Six people are vying to fill an open seat on the King County Council. Several have impressive civic résumés and a sense of the new direction needed.
Steffanie Fain, president of the county-run Harborview Medical Center’s board of trustees and a managing partner at a Seattle law firm, stands out because of her deep experience helping guide Harborview through the pandemic. South King County’s District 5 includes the cities of Des Moines, Kent, Normandy Park, Renton, SeaTac and Tukwila.
An 18-year cancer survivor, Fain is committed to improving access to health care for everyone. From Harborview’s website: “Under her leadership, the Harborview Board has focused on reducing barriers to health care access and ensuring that Harborview remains the region’s premier Level I trauma and burn center.” It is the safety-net hospital for King County residents.
This public-service experience is likely to inform her work on the County Council. She has an appropriately flinty disdain for ideological fashions and, instead, wants to shift the driving policy focus from mere good intentions to measurable results. She wants to collaborate with council colleagues and others to especially concentrate on solutions for homelessness, affordability and public safety.
The kind of accountability, she notes, that has to pass muster on the hospital board.
The Normandy Park resident has earned support from well-known names, including former Gov. Chris Gregoire and U.S. Rep. Adam Smith. Closer to home, she has earned the endorsement of most mayors in the district.
Another impressive candidate is Peter Kwon, a scrappy SeaTac City Council member with a regional focus. He is especially proud of the city’s commitment to human services. A council member for 10 years, he also serves on the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Transportation Policy Board and recently was elected as a member of the National League of Cities board.
Also running are Renton City Council members Kim-Khanh Van and Ryan McIrvin; Ahmad Corner, a Renton tech consultant and Mercy Housing board member; and Angela Henderson of Federal Way, a union mason and vice chair of Bricklayers Local No. 1. Find out more about these candidates on the King County Elections website.
The seat is open because former Councilmember Dave Upthegrove was elected state public lands commissioner in November. The council appointed De’Sean Quinn, who did not seek election.
Though this field’s quality is impressive, one candidate clearly stands out. Voters should elect Steffanie Fain to represent King County Council District 5.
