King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay launches 2025 campaign for Executive
King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay will be a candidate for the county’s top job in 2025, he announced today, confirming his intention to launch a campaign to succeed longtime incumbent Dow Constantine, who has decided to retire.
Zahilay is one of nine members of the Metropolitan County Council, the county’s legislative branch. He represents the 2nd District, which includes neighborhoods in Seattle and unincorporated King County, like Skyway. He was first elected to the Council in 2019 (when he prevailed over longtime incumbent Larry Gossett, who is now a supporter) and reelected last cycle for a second term. Like Claudia Balducci, Zahilay is able to run for Executive without giving up his seat on the Council, because he represents an even-numbered district, which have their regular elections in the opposite cycle.
Martin Luther King Jr. County is one of only a few counties in Washington with a home-rule charter, which is the county’s equivalent of a constitution, providing for a plan of government that is unique and changeable.
No other county in the state is as populous as King County is. Home to some of Washington’s largest cities, it’s a colossus. It’s well known as the core of the Seattle metropolitan area, yet it has many rural communities as well. The westernmost part of the county is Vashon and Maury Islands; the easternmost part of the county is the Cascade Range, including the Mountains to Sound Greenway leading up to Snoqualmie Pass. Consequently, Executive is one of the highest profile positions in the region.
https://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2024/12/king-county-councilmember-girmay-zahilay-launches-2025-campaign-for-executive.html