Two historic firsts as Council appoints Rhonda Lewis as new District 2 councilmember

The King County Council on Tuesday made history twice in a single vote as it appointed Rhonda Lewis to fill the District 2 vacancy – the first-ever Black woman on the Council. Her appointment also establishes the first majority woman council in its history.

Lewis takes over the District 2 seat from now-Executive Girmay Zahilay, who resigned two weeks ago to step into his

newly elected role as Executive. She will serve as an interim member until certification of the November 2026 election.

“I am honored to have been selected by the King County Council to join them over the next year and finish out Executive Zahilay’s term representing District 2,” Lewis said. “We have many challenges and opportunities over the next year as the King County Council works to address important issues that District 2 residents care about, like affordability and housing and homelessness. I look forward to partnering with my new colleagues and Executive Zahilay to meet these problems head on and do everything we can for District 2 and everyone else across the region.”

Council considered three nominees for the seat: Cherryl Jackson-Williams, Nimco Bulale, and Lewis. Any one of them would have been an historic addition to the council.

Lewis brings extensive local government knowledge and deep expertise in public service. Her career spans multiple leadership roles across city and county government, with a consistent focus on equity, community engagement, and operational excellence.

Lewis served as City Administrator of Tukwila, where she directed operations for a city serving a daytime population of over 100,000 people. During her tenure she established the city’s Office of Human Services, significantly expanding services for children, families, and seniors.

At King County, she served as Chief of Operations for King County Executive Dow Constantine, overseeing nine departments with approximately 12,000 employees. In this role, she directed the creation of King County’s first Zero Youth Detention Strategic Plan and led the development of the county’s inaugural Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan. She subsequently served as Equity and Social Justice Director for Public Health Seattle-King County before serving as Chief of Staff to then-King County Councilmember Zahilay in his District 2 office.

Lewis is an alumna of the University of Central Oklahoma, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education and a Master of Business Administration. She is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Women in Power Intensive program.