King County Council approves new leadership, committee structure and assignments

King County Councilmember
Rod Dembowski

The King County Council on Tuesday January 11, 2022 approved 2022 leaders and membership for the seven council committees, three regional committees, the Board of Health and the Flood Control District Board of Supervisors and Executive Committee.

Councilmember Claudia Balducci will remain Chair of the Council, while Councilmembers Girmay Zahilay and Dave Upthegrove were named as Vice Chairs.

“This looks to be another challenging year at the King County Council, when we will once again need to work together with great flexibility to meet the evolving and emergent needs of our community as the COVID-19 pandemic continues,” Balducci said. 

“In 2022, we will continue to deliver the services and value we provide as a regional and local government.”

Additionally, the Mobility and Environment Committee was restructured as the Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee and the Local Services became the Local Services and Land Use Committee.

Rod Dembowski, who represents Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell, north Kirkland, NE Seattle is on three of the council committees: Chair of Transportation, Economy and Environment; a member of Budget and Fiscal Management; and Law, Justice, Health and Human Services. He is a member of Regional Policy and Regional Transit and an alternate to the Board of Health.

Here’s a full breakdown of committee membership:

1. Committee of the Whole: Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Chair; Councilmember Reagan Dunn, Vice Chair; Members: All CMs
2. Budget and Fiscal Management: Councilmember Joe McDermott, Chair; Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Dembowski, Zahilay, Perry, Kohl-Welles, Balducci
3. Transportation, Economy and Environment: Councilmember Rod Dembowski, Chair; Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Zahilay, Perry, Kohl-Welles, Upthegrove, Balducci, McDermott
4. Local Services and Land Use: Councilmember Sarah Perry, Chair; Councilmember Claudia Balducci, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Zahilay, McDermott, Dunn
5. Law, Justice, Health and Human Services: Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, Chair; Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Dembowski, Perry, Balducci, Dunn
6. Government Accountability and Oversight: Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, Chair; Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Balducci, McDermott, Dunn
7. Employment and Administration: Councilmember Claudia Balducci, Chair; Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, Vice Chair; Members: All CMs

• Regional Policy: Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, Chair; Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, alternate; Members: CMs Dembowski, Balducci
• Regional Water Quality: Councilmember Reagan Dunn, Chair; Members: CMs Perry, Upthegrove
• Regional Transit: Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, Chair; Councilmember Claudia Balducci, alternate; Members: CMs Dembowski, McDermott
• Board of Health: Councilmember Rod Dembowski, alternate; Members: CMs Zahilay, Kohl-Welles, McDermott

Additionally, Councilmember Dave Upthegrove will Chair the Flood Control District Board of Supervisors and Councilmember Reagan Dunn will be Vice Chair.