Biography

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King County Councilmember Julia Patterson was raised on a small farm in South King County. She attended Washington State University, where she received her B.S. in Society & Justice, and the University of Washington, where she received her B.A. in English. Today, she lives with her husband of 25 years, Pat, in SeaTac. Their daughters Erin and Caitlin are attending college in the Seattle area and their son Alex is pursuing his PhD at George Fox University in Portland. Julia’s son Alex and her daughter-in-law Chelsea have two children, Hannah and John.

Julia became involved in local politics when she felt that the County was ignoring the needs of her community. Together with other citizens, Julia led the City of SeaTac incorporation effort. In 1989 she was elected as a founding member of the new city council. Over the past 18 years Julia has served the public at three distinct levels of government - city, county, and state. Her campaign experience includes nine successful elections to public office – two for city council, three for 33rd District State Representative, two for 33rd District State Senate, and two for her currently held King County Council position. Julia has emerged as an independent regional leader in transportation, election reform, and law and justice issues in her time on the King County Council. She has proven a strong advocate for South King County and the suburban areas of King County.

Julia serves as Chair of the Health, Human Services and Housing issues and is the secondary Chair of Law, Justice, Health, and Human Services Committee. She also chairs the King County Board of Health. Julia is a member of the Regional Policy Committee and the 2010 Budget Leadership Team.

Julia also serves in leadership positions on a number of boards in the region. She serves on the Puget Sound Regional Council where she is the Chair of the Transportation Policy Board and serves on the Operations Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Executive Board. Julia is also is a board member on Sound Transit, South County Area Transportation Board, and the Highline YMCA Board.

Julia’s goals for 2009 include:

Services for People and Animals

• Protect Public Health and Human Services
• Increase Affordable Housing
• Improve Animal Services

Building Infrastructure

• Expand South King County trails
• Develop New Ferry Service
• Plan for Regional Jail Capacity

Protecting our Natural Resources

• Improve Lake Safety and Health
• Strengthen Flood Infrastructure

Putting it all Together

• Pass a Balanced Budget