In Brief:
- The King County, Wash., executive office had been led by the same person for 16 years when Girmay Zahilay won the county executive job in 2025.
- Zahilay’s intent to restructure the office was a shock to some longtime staff, and raised concerns about the scope of layoffs.
- In an interview with Governing, Zahilay outlines his objectives and the ways restructuring will help the county achieve them.
From his office window in downtown Seattle, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay can see a building that housed a homeless shelter where he once lived. His family came to Seattle fleeing war in Ethiopia; Zahilay was born in a refugee camp in Sudan.
His life trajectory took him from extreme hardship to a Stanford degree, law school and a career focused on helping others rise above their troubles.
In 2024, after five years on the King County Council, Zahilay prevailed in a special election called when Dow Constantine — King County executive since 2009 — announced he was leaving the job. (Constantine is now the CEO of Sound Transit.) At 38, Zahilay is the youngest person to serve in this position…