Constantine completes tour of King County’s 39 cities and towns

Dow Constantine

When King County Executive Dow Constantine visited the town of Skykomish on September 14, it completed his schedule of visits to each of the County’s 39 incorporated cities and towns.

“There’s simply no substitute for being there when it comes to getting a feel for a community, its people, and its issues,” said Constantine. “I met every mayor in King County on their own turf and let them set the agenda for our discussion.”

His first visit was to the four Valley cities of Duvall, Carnation, North Bend, and Snoqualmie on February 17. From then on, Constantine averaged more than five city visits per month. He was accompanied on most of the visits by Regional Relations Manager De’Sean Quinn.

Each visit included a sit-down discussion with the mayor and other city officials, and many included driving or walking tours of local sites and meetings with business and community leaders. One of the more memorable driving tours was piloted by Algona Mayor Dave Hill in his own antique car. Constantine also completed at least a half-dozen walking tours.

His shortest trip was the two blocks he walked from his office in the County’s Chinook Building to Seattle City Hall to address a morning meeting of the Seattle City Council. By contrast, Skykomish (population 210) is a 69-mile journey from the county seat.

“Each city is unique, and this tour provided me with a great opportunity to see the diversity and local character of King County,” said Constantine. “It was an amazing experience. Even as someone who has lived here his whole life, there is plenty new to learn and see.”

Constantine visited Shoreline on July 26.