Executive Summary - April 2015

King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 04/30/2015 04:11 PM PDT
From the Office of King County Executive Dow Constantine

News from King County Executive Dow Constantine
April 2015  •  Issue 13

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State of the County video_King County

Executive delivers 2015 State of the County address

In front of a packed house at Federal Way Community Center on April 27, Executive Constantine delivered the annual State of the County address at a special meeting of the Metropolitan King County Council. 

The Executive discussed our region's growing prosperity and inequality, and introduced Best Starts for Kids, his initiative to fund prevention and early intervention strategies based on the latest brain science that's produced right here at the University of Washington. 

Best Starts for Kids is the first strategy of its kind in the nation to create a unified approach to investment in a child's first five years, followed by interventions as needed on a child's journey to adulthood, along with support for safe, healthy communities that reinforce early progress.

State of the County resources:

Best Starts for Kids_King County

Best Starts for Kids to put every child on path toward success

Science tells us what we already know: Prevention works. Executive Constantine's Best Starts for Kids initiative will help every child in King County get off to a strong start in life and reach adulthood healthy and able to reach his or her full potential.

The six-year levy is proposed for the November ballot and seeks to break the connection between incomes and outcomes and reverse demand for high cost, crisis-focused services. See our infographic.

"Income inequality puts our future prosperity at risk by denying more of our children the opportunity to fully contribute as part of a well-educated middle class," said the Executive. "The ultimate goal of Best Starts for Kids is to sever the link between incomes and outcomes--to create a King County where the circumstance of one's birth no longer defines the course of one's life."
Emergency radio network_King County

King County voters pass upgrade to emergency radio network

Executive Constantine thanked voters for their 65-percent approval to replace a dangerously outdated radio system for first responders. 

The Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network (PSERN) will help first responders like Medic One communicate with dispatch and each other during emergencies throughout King County.

"A reliable emergency radio network is the lifeline that keeps all of our communities safe, used thousands of times a day by police, firefighters, and medics in every corner of our county," said the Exec.

"I want to thank the voters of King County for acknowledging the need to replace a dangerously outdated system and ensuring that our first responders have the tools they need to communicate during life-threatening emergencies."
It's Easy Being Green_King County

King County is helping all of us to make eco-friendly choices

What we eat, what we buy, how we travel, and how we connect with nature can positively impact the future of our planet. Check out the environmental leadership of the County's 2015 Green Globe award winners.

Executive Constantine proclaimed April 22 as "Earth Action Day" and encouraged people to take advantage of all the services available through King County that help us make green choices in our daily lives, such as the Take it Back Network for recycling old electronics, light bulbs, mattresses, and more. 

King County is making it easier for our 2 million residents to make eco-friendly choices that create a more sustainable community. Being green is as easy as one small action.

Executive Constantine in the news