COUNCIL IN TRANSITION

See the new Council district map for 2006

On January 1, 2006, elected representatives took office in the nine expanded King County Council districts that were mandated by voters in 2004. The November 2004 vote amended the King County Charter to reduce the number of Council districts from 13 to nine. In January 2005 an independent citizen Districting Committee adopted new district boundaries.

This redistricting eliminated Districts 10 through 13. As a result you will notice several changes in your representation:

LARGER COUNCIL DISTRICTS: With four fewer districts, the number of constituents in each remaining district have risen from 138,000 residents to about 200,000 - a 44 percent increase in constituent workload per member. In terms of territory, the members from Districts 3 and 9 each represent an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.

RE-NUMBERING OF COUNCIL DISTRICTS: The nine expanded Council districts are assigned new numbers.

NEW TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Re-numbering the districts means we must also change some telephone numbers. Here are the new phone numbers to reach your Councilmember:

District 1: Bob Ferguson, (206) 296-1001
District 2: Larry Gossett, (206) 296-1002
District 3: Kathy Lambert, (206) 296-1003
District 4: Larry Phillips, (206) 296-1004
District 5: Julia Patterson, (206) 296-1005
District 6: Jane Hague, (206) 296-1006
District 7: Pete von Reichbauer, (206) 296-1007
District 8: Dow Constantine, (206) 296-1008
District 9: Reagan Dunn, (206) 296-1009

STAGGERED TERMS: In order that half the Council's members would stand for election every two years, the charter amendment calls for members elected in even-numbered districts to serve two-year terms and those in odd-numbered districts to serve four-year terms. This means four Council seats will be up for election in 2007 and the remaining five in 2009.

REORGANIZATION OF COUNCIL COMMITTEES: The Council at the start of every year reorganizes its standing committees and makes new commitee assignments. Having fewer members to attend meetings may mean some changes in the standing committees and in the operation of the Council's regional committees, which blend County Council representatives with elected officials from Seattle, the suburban cities, and other jurisdictions.

See the map of new Council districts to locate your Council representative. You can also use the King County Parcel Viewer with your street address or street intersection to call up the Districts Report showing your Council district.

Voters reduced the number of Councilmembers but not the mission or responsibilities of this body, which remain the policy and budget oversight of the second-largest government in Washington state. We look forward to meeting these challenges in 2006 and providing the same high quality of constituent services.