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Stonewall + 50: King County Employees Tell the Story of LGBTQ+ Progress
2019 marks 50 years since the Stonewall Uprising in New York, considered by most to be the birth of the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. To mark this anniversary, King County and its employees are looking back at the milestones and landmark events that have happened since that night in late June 1969 - including the ways that our region has led the nation in recognizing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Felony mitigation specialists at DPD
By Leslie Brown, Department of Public Defense
Ask the three mitigation specialists in one of the felony units at the Department of Public Defense what they love about their work, and Roopali Dhingra, Molly Hennessey, and Alix Willard speak quickly and passionately – tag-teaming each other in a flurry of words.
They’re helping people who are vulnerable. They’re working to get judges, prosecutors, and others in the system to see the humanity of their clients. They’re sometimes making a huge difference in people’s lives. And these three women – all social workers who specialize in public defense mitigation work – are never bored.
“There’s no typical day,” Roopali said. Molly agreed: “We get such a range, from serious felonies to felony DWI. That’s what I like about felonies.” Read more.
Pictured: From left, Molly Hennessey, Roopali Dhingra, and Alix Willard.
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Airport employees earn prestigious award for snow removal during Snowmageddon
This winter’s wild weather may just be a memory now, but employees at the King County International Airport (KCIA) are still celebrating a big win. They recently received a Balchen/Post Award for Excellence in the Performance of Airport Snow and Ice Control by the Northeast Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives. The KCIA team was up against tough competition from more traditionally snow-bound cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, and Syracuse, New York.
The award was presented at the annual International Aviation Snow Symposium in Buffalo, New York in late April. Employees celebrated the win at an airport employees’ event later in May.
During the two-week “Snowmageddon” in February, the Puget Sound area received historic snowfall, exceeding 50-year records. Despite all the snow, the airport had only two major closures in that time, the longest lasting nearly seven hours. Read more.
Pictured: KCIA equipment operator Chase Dolliver, and Manager of Operations Davey Pilley.
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King County Supported Employment Program highlighted at national conference
Christina Davidson and Jeff Casem from the Disability Services Section of the Department of Human Resources recently presented on King County’s Supported Employment Program at the National Associate of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) Directors Forum and Mid-Year Conference.
The conference featured a national audience of approximately 200-250 state directors of services, senior management, policy makers, self-advocates, researchers and providers from all over the country in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their interest was in learning how to take on policies for the employment of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and embedding in into an organization and to also learn how state policies help or hinder efforts to developing and implementing employment programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“It was certainly an honor to be presenting our King County Supported Employment Program to an audience of this magnitude and be seen as a leader in this field along with companies such as Microsoft and Universal Cells,” said Jeff. Read more.
Pictured: Christina Davidson, Supported Employment Program Manager, and Jeff Casem, Disability Services Supervisor.
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Apprenticeship rates at Children and Family Justice Center exceed requirements
The Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC), now more than 80 percent complete, leads in total apprenticeship hours on King County projects and employs a diverse workforce earning family-wage jobs. As of December 2018, apprentices have performed 93,205 labor hours on the project. This project requires the use of state registered apprentices for 15 percent of all labor hours worked, and 17 percent participation from certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS). As of May, the CFJC project boasts a 25 percent apprenticeship rate and is meeting the 17 percent required rate for SCS businesses.
”King County’s long-standing apprenticeship program has had a profound impact on providing family wage jobs to many of King County’s residents,” said Daniel Peterson, the Business Development Contract Compliance (BDCC) team's Apprenticeship Coordinator. Read more.
Pictured: Business Development Contract Compliance (BDCC) Apprenticeship Coordinator, Daniel Peterson.
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Save the Date! Free screening of “The Most Dangerous Year” June 25
June is PRIDE Month! In honor of PRIDE, The Department of Executive Services, King County is proud to collaborate with the Meaningful Movies Project to bring the critically acclaimed documentary, “The Most Dangerous Year,” to our employee community for a screening and discussion. By Seattle writer and director, Vlada Knowlton, the film chronicles the journey by many Washington families with transgender children and the anti-transgender legislation in Washington in 2016. Knowlton, will be on hand to facilitate a Q & A session immediately after the screening. The film is 89 minutes.
Tuesday, June 25 from 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Chinook Building Room 121, 401 5th Ave., Seattle
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Tips to keep cool
With temperatures already forecast to be above normal this week, keep these tips in mind to stay cool:
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Keep window blinds or curtains closed when outdoor temperatures skyrocket. This reduces indoor temps and reduces the strain on the HVAC equipment.
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Keep windows and doors closed in locations with HVAC.
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Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
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The county recommends against using indoor fans, as they can create “hot zones” in other places in the building and can create a fire hazard. Please don’t block or manipulate air vents or returns.
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Dress in layers to manage varying temperatures.
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The County standard for building temperature range is 70-74 degrees.
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Minimize extended time outside.
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City Hall Park offers delicious lunch options
This spring and summer, you can get lunch from a food truck at City Hall Park on the south side of the King County Courthouse. Trucks will be there from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. several days a week, including ‘Wich Wagon today, and LT’s Famous BBQ Friday. Depending on the day, a food truck will offer barbeque, cheesesteaks, burgers, sandwiches, or Native cuisine. Some offer vegetarian, vegan, paleo, and gluten-free options. Click here for a complete schedule and menus of food trucks at City Hall Park. For more information visit www.seattlefoodtruck.com.
The food truck effort is part of the Courthouse Vicinity Improvement effort – a partnership between King County, the City of Seattle, Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) at The Morrison and the Metropolitan Improvement District (MID) – to improve the safety and cleanliness around the Courthouse for employees, visitors, and residents of the area. So come out and enjoy the park and support these local businesses! King County is also working with Seattle Parks and Recreation to bring more games, activities, and even a few lunchtime concerts to City Hall Park this summer. We’ll bring you details of those events in Employee News.
New discount for employees at upcoming Seattle Storm games
King County employees can now save up to 33% off Seattle Storm tickets on several games held June 30-Sept. 1. To access the discount visit http://stormgrouptix.com/KingCounty. The Seattle Storm is a three-time WNBA Championship team committed to bringing a premium professional basketball and entertainment experience to a fan base rich in tradition and support.
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Pet of the week: Oreo
This sweet guy is Oreo, our Pet of the Week!
This handsome senior boy is playful and affectionate. He has lived in a home with other cats and a large dog, as well as with younger and older kids. While Oreo’s previous family feels he makes a good indoor/outdoor cat, he would need to be supervised while outside and would probably enjoy being on a harness. He loves string toys, batting at them when you play with him. Oreo is very sweet and likes lots of petting, but is not very interested in being picked up. Read more.
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Featured Job: Communications and Community Relations Project Manager
Salary: $90,542.40 - $109,449.60 Annually
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Department: DLS - Local Services
Closing: 6/23/2019 11:59 PM Pacific
The Department of Local Services (DLS) represents a comprehensive effort to improve the efficient, effective, and timely delivery of municipal services to the nearly 250,000 people who live in unincorporated communities of King County. The Road Services Division designs, builds, operates and maintains roads and bridges in unincorporated areas of King County. The division is a 24 hour per day, 7 day a week operation with work site locations in Renton, Downtown Seattle, and several remote field locations throughout King County. The division is responsible for 1,500 miles of road and 182 bridges, 5.7 million feet of drainage ditches, over 44,000 traffic control signs, 78 traffic signals, and 50 traffic cameras in unincorporated King County.
KC Headlines
Interested in sharing a news story, or have a news tip? Click here to submit an item to Employee News. For questions or suggestions, please contact KCEmployees@kingcounty.gov.
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