King County District 2:  History is Made Here

King County Council Appoints Rhonda Lewis, Making History with First Black Woman and First Majority-Woman Council - Madison Park Times

May 29, 2026

Good morning neighbors

In 1968, during his Drum Major Instinct sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Reverend King reminded his congregation, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?” The King County Council’s annual MLK Award recognizes individuals in each Council district who have answered this question with innovative public service.

This week, I was pleased to present Gregory Davis - the valued President of the Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC) - with a 2026 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award (MLK award) for his decades of work building a strong community network of services for others.  Click on the photo below to see the presentation.

Click on photo above to see the presentation of the 2026 MLK award to Gregory Davis.

The MLK award is presented by the Metropolitan King County Council annually in recognition of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their communities.

Gregory Davis has been a champion of the Rainer Beach neighborhood, helping create a food bank which specializes in fresh produce grown on local farms, developing opportunities for youth and providing a space for neighbors to gather, get to know and help each other.

The Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC) has become a pillar of the community, a place where everyone is welcome and everyone is invited to lend a hand and help their neighbors. Its strength is the result of many good people and years of dedicated and skillful leadership by Gregory Davis.

Left to right: CM Jorge Baron (D4), CM Pete von Reichbauer (D7), Council Chair Sarah Perry (D3), CM Steffanie Fain (D5), CM Teresa Mosqueda (D8), CM Rhonda Lewis (D2) with MLK Awardee Gregory Davis and his wife, son and daughter, CM Rod Dembowski (D1), CM Claudia Balducci (D6).

Each awardee is selected out of over 250,000 in each district for demonstrating service to others in their actions over time.

I was pleased to nominate Gregory Davis for his decades-long leadership with the Rainier Beach Action Coalition. His leadership is in the spirit of MLK and his work has made King County a better place.

This week, I was also pleased to join Executive Girmay Zahilay and Mayor Katie Wilson in announcing a proposal to the Sound Transit Board to move forward and build the Graham Street LINK light rail Station. 

Community members have advocated for the Graham Street infill Station for well over a decade. Graham Street station was included in Sound Transit 3 approved by voters in 2016 and would provide access between Columbia City and Othello stations. Ensuring this station is available is another way to build a strong future for our neighborhoods.

: King County Councilmember Rhonda Lewis joins WA State Senator Rebecca Saldana, Sahra Frah Director of Somali Community Services, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, former WA State Representative Velma Valoria, Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa and supporters in promoting the Graham Street Station.

You can read my op-ed advocating for the Graham Street station and the Boeing Access Road station and the benefits they will bring to our communities in The Urbanist.

It is my honor to represent you on the King County Council. 

You are always welcome to contact my office at 206 477-1002 or Rhonda.lewis@kingcounty.gov. 

My D2 team looks forward to assisting you. 

Sincerely,

Rhonda Lewis, Councilmember
Metropolitan King County Council, District 2

May 26-29: Council & Committee Actions

On Tuesday the Committee of the Whole met to interview the Executive’s proposed Director of Public Health – Seattle/King County. I was pleased to vote to support Dr. Sandra Valenciano. Dr. Valenciano brings deep experience in public health over the course of her work serving 780,000 in DeKalb County Georgia. We are fortunate to have her join us at this critical time for meeting public health needs.

The Committee of the Whole (COW) also received a presentation on construction plans for Harborview Medical Center. Harborview is operated by University of Washington Medicine and King County owns and maintains the campus.

COW finished with a discussion of the Executive’s proposal to reorganize his office. His proposal requires Council approval due to changes in King County code. I raised a question about plans to disaggregate the Office of Equity, Race and Social Justice and how it would affect King County’s mission to treat racism as a public health issue. You can hear my remarks by clicking on the photo below.

Click on photo above to hear CM Lewis’ comments on changes to the Office of Equity, Racial and Social Justice.

At the Council meeting in the afternoon, the Council presented MLK awards to Gregory Davis of the Rainier Beach Action Coalition as well as Dominique Alex, the CEO of Mary’s Place and Ken Johnson and son, former WA State Representative Jesse Johnson for their work developing youth apprenticeships in the trades.

The Council also recognized May as Jewish American Heritage month.

Left to right: CM Jorge Baron (D4), Council Chair Sarah Perry (D3), CM Pete von Reichbauer (D7), CM Teresa Mosqueda (D8), Rabbi Jason Levine, Associate Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council and Hannah Lidman, Chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council, CM Rhonda Lewis (D2), CM Claudia Balducci (D6), CM Steffanie Fain (D5), CM Rod Dembowski (D1).

The Council also recognized May as Mental Health Awareness month.

Left to right: CM Jorge Baron (D4), CM Claudia Balducci (D6), CM Steffanie Fain (D5), KayLee Jaech, Executive Director –the Garage-a Teen Café in Issaquah, Council Chair Sarah Perry (D3), CM Rhonda Lewis (D2), CM Teresa Mosqueda (D8), CM Pete von Reichbauer (D7).

Finally, the Council was briefed on legislation which would enable King County to meet the caseload standard for the department of public defense established by the Washington State Supreme Court. This is critical to ensure we provide the resources needed for our justice system.

On Wednesday, I joined my colleagues on the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee for briefings on the 2026 sewer rate and capacity charge. King County operates three regional wastewater treatment or “clean water” plants serving our area 24/7/365. These plants protect public health and the waters of Puget Sound.

Click on photo above to hear CM Lewis’ comments on the sewer rate.

To maintain the system and also meet state and federal requirements for improvements to the system, rates are going up. There was discussion of how to ensure lower income households could be helped.  I asked specifically about state and federal support for this vital infrastructure.

May 26-29: Community

This week my District 2 listening tour continued with a meeting with the University of Washington President Robert J. Jones.  I was pleased to speak with the UW President about ways for King County and the University of Washington to work together on issues such as employment and training opportunities for youth, a countywide Promise program, and student safety. The University of Washington is the alma mater of my District Director Saeed Mahamood who joined me for the meeting with President Jones along with my new External Affairs Intern Lydia Berhanu.

On Thursday I also had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Kelly Kinnison, the Director of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA). Dr. Kinnison offered to meet with me to review the corrective action plan being undertaken at KCRHA to rectify administrative errors identified in a recent audit. The KCRHA provides service to vulnerable people and needs to have a trusted system for delivering services.

On Friday morning, as this e-news is being sent out, my colleagues and I joined labor leadership for the annual King County Labor Summit. And on Saturday I will be attending the King County Youth Leadership Summit at the Museum of Flight. More on this next week!

District 2 is a great place for Neighbors and Friends . . .

Here are a few great things going on in District 2 this weekend – I invite you to join friends and neighbors and check these out:

Per Northwest African American Museum:

Black Graduation unfolds over two days, with each of those days offering its own way to experience and connect with Black art and community.

Saturday, May 30 opens with a 5:00 PM VIP hour (additional cost) for early access to artwork (bubbles and vibes, included), followed by an evening of music, celebration, and a keynote exploring art collecting as a pathway to legacy and wealth-building.

LANGSTON:  Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute * 17th Ave South, Seattle WA 98144  *  info@langstonseattle.org

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I will continue to provide updates on my work as your representative. I invite you to reach out, let me know what your thoughts are and what you think District 2 could look like in the future

District 2 - a great place to live, lead and make history!  Together!

District 2 (D2) is comprised of 273,758 constituents living in Skyway, Rainier Beach, Columbia City, Rainier Valley, Central District, Capitol Hill, Montlake, Eastlake, U-District and Ravenna. It is a beautiful district full of talent and diverse heritages and families. 22% of the D2 population is foreign-born, 28% multi-lingual and 52% rent their homes. Forty-one of Seattle Public Schools’ 109 schools are in District 2.

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Rhonda Lewis
King County Councilmember, District 2
206-477-1002
Rhonda.Lewis@kingcounty.gov
kingcounty.gov/lewis