To ensure county stability, Balducci moves to fully appoint Braddock as Exec

April 3, 2025

King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci, joined by Councilmember Jorge L. Barón, on Thursday introduced a motion to remove the “acting” title and make Shannon Braddock the King County Executive until the election of the next Executive in November.

The move would empower Braddock to focus on leading King County – a job she has already been intimately familiar with as Deputy Executive – as the county faces a looming $150 million budget shortfall, potentially dire cuts to federal funding for the county, levy renewals, and more.

“I was so proud to vote with all my colleagues on Tuesday for Shannon Braddock to lead our county as acting Executive. Now we need to finish the job and fully empower her to run King County through the election certification in November,” Balducci said. “The last thing we need in this time of national chaos and uncertainty is a drawn-out appointment process and the uncertainty that comes with it to distract and delay us from conducting critical county business. We already have a skilled leader doing this job, so let’s keep that stability and move on. Acting Executive Braddock is a dedicated and hard-working public servant who has spent 15 years serving King County through several roles – roles that have allowed her to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to lead this government.”

Braddock, who previously served as Deputy County Executive, was automatically appointed interim Executive when previous Executive Dow Constantine stepped down Monday to become the next CEO of Sound Transit. While the County Council voted Tuesday to temporarily appoint her as acting Executive, state law and the King County Charter are clear on the need to appoint a qualified successor to hold the office of King County executive until a successor has been elected at the general election on November 4, 2025.

Balducci’s legislation takes the next required step according to the county charter and state law by formalizing Braddock as the King County Executive and ending any further process to choose a new executive. Without this legislation, the Council could appoint another person to replace acting Executive Braddock at any time between now and the November election, leaving uncertainty which could distract from critical county business. Braddock said during Tuesday’s meeting that she had already begun planning for the next 200 days – her time in office if she is allowed to serve through the election – to ensure there are no interruptions to county services or programs.

“Our residents, employees, and partners are looking to King County for strong and stable leadership, especially now when there is so much uncertainty," Barón said. “Acting Executive Braddock knows the challenges we face today, will hold strong to our shared values, and is uniquely qualified to lead until the next county executive is elected. Appointing Acting Executive Braddock to complete this term now means that we can keep working to address the issues facing us without delay.”

The motion could be considered as soon as the April 15 King County Council meeting.