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King County executive lays out ‘four B’s’ and pledges more boots on the ground for Southeast King County
Summary
King County Executive Girmay Zahalai used the Tri‑City meeting to outline four priorities—breaking the cycle, building for affordability, boots on the ground and better government—and told Covington, Black Diamond and Maple Valley leaders the county will increase regional staffing and grant coordination. He also described steps to address sheriffs’ vacancies and homelessness trends.
King County Executive Girmay Zahalai told leaders from Covington, Black Diamond and Maple Valley that his office will prioritize four goals—"breaking the cycle," "building for affordability," "boots on the ground" and "better government"—as the county responds to rising homelessness, public‑safety concerns and regional growth.
Zahalai opened his remarks by explaining the county government’s scale and role in regional services and emergency response. "King County is a government of 18,000 hardworking personnel who deliver services through 11 departments to 2,300,000 people," he said, framing his priorities as a way to focus limited resources.
Why it matters: the three cities sit in a fast‑growing portion of King County; local leaders told Zahalai they need county help on staffing, grants and infrastructure. Zahalai said his office will add more regional outreach positions so city officials "find out about initiatives because you helped co‑design it and not because you read it in the news." He said about 15 external relations positions will be added, including roles dedicated to cities and to geographic regions.
On public safety staffing, Zahalai described a mix of incentives, lateral recruiting and marketing aimed at reducing vacancies in the King County Sheriff's Office that affect contract cities. "We have hiring bonuses, accelerated lateral deputy recruiting initiatives and a much more robust advertising campaign," he said, noting that vacancies have fluctuated and remain a challenge for contract jurisdictions.
Zahalai also pointed to regional emergency responses—flooding where he said there was "zero loss of life"—and said the county is working to make behavioral‑health and housing investments more accountable after earlier audit findings in the Department of Community and Human Services. He urged city leaders to bring grant requests to the county and said his team will help identify appropriate funding sources.
Council member Reagan Dunn, who chairs local services and land use committees, added that the county recently passed a framework for battery energy storage siting that he voted against because he felt setbacks and safeguards were insufficient. "There'll be a lot of battles," he said, signaling that code tweaks and local coordination will continue to be pursued.
The executive closed by asking city leaders to continue regular coordination with county staff and to bring specific needs forward—promising more visible county staff "boots on the ground" and a commitment to transparency and accountability.
Next steps: Zahalai encouraged cities to coordinate with the county Department of Local Services on housing and land‑use proposals and to reach out to the newly expanded government relations team for help with grants and project design.
