenario: an aircraft emergency. The crew also responds to structure, vehicle and dumpster fires on and around airport property. Call volume is much lower than in a typical fire district, but the stakes are high. Most emergencies are medical. About 70% of calls involve passengers, airport staff or contractors needing medical help, according to Clint Herman, a sergeant in the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting unit (ARFF) of the King… Read More
King County Metro to briefly pause service twice on Thursday in honor of slain Transit Operator Shawn Yim
Crosposted from Metro Matters This week we will solemnly mark the anniversary of the murder of King County Metro Transit Operator Shawn Yim. Among other ceremonies, we will honor Shawn on Thursday, Dec. 18, by pausing service twice for a moment of silence and remembrance. All of Metro continues to mourn the loss and honor Shawn’s memory. Shawn was a kind and dedicated public servant, beloved by his family and friends, and was funny, warm and thoughtful to his colleagues and riders. Read more.
Stranded but steady: Operator keeps Carnation Treatment Plant running during atmospheric river
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories When a powerful atmospheric river settled over King County this week, the Snoqualmie Valley experienced some of the most significant impacts. Floodwaters quickly covered rural roads around Carnation, cutting off access to neighborhoods, farms, and the Carnation Treatment Plant. Inside the plant, Wastewater Operator Tyler Stiltner suddenly found himself on an island. Surrounded by rising water and unable to leave, he became the only person able to keep the facility running while the storm intensified. His experience offers a firsthand look at what it means to protect… Read More
Executive Zahilay celebrates historic appointment of Rhonda Lewis as the new King County Councilmember for District 2 and appointment of Sound Transit board members
Rhonda Lewis was unanimously selected by the King County Council for an interim appointment to District 2. She becomes the first Black woman ever to serve on the Council, and creates the first majority of women in the Council’s history. At the same meeting, the Council unanimously approved Executive Zahilay’s slate of nominations to the Sound Transit Board of Directors. Read more.
Last rounds: Dr. Ben Sanders, Jail Health medical director, retires
Crossposted from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention newsletter For Dr. Ben Sanders, becoming a family physician was an early calling inspired by his childhood doctor. But the circumstances that led him to practice medicine inside a jail — and serve as Jail Health Services’ long-time medical director — were an accident born out his own family’s needs and a fortuitous, if not entirely forthcoming, job advertisement. As he prepares to retire from his 24-year career, Dr. Sanders reflects on his career, people who supported him most along the way, and what… Read More
Recognizing Metro’s Operators of the Month, September – October 2025
Crossposted from Metro Matters They enjoy taking photos, playing soccer and practicing peaceful martial arts. They travel and garden. There are ukulele, piano and guitar players and happy grandparents. Those who ride with them say one went the extra mile to return a lost phone: “I can’t tell you how happy I am to have it back, knowing it was safely with him the entire time.” Another rider talked about their ability to help a distraught passenger: “I was so impressed with her ability, in the midst of snow and ice and a schedule… Read More
Employee News 