On Tuesday, in the wake of a damning audit of the Department of Community and Human Services’ contracting practices, the King County Council held a briefing on legislationto strengthen contract management and compliance protocols.
I am happy to be a co-sponsor to Councilmember Dunn’s proposed ordinance – it's an important start and I’m preparing a package of systemic reforms that build on it. The County Council has both the opportunity and obligation to restore public trust, while delivering critical services for our most vulnerable neighbors. My proposals include:
- Establish a guiding principle that sets the highest value on restoring and maintaining public trust.
- Designate a dedicated audit function within the Executive branch to oversee implementation of best practices and directives from the audit.
- Set clear deadlines for action to ensure timely and measurable progress.
- Require a comprehensive internal audit to assess the full scope of contracting issues, recognizing that the current audit reviewed only a small fraction of existing contracts.
- Report on prior audit findings, like the 2023 Seabold report , and clarify what was learned and implemented to prevent repeat failures.
- Increase financial oversight commensurate with the increase in grant funding
- Protect support mechanisms for nonprofit contractors, ensuring they are not burdened by unnecessary red tape.
- Strengthen conflict of interest rules and practices to safeguard integrity across all levels of county government.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to implement these actions in order to strengthen accountability and rebuild trust in King County’s grantmaking system.
 Photo: Northwest Progressive Institute
Last week, we celebrated the first time in the world that light rail driving across a floating bridge—right here in King County, with two-car trains travelling across the I-90 bridge. This week, we celebrate another milestone—four-car trains flying across the I-90 bridge at speeds up to 55 miles per hour!
As Chair of the Sound Transit System Expansion Committee and longtime transit rider, I am committed to delivering the light rail that we promised voters. With the opening of the 2 Line last year, the recent announcement of the December opening of the Federal Way extension, and now this progress on the I-90 segment that will link the Eastside to Seattle, I’m proud of the strides we are making towards connecting our region with fast, frequent, and reliable transit.
This Saturday, September 20, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Juanita High School (10601 NE 132nd St, Kirkland), join your neighbors at the Kirkland Health and Wellness Fair! With a dozen community and local government partners, you can access free services including health screenings, vaccines, dental services, mammograms, bicycle helmets, and more. Language support is also available in Arabic, Cantonese, Hindi, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagolog, Ukrainian, and English.
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