Girmay Zahilay says he is prepared to lead the King County Executive’s Office in just two weeks, a remarkably swift transition for the Executive-elect.
He made his first public appearance since declaring victory in the election on Friday, following his opponent Claudia Balducci’s concession.
“I have two weeks to do it,” stated Zahilay in his first interview since winning the election, conducted in an empty third floor of the County’s Chinook Building in Downtown Seattle. Since he is filling a position vacated by former King County Executive Dow Constantine, he will assume office as soon as the election is certified, rather than waiting until January.
The initial task involved establishing a transition committee. Zahilay has appointed four people to lead it, representing labour, business, nonprofits, and grassroots efforts: MLK Labour President Katie Garrow, Microsoft President Brad Smith, former Seahawks player and nonprofit backer Doug Baldwin, and Esther Lucero of the Seattle Indian Health Board.
The transition committee includes 100 people in total.
“I was able to go from homelessness and public housing and being a refugee to now serving as the leader of our state’s largest local government,” he said with a smile.
The 38-year-old Zahilay’s rise to the top of county leadership has been relatively rapid in multiple respects. He was elected to the King County Council in 2019 after defeating longtime civic figure Larry Gossett in a race that avoided negative campaigning. The same held true in this election against Balducci.
“If I go around trashing the people whom I have to work with, that’s going to make my ability to work with them worse. For me, what I am really proud of when it comes to my campaign is now I will still have a working relationship with council member Balducci. I still have a working relationship with Councilmember Gossett. I still have a working relationship with Executive Braddock and Executive Constantine. These are all people that I have to continue working with. So, I’m not going to prioritize my ego or my feelings. I prioritize being able to deliver, and I think we will be able to do that together,” he explained.
He stated his first few months will focus on establishing the “Four Bs”, including breaking the cycle of homelessness, building for affordability, boots on the ground, and forming a better government.
Along those lines, whilst speaking on the empty floor, he was asked whether that could mean requiring the County’s thousands of employees to return to the office. Zahilay responded, “I absolutely think that having more people in the office helps with camaraderie and productivity,” adding, “I want to set the policy of a three-days-a-week return to work schedule, and I want that negotiated department by department, because my lens, ultimately, is not an ideology. It’s what’s going to result in the best possible service for the residents of King County.”
He also reiterated that he has changed his viewpoint on closing the Youth Jail, which his elected predecessor had vowed to do. Zahilay stated it is off the table in his administration. “We will not close the youth jail. We will reform it,” he said, adding, “I feel that the way the jail is currently structured does not achieve those goals.”
Another significant topic will be whether Zahilay will attempt to make changes to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, which was created by previous elected officials and has struggled through leadership transitions. “There absolutely needs to be a significant change. I look forward to seeing who wins the Seattle mayor’s race, because we’re going to have to sit down and really chart a new path, and not just with the Seattle mayor,” he stated.
Zahilay will make three recommendations to fill his soon-to-be vacant Council seat. The rest of the King County Council will then make the final decision.
The two-week transition timeline represents an extraordinarily compressed period for assuming leadership of a government entity managing a $15 billion annual budget, employing thousands of workers, and providing services to more than 2.3 million residents across the region’s largest county. Most newly elected executives enjoy transition periods of two to three months, allowing time to assemble teams, review budgets, meet with department heads, and develop policy priorities before formally taking office.
Zahilay’s appointment of a 100-member transition committee reflects the complexity of county government operations spanning public health, criminal justice, transit, parks, elections, wastewater treatment, and numerous other functions. The committee’s size allows representation of diverse stakeholder groups whilst distributing the substantial workload involved in preparing a new administration to govern effectively from day one.
The selection of the four transition leaders signals Zahilay’s priorities and coalition-building approach. Katie Garrow’s inclusion represents organized labour’s crucial role in county operations and Democratic politics. Brad Smith’s participation connects Zahilay to the business community and Microsoft’s substantial presence in the region. Doug Baldwin brings celebrity profile, nonprofit connections, and community credibility. Esther Lucero ensures Indigenous perspectives and health equity considerations receive attention in transition planning.
