Girmay Zahilay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Girmay Zahilay
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| Member of the King County Council from the 2nd district |
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| Assumed office January 8, 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Larry Gossett |
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| Born |
Girmay Hadish Zahilay
May 6, 1987 Sudan |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) University of Pennsylvania (JD) |
Girmay Hadish Zahilay (born May 6, 1987) is an American politician and lawyer. He is a member of the King County Council for District 2 in Seattle, Washington. He was elected in 2019, winning against the person who had held the position for a long time, Larry Gossett.
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Early Life and Education
Girmay Zahilay and his brother were born in Sudan. Their parents were refugees from Tigray, a place in Ethiopia where there was a war. When Girmay was three years old, his family moved to the United States. They settled in the Rainier Valley area of Seattle.
His family lived in different public housing places in South Seattle, including the International District and Skyway. During this time, his mother, Abie, worked two shifts as a nursing assistant to support the family. They also stayed at a homeless shelter in Downtown Seattle for a while.
Girmay went to Franklin High School in Seattle. He also worked as a research intern at the University of Washington in the Department of Biology. He later studied biology at Stanford University, where he was the president of the Black Student Union. Girmay then earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. While studying law, he worked as an intern at the Office of the White House Counsel during the time Barack Obama was president.
Career Path
After college, Girmay Zahilay worked as a community organizer for groups like the Congressional Hunger Center. These groups help people who don't have enough food. He then worked at law firms, which are places where lawyers work, in New York and Seattle.
Girmay also started a non-profit organization called Rising Leaders. A non-profit group uses its money to help people, not to make a profit. Rising Leaders helps connect middle school students who need support with mentors. Mentors are experienced people who guide and advise younger people.
Joining the King County Council
In 2019, Girmay Zahilay was elected to the King County Council. This council is a group of elected officials who make decisions for King County, Washington. He represents District 2, which includes many neighborhoods in Seattle like the University District, Capitol Hill, and South Seattle.
Girmay officially started his role on January 8, 2020. He was chosen to lead the council's Law and Justice Committee.
He announced he would run for the King County Council in February 2019. He was the first person to challenge Larry Gossett for this seat since 2005. Larry Gossett had been the council member for District 2 for many years. Girmay's campaign focused on making more public housing available and finding new ways to help young people instead of putting them in youth detention centers.
In the first round of voting, Girmay was ahead of Larry Gossett. Then, in the main election in November 2019, Girmay Zahilay won. He became the youngest person ever to serve on the King County Council.
Committee Work
Girmay Zahilay was the Chair of the Law and Justice Committee starting in 2020. In 2022, this committee joined with the Health and Human Services Committee. It became the Law Justice Health and Human Services Committee. In 2024, he was named the Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee. This committee handles how the county spends its money.
He has also been a member of other King County Council committees. These include committees for Local Services, Land Use, Employment, and Transportation. He also served on the Board of Health, which deals with public health issues.
Community Programs
Girmay Zahilay has helped start several important programs in King County.
- Guaranteed Basic Income: Working with groups like Urban Family, he started a program that gave $1,000 each month to families with very low incomes for a year. This program aimed to help families meet their basic needs.
- Skyway Community Support: In the 2021–2022 budget, Girmay helped get $10 million for a new community center in Skyway. Skyway is an area that needed more services. The county council also set aside $6 million to improve bus service in Skyway. This included a special van service that residents could ask for when they needed it. He also supported building a tiny house village in Skyway with 35 small homes, which opened in 2021.
- Crisis Care Centers Levy: To help with the rise in addiction and mental health problems in King County, Girmay worked with the King County Executive to suggest a new funding plan. Voters approved this plan in April 2023. It will pay for building five new treatment centers for people with mental health challenges. It will also help increase the number of long-term mental health beds and support people who work in mental health care.
Running for County Executive
On December 2, 2024, Girmay Zahilay announced that he would run for King County Executive in the 2025 election. The County Executive is like the chief executive officer for King County. He is one of the current county council members who has announced they are running for this important position.
