Employee Spotlights
Five questions with Lluvia Ellison-Morales, Animal Services Administrator, Department of Executive Services
Overcoming a life changing injury with strength, dignity and a committed team
Best of the best: King County Metro names Neal Safrin Operator of the Year
Employee shares the powerful experience of working in Juvenile Court
News
Free auto leaks workshops throughout Puget Sound
Does your car drip? Ever wondered if a ‘spot’ on the ground came from your car? Want to learn how to properly maintain your car? Join the experts for a FREE Auto Leaks workshop – a $125 value. Or use the $50 coupon at one of the over 200 participating repair shops. At this workshop you’ll: Get a free professional car health assessment from a certified automotive instructor. Learn how to identify and prevent leaks. Receive tips on repairing minor common leaks. Learn preventive maintenance. Leave the class with a FREE Vehicle… Read More
Social Security 101: Everything You Wanted to Know, April 26
This event, presented by the Social Security Administration, will answer many of your of your questions regarding Retirement Benefits and Eligibility Requirements, Early Retirement Effect on Benefits, Survivor Benefits, Medicare, Disability and Spouse Benefits and much more! Attendees are asked to bring a printed Social Security Statement, which can be accessed at http://www.ssa.gov/myaccount. Wednesday, April 26, noon to 1:30 p.m. City Hall, Bertha Knight Landes Room, 600 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.
GoGreen and “The Future of Transportation”
Crossposted from Inside Transportation by Harold S. Taniguchi, Director, King County Dept. of Transportation Local action will continue to be our path forward on climate, sustainability, mobility and equity in King County, as we saw at the recent GoGreen Conference in Seattle. Thanks to the leadership of King County Executive Dow Constantine, we are addressing these challenges and partnering with businesses and the community for shared success on green building, wind and solar energy, transit-oriented development, and the nation’s leading commitment on electric buses. This was the fifth year of King County’s… Read More
County floodplain managers work together to understand a fast-moving river
Crossposted from The Downstream Blog On a gray day last month, a small group of King County and King County Flood Control District (Flood District) employees stood on the forested edge of the Tolt River upstream of Carnation. Geologically speaking, this is a young river – sinuous, fast-moving and largely unconstrained as it courses from its headwaters in the Cascades to its confluence with the wide, slow-moving Snoqualmie River. Chase Barton, an engineer with the King County’s River and Floodplain Management (Rivers) Section in the Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD), looked… Read More
Commemorating May Day and International Workers Day April 26
Employees are welcome to participate in a celebration focused on protecting immigrants and refugees by commemorating May Day and International Workers Day. The event will feature guest speakers, a spoken word artist and is co-sponsored by the Executive Branch, King County Office of Equity and Social Justice and members of the King County Council. Wednesday, April 26 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Chinook Rooms 121-123 View the flyer for more information.
See something, say something. Issues that is
Crossposted from King County Parks Plog As your King County Parks staff, our job is to keep your parks clean, safe and open. It is part of our daily routine. That said, stuff happens. Daily, if not hourly, staff can be rerouted to deal with any number of issues. We of course handle anything we come across during our rounds, but sometimes, you visitors are onsite before we are. (Looking at you, “Training for a marathon before work,” and, “Dogs will eat my furniture if they don’t play in the field before… Read More
King County honors the heroic sacrifice of firefighter Luther Dean Bonner with a new airport fire station that captures his story
At a ceremony Monday at King County International Airport, the new rescue and fire station was named in honor of a fallen firefighter whose act of bravery has been overlooked for decades. In 1943, Luther Dean Bonner, a 23-year-old Seattle firefighter, died while attempting to rescue passengers and warehouse workers after a plane crashed into a plant near the airfield. Thirty-two people were killed, making it the largest loss of life from a fire in Seattle’s history, yet Bonner’s sacrifice was never properly recognized. King County elected officials invited members of his… Read More
Metro’s Anita Whitfield: Paving the way for equity in public transit
Crossposted from Metro Matters As Metro’s EEO/Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Anita Whitfield has been breaking down barriers and instilling a shared sense of responsibility for promoting equity and social justice. Whitfield has worked to create a culture where employees feel safe to have difficult discussions about historical and current inequities. She’s led training for many employees (which she calls “shared learning opportunities”), and played an instrumental role in shaping a vision for making Metro and King County government more equitable for all employees and residents. Whitfield recently was honored by the Puget… Read More
Executive Constantine thanks DNRP employees for becoming “carbon neutral”
King County Executive Dow Constantine today congratulated Department of Natural Resources and Parks employees for helping DNRP become King County’s first “Carbon Neutral” agency. Dear DNRP employee, Earth Week is a great chance to congratulate every Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) employee for helping DNRP become King County’s first “Carbon Neutral” agency! Please watch the video linked here (also available below) from DNRP Director Christie True and me, thanking employees not only for helping DNRP reduce and remove more greenhouse gas emissions than it generates, but doing it a year ahead of… Read More
Grand opening of Administration Building Plaza April 21
Join us to kick off the activation of the Administration Building Plaza as a place for employees to relax and come together in the nicer weather. The event will feature guest speakers and a ribbon cutting, as well as foosball, ping pong and participation from vendors including the YMCA, Oxbow Farm, Snoqualmie Valley Farmers, 24 Hour Fitness and many more. Delicious food from a variety of food carts will be able for purchase as well. Friday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. west side of King County Administration Building For… Read More
Administrative Professionals Recognition Day event, April 26
Please join us for the second annual King County Administrative Professionals Recognition Day event on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the King County Courthouse, Room E-942, 516 Third Avenue. Register for the event today to ensure your spot. Please plan for travel time through the security checkpoint and elevators.
Tech Tip: Privacy protections and the internet
There has been a lot of talk recently about Internet Privacy. The other Washington is moving to change online privacy protections and this Washington is moving to protect them at the state level. No matter what the outcome, this is a good reminder that we should all take some basic precautions to safeguard our privacy while surfing the web. Check your ISPs Privacy Policy Your ISP is your Internet Service Provider (AKA Comcast, AT&T or Verizon). Every ISP has a policy which governs what they will do with your personal information. This… Read More
Test of KCInform employee alert system, April 25
Earlier this year, King County launched a new employee emergency alert system called “KCInform”. This system, powered by CodeRED, allows us to reach you by phone, text, and email with timely information in an emergency or natural disaster. Your safety is our priority, whether you are at work or home, so having updated personal contact information (work cell phone and home phone, email, and/or cell phone) is critical for reaching you wherever you are. In January you were emailed a personal profile link to enter your information into KCInform. Many of you… Read More
Corrections Officer couple achieves Gold one step at a time
Two King County corrections officers earned Gold in this year’s Healthy Incentives program, and they did it one step at a time up 12 flights of stairs each morning. Sonya and Randy Weaver are both corrections officers assigned to court detail with the County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. They have been with DAJD for 19 and 20 years, respectively, and have been a married couple for 10 of those years. Each work day morning, the couple climbs the 12-story stairwell of the King County Courthouse before their shift begins, and… Read More
From the Hip: Caroline Whalen, Director of Executive Services
Employee engagement is job #1 When Dow Constantine and Fred Jarrett asked me to serve as director of the Department of Executive Services (DES) seven years ago, I frankly was overwhelmed. How could I move out of operations and project management to lead the diverse set of agencies that make up DES? I told them, “I’m the person you put in a black suit and throw out of the helicopter with a specific mission, not the person in the planning room overseeing the operation.” But, they had confidence in me to make… Read More
Auburn Public Health employees discuss ideas, challenges with Budget Director
Dwight Dively, Director of Performance, Strategy and Budget, visited the Auburn Public Health Center on Monday, April 17, to talk with employees about the services they provide and what King County can do to help them serve their clients better. Staff took Dively on a tour of the facility to showcase some of the services they deliver – such as Family Planning for teens and adults, and WIC nutrition plus maternity support for pregnant women and families. They discussed their work and raised issues they are encountering. “I really appreciate Dwight making… Read More
Exciting news from the Facilities Management Division: New Customer Care Services
On April 3, the Facilities Management Division (FMD) went live with the new Customer Care Services to provide a single point of contact for service requests for all FMD Lines of Business. Customer Care Services will ensure the request is responded to by the appropriate FMD representative and will be able to provide updates on projects or outstanding items. Employees are encouraged to contact FMD Customer Care Services at 206-477-9400 or Customercareservices.fmd@kingcounty.gov for assistance with changes to a workplace, maintenance requests, additional space needs, keys and a work authorization or order. Hours… Read More
Kudos to Hizkiel Chibssa for outstanding work performance
Sergeant Peter Boehme, with the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, recently shared this memo in praise of employee Hizkiel Chibssa, with Maintenance and Supply, King County Correctional Facility. It gives me great pleasure to inform you that we at the King County Jail, Seattle division, have noticed Mr. Hizkiel Chibssa‘s outstanding performance in floor care. Mr. Hizkiel Chibssa’s enthusiasm and professionalism while performing his job is commendable and deserves recognition. We are truly impressed not only by his work ethic but the results are outstanding. In the last 6 months our… Read More
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