Summary

King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci on Tuesday awarded Kirkland resident Kurt Triplett with the Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service, an award that recognizes individuals whose work has answered the question asked by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “What are you doing for others?”

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King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci on Tuesday awarded Kirkland resident Kurt Triplett with the Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service, an award that recognizes individuals whose work has answered the question asked by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “What are you doing for others?”

For decades, Triplett has dedicated his life to public service across King County. For the last 11 years, he has served as City Manager for Kirkland where, in 2020, the community found itself in the national spotlight as the first epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States. His leadership during the early days of the pandemic and since helped guide the city government through challenging times, kept the Kirkland community safer, and provided an example for other jurisdictions.

“Kurt took immediate, creative action when the first major outbreak of COVID-19 arose in Kirkland. He inspired confidence with his steadiness and led the community through evolving health responses while also helping people with the emotional toll of the early days of COVID. I want to thank him, and his team, for exemplary service to make Kirkland safer during this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic,” said Balducci.

“I am humbled to receive this award,” said Triplett.  “This is a shared success of the entire Kirkland team – the City Council, City staff, and our community.  I am deeply grateful that I work for and with such amazing people who continue to work together to address the challenges of the pandemic as well as issues of racial equity and social justice.”

Triplett previously worked for King County for 17 years, including serving as the Interim County Executive in 2009, Chief of Staff to Executive Ron Sims, Deputy Director of Natural Resources and Parks, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Executive Sims and former Executive Gary Locke. He currently serves on the Board for A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH). He is also chair of the Eastside Public Safety Communications Agency (EPSCA) as well as a joint board member for the Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network (PSERN). 

This marks the sixth year that councilmembers have each selected someone from their district whose work embodies the spirit of King’s question.