title: King County Executive
text: # King County Executive
  
  The King County Executive is the elected county executive of King County, Washington. The office was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968. Previously the powers of the county executive were vested in a three-member County Commission, which with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter in 1969 ceased to exist. The county executive is elected every four years and the office is nonpartisan.
  
  The first county executive was John Spellman, from 1969 to 1981. The current executive is Dow Constantine, elected to replace Ron Sims since he resigned to become Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration on May 8, 2009.
  
  ## List of executives
  
  | Order | King County Executive | Party | Took office | Left office | Terms | Notes |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | John Spellman | Republican | May 1, 1969 | January 14, 1981 | 3+ | Resigned to serve as Governor of Washington |
  | 2 | Ron Dunlap | Republican | January 14, 1981 | November 18, 1981 | <1 | |
  | 3 | Randy Revelle | Democratic | November 18, 1981 | January 1, 1986 | 1 | |
  | 4 | Tim Hill | Republican | January 1, 1986 | January 4, 1994 | 2 | |
  | 5 | Gary Locke | Democratic | January 4, 1994 | January 15, 1997 | <1 | Resigned to serve as Governor of Washington |
  | 6 | Ron Sims | Democratic | January 15, 1997 | May 8, 2009 | 2+ | Resigned to serve as Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development |
  | 7 | Kurt Triplett | Democratic | May 8, 2009 | November 24, 2009 | <1 | |
  | 8 | Dow Constantine | Democratic | November 24, 2009 | Incumbent | 4+ | |
  
  Notes
  
  * ↑ The office of King County Executive is elected on a non-partisan basis, the following is for informational purposes only.
  * 1 2 3 Appointed to serve out remainder of term
  * ↑ Subsequently elected to full four-year term
  