Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
On Tuesday, March 6, employees from across the County joined County leaders, former colleagues, and business and labor partners to celebrate the career of Karleen Sakumoto, who is retiring from King County after 38 years of service. Karleen served every County Executive from John Spellman to Dow Constantine, the last 12 years as Manager of Employee Health and Well-Being, overseeing the creation of the nationally recognized Health Incentive program. Karleen’s legacy will live on through her achievements, the relentlessly positive attitude she brought to work every day, and the many memories she leaves us with. … Read More
Just a friendly reminder to all employees that Daylight Savings will begin this Sunday, March 11 at 2 a.m. Don’t forget to move the clock forward by one hour!
The King County Council is proclaiming March as Women’s History Month. The vote occurred on the same day the council took yet another significant step in making the county code gender-neutral. The council took the opportunity to celebrate the historic contributions that women of every race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background have made, and continue to make, in the growth, and strength of King County, Washington State, our nation, and around the world. “While celebrating how far we’ve come we must also acknowledge the work that remains to be done,” said Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles…. Read More
Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day, and King County Executive Dow Constantine has signed a Proclamation recognizing and celebrating the day. In King County we join the global community today to celebrate “the economic, political, and social achievements of women around the world… and to recognize the obstacles women still face in the struggle for equal rights and opportunities and their central role in creating positive change,” Executive Constantine said in the Proclamation. You can read the Executive’s International Women’s Day Proclamation here.
This article is shared from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s In Depth column and is featured courtesy of Linda Robson, Communications Specialist with the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. The sudden blare of the dispatch radio jolted the silent crowd inside the packed auditorium. The words crashed down like giant shards of glass from the arena’s loud speakers, cutting and wounding every ear. “Pierce County Unit 4-8-4………” “……… Pierce County Unit 4-8-4………” “……… 4-8-4, no answer..…Out of service.” “……… Gone, but not forgotten.” As the final radio call for Pierce… Read More
After a year-and-a-half of work, four road trips, and thousands of mile in her car, Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) Community Relations Planner Monica Van der Vieren created three story maps that promote bison and prairie conservation: On the Trail of the North American Buffalo. Along the way, Monica’s ESJ training at King County helped her to recognize the opportunity to reshape the narrative of the contributions of North American native peoples to bison recovery after near extermination. “I had a truly transformative moment on the road. After five years of hearing the… Read More
Closing date/time: 03/11/18 11:59 PM (GMT -8:00) Salary: $73,132.80 – $92,684.80 Annually Location: Chinook Building – 401 5th Ave, Seattle Job type: Term Limited Temporary, Full Time, 40 hrs/wk Division: Department of Community & Human Services Summary: The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) provides equitable opportunities for people to be healthy, happy, self-reliant and connected to community. Join our dynamic and energetic team, the King County Housing Repair Program. We inspect dwellings for health and safety, building preservation issues and address housing code violations. We provide program information to community stakeholders… Read More
The We Are 1 HIV PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) social marketing campaign, which was spearheaded by Public Health – Seattle & King County, received both a regional and a national award from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The multi-media HIV prevention campaign, which took place in King , Pierce, and Snohomish County, received a regional Totem Award from PRSA Puget Sound for its creativity and accomplishment within the public relations industry in the Puget Sound area. This award also recognizes projects and programs that demonstrate excellence in public relations, and that rise above the competition. The campaign then went on… Read More
We bring the best people together to deliver value to our customers and stakeholders and continuously improve waste prevention, resource recovery, and waste disposal. King County operates eight transfer stations, two drop-boxes, the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, and many programs to help customers recycle. Learn more about the Solid Waste Division at kingcounty.gov/solidwaste. Follow King County Solid Waste on Facebook today. Click here to view all King County social media pages.
Recognize an exceptional administrative professional in your area or someone you work with that has gone above and beyond to provide you with exceptional service. Any King County employee is eligible to nominate an administrative professional for recognition. All nominations are due by close of business day on Friday, March 30. Nominations can be submitted electronically here, or via or a scanned paper nomination form, and sent directly to AdministrativeProfessionals@kingcounty.gov. To review the eligibility and nomination process, visit the Administrative Professionals website. Also save the date for the third annual Administrative Professionals Recognition Day Event. The event will be held on Wednesday, April 25 from 11:30… Read More
Are you too young to think about retirement? Think again! This retirement overview is for anyone who thinks they may retire in the next few years. With increasing concern over the future of Social Security and the stability of retirement plans, it’s a good idea to stay informed and prepare in advance. Join us for a three-hour seminar featuring guest speaker Jean Cormier, who will discuss your Medicare choices and options, and representatives from the Social Security Administration and the Retired Public Employees Council of Washington. We’ll also talk about the current… Read More
Crossposted from Bytes and Boxes Those of us in the archives profession are often surprised (shocked!) to discover that there are people in the world who don’t know what an archives is or what archivists do. So, to help demystify archives in general, and to let everyone see what a friendly and approachable bunch we really are, in this post we share a series of brief interviews with us, the staff of the King County Archives. And now, we invite you to meet the Archives team…in alphabetical order! Jill Anderson, Assistant Archivist… Read More
On Feb. 3, the Puget Sound Engineering Council honored Wastewater Mechanical Engineer Lead, Jeff Lundt as the 2018 Government Engineer of the Year. Jeff is in the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Wastewater Treatment Division. Jeff was recognized for his many contributions to improving the region’s wastewater infrastructure. His dedication and tireless efforts in providing training for professionals in all areas of water and wastewater treatment have benefited thousands, ensuring operators and engineers understand and are informed of best practices, current trend in the industry, fundamental concepts and new technologies so utilities can – now and in the future – have the staff and knowledge… Read More
Tax season is upon us and King County would like to highlight United Way of King County’s free tax preparation services as a convenient option available to you, your family members, and your community! Tax time can be stressful and expensive, but it doesn’t have to be; consider taking advantage of this free service so you can avoid costly tax preparation fees and maximize your refund. United Way offers free tax preparation services at over 30 locations throughout King County and online from now through April.Households making under $66,000 can have their taxes prepared by a certified tax… Read More
Crossposted from the Best Starts for Kids Blog Building a community where young people are valued, respected, and engaged as leaders of today is fundamental to our collective vision for Best Starts for Kids. Next month on this blog, we’ll begin a series of posts about how we can support the young people in our lives and communities. We’ll discuss concrete actions you can take, resources and tips for adults, and reflections on what it means to build this community together. If you have a question, want to suggest a topic for this… Read More
Crossposted from the Noxious Weeds Blog As spring approaches, it’s a good time to reflect on what we can do this year to help the natural world here at home. Learning about and taking action to help stop the spread of invasive species is one great way to give Washington’s natural world a hand. In honor of Washington Invasive Species Awareness Week (Feb 25-Mar 3), the Washington Invasive Species Council has given us an excellent list of ways we can help fight invasive species. Below is a short excerpt of their ideas (with some King… Read More
Crossposted from Go, Green Team! “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” ― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax On March 2, students across the United States will celebrate and encourage reading. March 2 also happens to be Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Let’s all celebrate learning and reading together. What’s your school doing for Read Across America? Read more at Go, Green Team!
Dear fellow King County employee, On February 14 – Valentine’s Day – 14 children and three adults in Parkland, Florida, lost their lives in a manner that has become all too familiar in America: a senseless school shooting. This horrifying event is another tragic reminder that we must act to end the epidemic of gun violence that has engulfed our nation, to stand up for those who have had their lives brutally taken, and to fight to keep our children and public places safe. Last month I testified in Olympia for two… Read More
Our team is looking for County employees to share their stories via our social media to promote King County as a great place to work, live and play. To participate as a King County ambassador, email the following to KCEmployees@kingcounty.gov: Selfie (photo of yourself) Your workplace role One to three sentence blurb explaining why you love working for King County. Our team will share your testimonials on our social media accounts.
Closing Date/Time: Sat. 03/31/18 11:59 PM Pacific Time Salary: $34.07 – $37.86 Hourly Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Location: Multiple locations in King County, Washington Department: Department of Transportation – Transit Division Description: Electro-Mechanics perform journey-level electrical, electronic and mechanical work on either light rail vehicles or streetcars and associated equipment. Link Light Rail, operated by King County Metro Transit, is a 20.4 mile light rail line from University of Washington Station to Angle Lake Station. Current system expansion will add an additional 50 miles of track by 2023. Currently… Read More