 Click the image to watch a video about Ken's accomplishments
This week, I was thrilled to honor Ken Wong with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service. This annual award is presented to outstanding community leaders who answer what Dr. King called life’s most important question: “what are you doing for others?”.
Ken has served youth on the Eastside for many years in many roles, from founding the Redmond Youth Partnership Advisory Committee to developing a violence intervention and prevention program at Youth Eastside Services to his current work with supporting students as a social worker at Bellevue School District. He has improved the lives of countless young people, helping them achieve their full potential.
In addition, he leads the Eastside Race and Leadership Coalition, one of East King County’s first organizations working on racial justice, working tirelessly to make the Eastside a more inclusive, welcoming place for everyone.
Ken is a leader who is highly respected and beloved in our community. Please join me in honoring him for his years of dedicated service and unwavering commitment to improving the lives of both young people and adults throughout East King County.
Image: Sound Transit
You may have seen the surprising images of a car driving on the elevated light rail tracks at Seattle’s Mount Baker Station. It should go without saying that this is not a good or safe idea. Luckily, nobody was injured and light rail service was restored within a few hours.
While this was a particularly unusual situation, transportation safety is a critical issue in our region and it has been a personal priority for me for many years. As Mayor of Bellevue, I introduced and passed the city’s Vision Zero initiative, aiming to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by adopting the Safe System approach. As a Sound Transit Board Member, I led the agency’s work to improve safety at our 49 at-grade crossings, where cars, people, and trains can come into conflict. During my time as President of the Puget Sound Regional Council, I pushed the agency to elevate safety in our regional transportation work. And in the wake of the tragic murder of Metro bus operator Shawn Yim in 2024, I helped create the Regional Transit Safety Task Force to identify ways we can make transit safer for everyone.
I am still committed to making every aspect of our transportation system safer. If you have ideas about how we can advance transportation safety, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can make moving throughout our region safer for everyone.
 Photo: Bellevue Downtown Association
This Saturday, June 6 from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM kick off Pride Month with the Paws and Pride Dog Walk! Join Eastside Pride PNW, Bellevue Downtown Association, and two-legged and four-legged friends to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with a stroll around Bellevue Downtown Park (10201 NE 4th St, Bellevue). Enjoy vendor booths and a stage with activities like RuPaw’s Dawg Costume Contest, DJs, drag queen performances, and more.
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