[0:00] We were ready to start the meeting. I’d like to welcome everybody to the August 17th, 2026 special meeting of the Government Accountability and Oversight Committee. On. Reappointment, confirmations and one briefing. To the appointments are to the library, King County Library System Board of Trustees. And the third is to the baseball stadium. Public facilities. District board of directors.
[0:26] After the appointments, we’ll hear an update from the auditor on contract monitoring at the Department of Community and Human Services. To begin with, the clerk, please call the roll. Thank you. Chair Councilmember Balducci. Here. Council member Dunn Councilmember Fain. Here. Chair von Reichbauer. Here very much. We have a quorum.
[0:54] Uh, I’d like to ask the vice chair the committee to approve the minutes from the June 9th and July 20th meetings. So moved. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed. They are adopted.
[1:22] Can we now turn to public comment if there’s anyone participating via zoom who would like to provide public comment, please use the raised hand motion or press nine star nine. Um, can I ask the clerk if there’s anybody in the southwest or the current conference room for a zoom meeting? Good morning chair. Yes, we have one person in southwest for public comment. Okay. And that person stand up and proceed. Person is Alex Zimmerman. Thank you. Thank you. My name.
[1:47] It’s a good thing you know my name. I’m sick of years.. Put the sign down. Yeah, I think yeah. I listened to you. Yeah, for 30 years. Yeah. My name’s Alex Zimmerman. I president of Stand Up America, and I come here for three years here.
[2:11] And what does I see for 30 years from a judicial office or from council? Beckenbauer. You know what has been something what is very strange. I cannot understand why it’s going on. You know what I mean? But experience for 30 years, almost in every meeting. So something.
[2:30] But it’s absolutely strange to me is not only look like a pure fascism to the sciences. My friend here. Yeah. Sign here. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Because it’s very strange. Council power is a auditor office for many years, and I never seen one government employee for 30 years. You know, it has been from 2000. Yes.
[2:57] In jail or prosecute you persecute me seven times. Seven times on cases dismissed. But you never prosecute one government employee. You office never put in jail. What the government employee who is stealing money, for example. Nothing happened.
[3:20] It’s very interesting for me how is this possible? One man like Alex in Melbourne can prosecute seven times seven times. Cases dismissed. Why are you doing this? You do not. Bastard. Huh? It’s very unique. And you? Beckenbauer for six years never have in-person meeting. Why are you doing this? Who are you? A Nazi? Yeah, a criminal, yeah, a fascist. Who are you in? How possible? So would you.
[3:48] Their office never prosecute one government employee for three years? Yeah. Thank you very much. Givat. Even your American Revolution stand up slave and happy cow King country number one, fascist county in America. Thank you. Is there anybody else in the Southwest Conference room who wants to speak? Yes, we have Kevin Alzheimer as well. Yes, sir. For the record, please identify yourself.
[4:13] Thank you. Yes, Kevin. All timer, publisher of King County Oversight Files. Substack. Com also, community watchdog advocate. I am here today to formally oppose this Monday meeting. I’ve sent multiple emails, questions and how the five day rule didn’t apply. Apparently, you just dropped it. Also, when it comes to Kymber Waltmunson speaking, she should not be allowed to speak.
[4:39] Not at all. And I’ll tell you why. On May the 14th, 2025, she sends an email to the Ombuds office. The executive office, and she says, what are you guys are going to pay for this investigation? Now? She violates the Yellow Book standard to file that she violates the Gaga.
[4:58] She also violated Washington state rules. And your rules. Second of all, none of you gave her permission to do what she did. And so guess what? That makes you guys all derelict in what you did? Because if you look at how she can basically do simultaneously several things on the 14th, on the 14th, she
[5:18] sends every last one of you guys an email saying, I’m going to drop the second provision of the juvenile diversion scope. That’s why I came back with no findings. And then what I’m going to do, I’m going to send a letter to, to, uh, the, uh, office, office, the executive office.
[5:36] And then she goes further. She sends it to the Seattle Times. It says on the 14th of 2025, I sent over to D, C H, as a referral to look into 16. What what kind of organizations? Black organizations that were in what Best starts for kids you’re you didn’t give her know a right to to go in there and order Best
[5:59] starts for kids bring in four strategies and create this whole mess. You guys are derelict. I don’t know how you thought you were going to get away with this. Did you see my article that came out Sunday? Uh, actually Saturday. It has every aspect of every last one of you who violated the law.
[6:20] Is everybody else in the room who wished to testify? Oh. No, not at this time. Is there anybody on the zoom meeting that wanted to testify? No. At this time, we do not have any hands raised. Thank you. Public testimony is now closed.
[6:42] Our first two action items, items five and six, are both appointments to the King County System Board of Trustees. And I’d like to take them up at the same time, the Board of Trustees governs our library system, which provides library access to nearly every resident of King County. Jean Paul, from our council staff is here to provide a short briefing, and then we’ll hear from the appointees. Jean, please proceed.
[7:03] Thank you, chair von Reichbauer. And good morning, Council members. I’m Jean Paul from council staff. The materials for these two appointments begin on page 11 of your packet. The separate appointee materials were also sent by email last Wednesday afternoon.
[7:22] Proposed motions 2026 0124 and 0125 would confirm the executive’s appointment of Neil Harrop and Liz Callahan to the King County Library System Board of Trustees. Mr. Harris term would expire on January 1st, 2028. Mrs. Callahan’s would expire on January 1st, 2031.
[7:42] For brief background, the King County Library System, or KCL, was established as a rural county library district in November 1942. Over the years, cities and towns throughout the county have voted to annex into less. Currently, KCL has 50 library branches and serves all of King County except the Arrow Point and Hunts Point.
[8:00] The city of Seattle has a separate library system, but residents of Seattle are allowed to access collections under agreements between the two systems. KCS is governed by the Board of Trustees in accordance with state law, trustees are appointed by the executive and confirmed by the council. No member may serve more than two consecutive terms, and members of the board must represent the geographic diversity of the Library District.
[8:19] Some of the responsibility of the board include hiring an oversight of the Executive Director, adoption of the annual budget, and adoption of long term strategic plans. The appointee information begins on page 12 of your packet renewal.
[8:43] Is the former Chief Revenue officer for Shoreline Education and Organization that connected international students, universities and service providers to widen access to higher education and support student enrollment and performance. In his application materials, Mr. Harrop expressed that he dedicated his life to education and health, serving as president of a global higher education institution, vice president at the nation’s largest nursing school, and in senior leadership roles at the largest medical school system, as well as Harvard Medical
[9:00] School. He’s also served on numerous boards and committees, including the Rainier Club, the Salem University Board of Trustees, and the Steering Committee for the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship. Mr. Harris application materials expressed a commitment to equity in education and a desire to bring his insight, financial acumen, and community focused leadership to the KCS board.
[9:22] Liz Callahan is the founder and principal of Liz Callahan Consulting. According to our application materials, she’s an educator, mentor, and business coach. She expressed the belief that access to information is vital to developing critical thinking skills and addressing inequities among communities.
[9:40] Miss Callahan has worked with Page Ahead Children’s Literacy Group to improve access to books for young readers, mentored business founders from nontraditional backgrounds, and advocated for stronger communities. She also has experience in budgeting for both nonprofit and for profit organizations, led a capital campaign for a playground in a city park, and worked on strategic financial plans.
[10:01] She has served on several boards and committees, including the Renton Airport Advisory Committee and the UW Burke Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Board. Staff have identified any issues with the proposed appointments. The appointees are with us today, as well as Heidi Daniel, the CSOs executive director, and John Scheller, the KCL government relations manager. That concludes my remarks. Thank you.
[10:24] Gene, you mentioned Gene in the process that only two communities or cities within King County don’t belong to the library system. One is the city of Seattle and the other is Hunts Point. Is that correct? Uh, chairman, Reichbauer was, uh, Yarrow Point in the Hunts Point. They’re not part of the King County library system.
[10:43] Uh, Seattle does have the separate system, but because of an agreement, both, uh, residents of Seattle and the county can go to any of those library branches because of those agreements. Thank you very much for clarifying that. Thank you. Uh, we’ll start with Mr.. Ralph, thank you very much for your willingness to serve.
[10:58] Ronell, would you share a little bit about why you want to serve on the Board of Trustees? Happy to do that, chair von Reichbauer. Um, I wanted to serve because I was really looking at a meaningful way to contribute to the community that my wife and I call home.
[11:17] We live in King County, and really, when I consider the options, the King County Library systems, I believe it’s one of our most important community institutions. Um, my belief is that libraries get access, you know, not to just books and knowledge, but to learning. Uh, certainly.
[11:41] But, um, also increasingly to technology, digital resources, workforce opportunities, literacy, and also community connection. So as, um, it was outlined, much of my career has been in education, often focused on expanding access and opportunity. And then I was looking at, okay, I also bring some, uh, board and governance experience.
[12:06] Um, and I understand that the role of KCL as trustee is really to provide, uh, responsible governance and fiduciary oversight, support the mission of the executive director and ensure that the system really continues to respond to the evolving needs of the community that it serves.
[12:27] Now, I’ve had the opportunity to sit on two meetings, and I’ve only been impressed, and it has just strengthened my interest in serving, and I’d be honored to continue that service. And I appreciate your consideration. Thank you very much for your comments. How was the library system where you grew up? How did that help form your own educational background? Absolutely. So I grew up in a city called Kandy in Sri Lanka.
[12:48] We had uh, my school had its own robust library that is over 100 years old. And then, uh, there were also an American center and a British Council library in the city. So I would go sit across these three libraries, which are actually walking distance.
[13:09] Um, so the the British government had a library system, and then the US government also had a library system as well as my school system. So, um, certain materials were too expensive to purchase. Growing up, studying for your middle school and high school and university entrance exams.
[13:31] So I relied on the libraries, um, as a place for reading reference material, as well as borrowing books that helped me get through high school and prepare for university. Interesting. You mentioned earlier in your comments that you saw the library system as a community connector.
[13:56] How would you enhance that? How would you like to see the library become a stronger community connector? Yes. Um, I don’t come into my board role with a preconceived idea of what it could be, what I would do plan to do, is really work with the executive director and the team, as well as the rest of the trustees in the programs, understanding the programs that they have for the communities and really seeing
[14:16] how the library and the community could kind of create better connections. So at this point, it’s, um, somewhat, uh, philosophical, but I need to learn in practice over the next few months, uh, how that can be.
[14:37] And I believe over a matter of few months, when I get to hear from the constituents, the communities we serve, as well as from our leadership team at cackles, I will probably learn more on what specifics that might be. Thank you. Any additional questions for my colleagues with this appointee? Any additional questions or comments? Please feel free to Councilmember Balducci. Thank you.
[15:01] I want to first of all, thank you very much for your willingness to volunteer for this institution. It’s one of the really wonderful institutions, I think, in our county. And, uh, one of the amazing, unique things about libraries is the absolute universality of access that it is there for everybody, for any purpose, to learn, to spend time.
[15:23] Uh, and the library system has been very dedicated to that, dedicated to being an open, welcoming place for everyone, um, and a place of free exchange of of knowledge in a time when there’s really kind of assaults on the free exchange of information at times.
[15:40] Can you talk a little bit about your philosophy around that? Uh, universal access and how you would feel about those, those values as a, as a board trustee member? Absolutely. Um, I believe, uh, access and access to knowledge equally and equitably. Uh, really is the great equalizer for bringing up our communities. And King County is, uh, pretty diverse.
[16:08] We have different communities with different needs, and the needs and the impact are going to be different by each community. So it’s not one size fits all, even within the county, and I believe, um, that access that you speak of is going to be in different forms for different parts of the communities.
[16:31] And I believe, uh, the impact is what we should be looking at and trying to see what the evolving needs of the communities so that we cater to that. I hope, I answered, but happy to clarify further. Thank you. I appreciate again. Thank you for your willingness to volunteer and for your response. I appreciate it.
[16:53] Any additional questions of this candidate? I’d like now to go to Miss Callahan. Uh, thank you for being here today as well. Can you share a little bit about your background and why you also want to serve on this important board of trustees? Uh. Thank you. Yeah.
[17:16] I, um, I have spent a long career in enabling people to be really productive in their work in across a variety of different industries. And most recently, I’ve been working specifically in the startup community with early stage companies who are, uh, really looking to find a new way to do things and a new, you know, create new business categories.
[17:38] So I spend a lot of my time, um, in mentoring and coaching and in sharing the benefit of experiences that I’ve been exposed to throughout my career and, and resources that I’ve had access to. And for me, I think that it informs this interest in the library system board, because I really do believe in building literacy for the the way that it unlocks education, it unlocks opportunity, it enables
[18:09] aspiration among people. And I think castles in particular is such a stellar organization. Um, and uh, the investments that, uh, the library has made in makerspaces and becoming a community anchor, providing, uh, resources like charging stations and repair depots and 24 over seven access for people really speaks to where I want
[18:37] to invest my time and my talents in stewardship of a a place that keeps finding new ways to open doors for people in our community. So when you were growing up, as I asked a previous speaker, what was the library system like and how did it affect your growth both personally and professionally?
[19:02] Yeah, I think my first, my earliest library memory was as a young child walking to the library, my my mother with three kids in tow. And the rule was that you could check out as many books as you were willing to carry home.
[19:20] And, uh, with my siblings, I think we were each trying to outdo each other. Um, and there was much, uh, deliberation with my older sister about. I’ll get this one, you get that one, and then we’ll switch and, um, there was always just a focus on access to books, variety of books.
[19:45] Uh, you know, my mother, gently an educator, I will say, gently nudging. Well, you know, that’s that that’s kind of a formula book. How many of those do you really need? And let’s try some other new things. And so certainly sparking interest in different categories.
[20:08] Um, and so it, it, uh, it just speaks to me in terms of how to bring in as many styles of readers, as many, um, ways to uptake content that’s available through the library. And for me, that, that, um, you know, I was very fortunate to live within walking distance.
[20:29] Uh, I don’t know how many times we would have gone to the library if it was four people on a bus every time. But, um, I think being able to create access points, digital, uh, community based events, cultural exchange, things that really, you know, build the library as a centerpiece, um, and a showplace of the community is super important to me.
[21:00] Whereabouts did you actually grow up? I grew up in Baltimore City, where I was actually in Baltimore City. Okay. The library system I used, ironically, was the library system that Director Daniels was last in charge of. Interesting. Interesting.
[21:25] Well, you both bring a unique perspective given where you both were raised and how much the library, no matter where where you were born and raised, the library system was a critical part of a stepping stone to your professional and personal growth. Absolutely. Uh, additional questions from my colleagues. I know Councilmember Dunn has joined us. Uh, any questions for my colleagues before we bring these two candidates? Yeah. Yes. Councilmember Balducci. Thank you. I just always like to ask the same question, if that’s okay.
[21:49] Uh, you spoke to this actually in your comments, but if you wanted to say anything more about your commitment to your vision of the universal, the universality of access that libraries provide, which is such a unique and wonderful part of why we have libraries? Absolutely. So I had the privilege to attend, uh, six of the board meetings.
[22:07] I contributed to the budget hearing last November. Um, and feel like I’ve gotten great exposure to this breadth of programs that exists. Um, the, the focus on the collection.
[22:40] And as more of the, uh, utilization of the, the collection is moving to digital materials, among the things I’m interested in, um, to the extent that we trustees, uh, contribute is understanding, like how to, uh, review alternate operating models with the digital publishing houses, for instance, how to think about getting existing library staff some of the same tools and training in, um, AI resources and artificial intelligence resources.
[23:14] That new library science graduates are coming into library systems with, and being able to bring, um, those groups up. And I think, you know, we uh, uh, I, I have a background in financial governance, as was discussed earlier and, um, I think the, the focus on prudent levy review, planning actions and ensuring that we are looking towards the future for
[23:40] the types of outreach and programs that help sustain this vibrant library system are really, you know, critical areas. I’d like to focus on. Thank you both for your answer and for your willingness to devote your time. Uh, and volunteers. And in this way, we really appreciate you. Thank you.
[24:01] Any additional questions from my colleagues? Um, I’d like to ask if you if Heidi would like to join in here for a second as the executive director, how do you what do you see as some of the major issues that you and the members of the board of
[24:17] Trustees are going to have to deal with in the next couple of years, affecting our library system? Oh, that’s a great question. Thank you, chair, for asking. I am very excited for both Liz and Neal to come on.
[24:33] They’ve touched on some of the major issues that we are going to be looking at over the next several years. Um, the library has not been on the ballot for 17 years. Um, we have very judiciously looked each year at where we are, where our reserves are, and when we will need to go on the ballot.
[24:51] So I need a board of trustees who are also, uh, carefully considering that thinking about the future of the library, um, we know that our 50 buildings, we have a little over $300 million worth of work, um, from, according to our master asset plan and our Reimagining Spaces plan that we will need to do. Um, we want to double down on that community connector role.
[25:09] Um, we certainly want to be very thoughtful of continuing our role as a trusted place of information. For me, the public library exists as because people have a right to access information.
[25:30] And so making sure that we’re bringing trustees on who have that same belief in that right at this time is critical to us. Um, also just thinking again, as they’ve both referred to new ways to think about doing business, um, I’m, I don’t think the future of the library has to look like the past of the library.
[25:48] We’re moving in new directions as communities, and we want to, uh, be able to respond to that and find new ways to be both efficient and innovative for our communities. So having a trustees that are, um, focused on that future strategic thinking is critical, as CLS thinks about how we’re going to reimagine ourselves for the next 20 to 30 years. And certainly the digital collection is something that I sit on some national boards.
[26:12] We’re very tuned into how the library system here, as well as nationally, will be able to maintain, um, our digital collections when we have very little control over them. And their cost modeling is one that isn’t particularly sustainable. So we are always thinking about new ways to think about that.
[26:32] So having new trustees that are engaged in that work is very important to CLS. So, uh, we thank you for your time and thoughtful nominees. And, uh, yeah, that’s those are the big areas we’re looking at into the future.
[26:49] What is the state of security in our library system? It’s very important to have the have this opportunity to visit also feel safe in the library system. Can you give us an update of how things are being dealt with with, uh, some of the challenges that today’s society brings? Yeah, absolutely.
[27:06] So of course, the public library is a place that is public. So it is open to all. Um, so we are always going to have some security challenges, just as every public space does.
[27:22] However, both our staff and the few places where we we have security and only a few of our buildings, but our staff are continually trained in de-escalation practices. Um, we are constantly looking at, um, new ways to improve the security of our buildings. And right now, in fact, we’re researching how we could have different types of positions that work on that de-escalation.
[27:44] We don’t see necessarily that that we have violent crime occurring in the library, but we do see that we have because it is a public place, um, challenges around, uh, mental health and substance misuse disorder that occurs in and around our buildings. So that is where a lot of our efforts and energy are focused on. We do have peers to help with resource guidance.
[28:05] Um, we do have, um, you know, cameras in the external of our branches. They are not flat cameras. They are not they’re not license plate readers. They do not grab those. But we do use those to review incidents that occur, to make sure that if individuals are not following the code of conduct, that they are banned.
[28:21] Um, and in general, that is where we focus is just a lot of, um, removing behavior that is not appropriate with the code of conduct while still making sure people have, you know, second chances to come back if it is a correctable, uh, challenged behavior.
[28:39] We are very keenly aware of the mental health and substance misuse issues in our community, and we focus on de-escalation and resource connection. Um, and that is where we have been able to make our places more welcoming to all of our community members. Excellent. Thank you.
[29:05] Uh, do, um, uh, Trustee Callahan or either of you want to have any final comments before we have a vote? I just want to say I’m very excited to serve, and I look forward to being a part of this, uh, important board and resource.. Similar similar sentiments. Thank you, thank you. I think you you too. It’s unique. That one comes from Baltimore.
[29:26] One’s coming from outside of the country, but it’s such a reflection of this region’s needs just to have this perspective coming in. You know, I grew up in, uh, rural Pierce County in a place called Lakewood, which is then an unincorporated area, and we valued so much our library out there in the in the suburban rural area of Lakewood.
[29:46] And I think you both bring a unique and needed perspectives about the needs for the not just today, but for the next ten, 20 years. So thank you both for your willingness to serve at this time. I’d like to the vice chair of the committee to move item number five, proposed motion 2026 0124. So moved. Thank you. Councilmember Fain.
[30:08] Uh, will the clerk please call the roll? Thank you. Chair Councilmember Balducci. Hi. Council member Dunn I Council member Fain. I and chair von Reichbauer. I. I have four eyes and zero nose. No one’s. I your vote proposed motion. Uh, 2026 0124 will be recommended to the full council. And we put on the consent agenda.
[30:38] Unless there’s an objection. Thank you very much. Now, we’ll take item number six. Uh, Councilmember Fain. Uh. move to. Confirm the executive’s appointment of Liz Callahan. Uh, we have four proposed motion 2026 0125. Will the clerk please call the roll? Thank you. Chair Councilmember Balducci. I. Council member Dunn. I Councilmember Fain. I and chair von Reichbauer. I.
[31:08] It’s four I zero no’s with no one. Under. Did we lose a voice here? Sorry chair von Reichbauer that was for I zero nose and no one excused. Thank you very much for your action. Proposed motion 2026 0125 is approved with the due pass recommendation.
[31:37] This item will also be sent to the full council on the regular course. Unless there’s an objection will be on the consent agenda. And again, my colleagues and I join you in congratulating you and your willingness to serve and your approval by this board. Heidi, good luck to you as well. Thank you very much.
[31:54] Item number seven is Proposed motion 2026 0115, confirming Susan Lewis. More to the baseball stadium. Public facilities. District Board of directors. Uh, Jean, can you speak to that? Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[32:15] And once again, for the record, I’m Jean Paul from council staff and materials for this appointment begin on page 23 of your packet and the separate appointing materials were included in the same email sent last Wednesday afternoon. Post motion 2026 0178 would confirm the executive’s appointment of Susan Lewis Moore to the Major League Baseball Stadium. Public Facilities District for the remainder of the term expiring on December 31st, 2029.
[32:36] The Washington State Major League Baseball stadium. Public Facilities District, or PFD, is a municipal corporation established by both the state and county in 1995. The PFD was responsible for deciding design and construction of T-Mobile Park.
[32:56] As the owner of the ballpark, the PFD oversees operations and ensures that the interests of the people of the state and county, the users of the ballpark, and the people who live and work in the neighborhoods around the ballpark, are met with balance and fairness.
[33:13] The FDS, governed by a seven member board pursuant to state law and County Code four members are appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the Council, and three members are appointed by the governor. The appointee information begins on page 24 of your packet. Susan Lewis is a former executive vice president of financial Planning and Analysis and a strategic advisor at T-Mobile, where she worked for over 17 years, according to her application materials.
[33:33] She expressed the belief that as a certified public accountant and finance executive who led Enterprise wise, enterprise wide planning, large scale integrations and multibillion dollar transformation initiatives, she could bring the analytical depth, operational discipline and long term strategic judgment required for the oversight of a complex public asset.
[33:55] She’s also served on several boards and commissions, including the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and National Fiduciary Trust Board and the Seattle Humane Society Board. She expressed that the experience of serving on these boards has strengthened her commitment to fiduciary duty, transparency, and mission driven governance. Staff have not identified any issues with the post appointment.
[34:13] The appointee, Susan Lewis, was with us today, as well as Joshua Curtis, the executive director of the PFD. That concludes my remarks. Thank you. Jane. Susan, thank you again for being here today and your willingness to serve.
[34:29] Um, I’d like to hear some more about some of the boards you served on in the past in your position, if you wouldn’t mind sharing that, uh, leading up to why you want to serve on this board. Because you’ve you’ve not only served on boards, but you’ve taken a leadership role in many of the boards that you’ve been involved with. Sure. Thank you. Chairman.
[34:48] Um, you know, starting some of my early days, I served as a treasurer for multiple nonprofits, um, particularly ones that my kids were involved in. And so it was just a great way to get to know these nonprofit, local organizations.
[35:07] And over time, I did start to lean more into larger nonprofits, particularly, uh, the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, where I had the privilege of not only being, you know, the vice chair, but ascended to the chair, uh, and then ultimately led the search committee as we were in a situation where we needed to find a new CEO. That was an amazing experience where, you know, one, I got to take all of my business acumen and lean into this role.
[35:26] Second, I’m a Seattle light. So to get to lean into an area and a in a community where I grew up was just wonderful. Um, and then as chair, you know, one thing that I was really proud of, we had a theme of regionalism, and we were really trying to lean in,
[35:40] how do we bring our regions together, particularly when we think about Seattle and Bellevue? And yes, it’s it’s a, you know, separated by a lake, but there’s nothing about that lake that should be separating us. So I did take it upon myself to do something that had never been done before.
[35:55] I brought the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce together for the very first time, for a joint meeting over at T-Mobile. How fitting. Um, and it was wonderful.
[36:15] John Stanton actually agreed to come and be a keynote there, and Dow Constantine showed up, our CEO of of T-Mobile showed up, and then the two chairs of both Seattle and Bellevue showed up together, uh, in an integrated fashion, just to kind of really show up again as a region, not to separate, you know, communities. Uh, and I was quite proud of that.
[36:33] And, um, I think that kind of speaks to one of the reasons I want to serve in this capacity. One, you know, I love this area. And, you know, having an opportunity to serve in this is, is a wonderful opportunity. And as I said, I’m no longer with T-Mobile. I’m kind of on to my next chapter. So this is all about giving back.
[36:50] But you’ve got a my friends who have worked at T-Mobile say you have a remarkable career at T-Mobile. Can you share your beginning and the whole process of your own development there at T-Mobile? Because it actually is a really good indicator of who you are.
[37:09] And T-Mobile’s role in our society and the opportunities for a young person to come in and then succeed as you did. Yeah. And if you don’t mind, I might skip a little further. Um, back beyond T-Mobile just because I think it helps with the context of the story.
[37:24] So, um, I went to school, uh, at University of Portland, and I went there to play soccer. And and I think that’s really important. And another reason why I think this role, uh, serving at the PhD is so important. Sports are so important in so many manners, whether you’re a fan or whether you’re a player.
[37:37] There’s so many great attributes. Anyway, that’s what got me to college. I was the first year, um, excuse me, the first generation for for my family, for someone to go to school. And that’s what got me there. I came out of there with a degree in accounting and started with McCaw communications early on.
[37:54] Um, actually in the paging division, if if everyone remembers pagers. Um, anyway, through that, that career, uh, which lasted 12 years and the only reason that it only lasted 12 years because we were purchased by another wireless carrier called Cingular.
[38:10] Uh, that was really kind of the end of my career there. I did have an opportunity to go to Atlanta, but Seattle is my home. I wanted to stay here. Uh, so I found myself at Nordstrom for a couple of years leading financial planning there, uh, which was a wonderful experience.
[38:24] But I’ll tell you, my my heart was still with wireless. I loved the culture. I love the pace, I love what we were doing. And it was just a challenge every day. So that’s how I found myself back at T-Mobile.
[38:38] Now, I will say I took a little bit of a step back in my level where I was, because by this time I had had two children. So I came in as a director. Um, and I started supporting our IT department, and it was just an absolute pleasure and ball to be there because I learned so much about it.
[38:57] But yet I could take all my wireless experience, all my financial acumen. By now, I’m a CPA. I’d gone back to school at night, got my MBA, and I was able to kind of really leverage that. Um, but that only lasted about 18 months.
[39:07] And I had someone knocking on my door to say, hey, I think there’s a higher calling here. We want you to actually come start to play a role and be a vice president of financial planning, which essentially that role is to work with leadership to really understand what is the strategy of the company. Do we like that strategy financially? Let’s test it.
[39:22] Um, and then that’s what establishes our ultimate goals. And whatever we objectives we set for whether it’s our board or Wall Street, anyone external. And those are usually multi-year goals. And so then it was my job to ensure that we met those goals.
[39:41] And as time went on, I will also mention, uh, T-Mobile went through a rocky time. And I think this is where you’re alluding to. It’s an interesting, uh, place. We were we were at the time owned by Deutsche Telekom because John Stanton sold to Deutsche Telekom in the early 2000. Um, and we were basically a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. We were not, um, performing well.
[40:02] We were losing subscribers. That is that is not what you want to be doing in a wireless, uh, company. Uh, and we won point. We’re going to get sold to AT&T. But the government stepped in and said that’s too monopolistic. That’s not going to happen. So we were in a tough place.
[40:19] And, um, we were actually listed as one of the companies that were potentially not going to be around the next year. Um, but lo and behold, we had some very amazing leaders that came in and actually decided, let’s take this company public. We merged with another, uh, regional company out of Texas called Metro.
[40:35] Uh, we went public. We created our own independent board, and we had a very, very, um, strategic new leader that was all about growth, growth and investment. And I think that’s really key. We need to invest in the business for the future.
[40:54] And that meant a couple years of maybe not performing financially as as some people would have liked. It really took that investment to turn it around. And at that point in time, I was promoted to the senior vice president of the organization, and I got to work with leadership on figuring out what is that best way to invest so that we can grow.
[41:09] And that growth just started in 2013, and we have been on a growth trajectory for over the last decade. Um, and then probably the highlight was when we merged with sprint, which was the number four carrier in the country.
[41:26] We were deemed the number three carrier when we brought those two companies together, I was able to become the executive vice president over planning, where Mike Seaver, our CEO, had me sitting at his table to really help integrate the companies and make sure we had the right conversations at the right times that we were meeting all the objectives that we had
[41:42] promised to Wall Street with that merger. Um, and it was an absolute blast, and it was an honor to be there. Um, so I hope that’s helpful with the journey.
[41:58] It is it helps explain, you know, the energy you bring to this new position and your background, I think would be helpful. Councilmember Balducci and Fain and Don have heard me say a thousand times, you know, sports brings people together. And I really look upon our region is very challenged right now, very, very there are a lot of wedges within the communities at large and within our general population.
[42:18] And sports is one of those things that brings people together. And I think your energy, your incredible skills that you bring from the private sector and quite frankly, your commitment is something that would really be helpful to your position on the facilities district. So thank you again for doing this.
[42:37] Um, I’m going to ask my colleagues if they have some questions or comments. Um, please raise your hand. I apologize if I can’t see everybody at one time. Uh. Here it’s spelled. Councilmember Balducci. Thank you. Just a quick comment. Uh, more than anything.
[42:59] And that is that, uh, Susan has been a very visible and active, uh, presence in district six and a much larger geography, obviously, but she’s, uh, I claim her, uh, from district six, and we’re very, very lucky and, uh, fortunate to have her, uh, willing to take on this volunteer role, uh, a very important, uh, facility and planning, uh, role that, you know, for such a major asset of
[43:18] the county. And I wanted to thank her very much for doing it. Thank you. Thank you. Any additional questions or comments? Uh, I also want to ask Joshua if you’re here. Thank you. Joshua.
[43:38] Uh, Josh, how are things at the, uh, facilities district and what are some of the major problems or concerns or challenges you have going forward? Yeah. Um. First of all, good morning, and thank you, council members, for your support of the PhD. Um, in terms of things that we’re working on.
[43:58] So top priority for us is always to ensure that the ballpark is protected and maintained and enhanced as a first class facility. Um, you know, we always support the work that the Mariners do. We are a public board. And so we make sure that, uh, we are always keeping a clear eye on the ballpark itself and ensuring that they’re doing what they need to be happy to report.
[44:17] They are, um, there are other things that we’re we’re working on. You know, in past years, we have realized that the fans experience doesn’t start when they walk into the ballpark, but instead starts when they get out of their car or when they step off light rail.
[44:36] As such, the Stadium District itself, uh, it has been a high priority for us. We are currently working on a project. We’re finalizing a design to improve the pedestrian experience between the Stadium District light rail station and the ballpark. So I think, um, signage, lighting, public art, really excited about that. Um, we’ll also be releasing an RFI in the fall.
[44:57] Um, we’re going to be looking for a provider that can help us to evaluate the feasibility of tapping into the Elliott Bay interceptor, which is the main sewage trunkline, to see if we can capture heat for the ballpark and even possibly for the surrounding neighborhood. So there there are other things we’re working on.
[45:17] Those are kind of our two big ones right now. Um, happy to answer any questions about those, but we are really excited that Susan is going to be joining the board. You’ve heard all about her, uh, very impressive background.
[45:33] So I don’t need to say much more than that, but I want to thank you all for your support. Us being able to maintain a public minded and effective board is really crucial, sort of, for both her, um, nomination today. But then also recently for Juan Goethals, um, uh, Juan’s appointment. Thank you very much.
[45:57] I’m looking forward to hearing about your your plans, about the process, because you you really hit a note when you say the process doesn’t begin when you walk into the stadium. It’s when you get out of your car and, uh, the horrific, uh, problem that occurred during the call center three weeks ago reminds us all how something could quickly happen without any notice in how important it is to create an environment where everybody feels comfortable, safe and
[46:19] protected. Uh, I’d be interested to hear more about what you’re planning to do with this. Moving from light rail to the stadium or other ideas, because we want to cooperate whenever possible.
[46:35] And and we want to work with our, our colleagues across the street on Third Avenue at the city to make sure. Because the stadiums are not a city, that they’re a regional asset. And we all benefit from them, but we all have a responsibility to make sure that all the public are safe. And when they get out of that door. Yeah, yeah. Completely agree.
[46:56] I’d be more than happy to come and share the designs when they’re ready. They’re pretty close. They’re probably next month or two. Would be more than happy to share those. And maybe some of our other plans in the district. Um, completely agree. It’s having a safe district is of paramount things. That would be great. At this time.
[47:13] I’d like to ask my vice chair of the committee, Councilmember Fain. Uh, everybody else have any questions? I want to make sure Councilmember Dunn or Fain a chance. So Councilmember Fain wants to make a motion on 220 260115 confirming Susan, uh, to the baseball stadium, public facilities. District Board of directors. Move to confirm the executive’s appointment of Susan Lewis. More.
[47:38] Thank you very much. Will the clerk please call the. Roll? Thank you. Chair Councilmember Balducci. I. Councilmember Dunn I Councilmember Fain. I excuse me, chair von Reichbauer. I it’s here. You have four eyes, zero no’s, and no one was. By revoke. Proposed motion 2026 0178 is approved with the due pass recommendation.
[48:08] Because directors appointed to this board cannot exercise their duties until confirmed by the Council, this item will be expedited to the August 25th full Council meeting. And unless there’s any objection, be placed on the consent agenda. So moved. Thank you. Thank you all. And thank you, Susan. Thank you. Our next.
[48:32] Our next is a briefing 2026 0096 auditors Update on Teachers Contract Monitoring. I’ll begin with Kimber. Uh, she’s here to begin the process, and I thank. You, Kimber. Thank you. Chair. von Reichbauer Kymber Waltmunson King, County auditor.
[48:54] As we published our audit of DHS last August, you asked us to oversee a full review of locally funded DHS grants. And so this status report is the first of four that we will deliver to you on that oversight. All right. So next slide, taking a look back to the beginning of the year, you amended the work program in January. In April we started meeting with DHS to define their project framework.
[49:24] In May, DHS onboarded consultants from Robert Hoff to review grants. And Megan on our team collaborated with DHS to develop drafts of all the tools that Robert Hoff would use in June and July, Robert Hoff began their reviews, and we started doing quality assurance on their work.
[49:49] Our status report is now live on our website. It is a very short document. It summarizes what Megan and I will talk about today. There are three things to take away from this presentation. First, there are about 2000 grants eligible for review. Second, processes are in place to enable consistent, transparent grant reviews.
[50:14] And finally, the process is on track to complete all 2000 grants by December 2027. Megan is going to share more detail about these three elements, and then I will come back and talk briefly about how our office will plug into the direct reviewing of grants. Megan. Thank you, Kimber.
[50:34] For the record, Megan Coe, King County Auditor’s Office. Uh, before I talk about which grants we are reviewing and how, I want to talk briefly about the three teams that are reviewing grants, DHS compliance staff will be conducting their routine fiscal monitoring work.
[51:01] Robert Half, as Kimber mentioned, um, will be working on contract reviews specifically related to the DHS oversight work in our work program, and our office will begin conducting reviews as part of grant testing in September.
[51:28] As Kimber mentioned, we identified nearly 2000 grants for these three teams to review, and those grants are those that are managed by DHS, entirely locally funded, meaning these grants have no state or federal dollars and that they are grants that have invoices or payments in or after 2025. So this helps ensure that this is a timely review. It also excludes grants that we tested in our 2025 audit of DHS fiscal stewardship, to avoid any duplication of effort in that area.
[51:55] Uh, to ensure reviews are transparent, we are communicating regularly with DHS. Together, we developed consistent protocols, including tools to track the status of each review. Our office has direct access to review documentation and is conducting quality checks of the work. Um, using a form created by DHS.
[52:23] We can also quickly scan the results for any grants that have been flagged for additional review, so reviewers escalate any concerns that they may have to DHS. And this is things like, uh, indications of questionable payments such as potentially an allowable expenses based on the contract or a lack of adherence to the agreed upon, uh, budget.
[52:47] We expect DHS will evaluate any escalated issues and share with us how they decided to resolve them. This project is currently on track for completion by the end of 2027. Based on the following progress to date and the three teams I discussed earlier. The capacity from all of those teams.
[53:10] So DHS hired five people to conduct reviews from Robert Half, and that is the main body of work with the only body of work that they have, as shown on the bottom left at the end of the first reporting period. Um, Robert Half completed 68 reviews and made progress on 48 more. That was a total of 116 reviews in progress or complete.
[53:33] And just to be clear, that was after less than one month of, um, reviews. And that’s because of the time we spent getting this project framework established as creating tools. DHS hiring and onboarding staff, etc. so of the 68 completed reviews, Robert Half escalated five to DHS.
[53:56] Um, I also want to point out at the bottom right of this slide that DHS and Robert have identified about 100 grants that would need to be excluded because they fell outside of the scope of our review based on that same criteria I mentioned earlier, such as having state or federal funds.
[54:15] I’m now going to hand it back to Kimber to talk a little bit more about the upcoming reviews by our office. All right. Thanks, Megan. So looking forward, um, my team will be taking two samples from the 2000 grants to review. The first is a statistical sample. That means that we will take a random sample, and that will allow us to draw conclusions about the entire set of grants.
[54:42] And second, we will be doing a risk based sample. That means that we will look at 100% of what we think are the riskiest grants, based on the knowledge that we gained during the audit. So ultimately, all 2000 grants will be reviewed at a consistent standard.
[55:05] You can see on this slide how the grant reviews will be split up between the reviewers, starting at the top and orange is the DHS compliance team doing a portion of the work as part of their routine planned reviews.
[55:23] Moving to the blue section on the right, Robert Hoff will conduct About three quarters of the testing, and in green my team will do the remainder. You can see in the shaded section between my team and Robert Huff that there’s a small overlap that’s a result of the random sampling process that we’re doing.
[55:42] And this in addition to this, is also an addition to the quality assurance work that Megan will do. On this next slide, you can see what to expect over the rest of the biennium. On the left is the report that you’re receiving right now. And then you can expect to hear from us again in February and August of next year.
[56:03] And we will issue a concluding report in February of 2028. So to summarize, reviews are going forward from a great foundation and we are on track. The report is now on our website. DHS also provided their own status letter. You can find that on our website and council members.
[56:26] I will email that to you after this meeting and we are available for any questions that you might have. Thank you. My colleagues. Anybody have a question at this time? Councilmember Balducci thank you chair, and thank you to the order and team for very thoughtful, measured process that it looks like it’s going to bring results. So what we have here is like a process update.
[56:50] How who’s doing what how many uh reviews sort of what the boundaries are and what the forms and, and the process that’s been developed. Um, a couple quick questions and then a bigger question. Quick question number one. Um, just nitpicking a little bit on that last slide you had today, August is review one.
[57:07] Next August is review three. One is review two. It is in February. Okay. So in about six. Months coming here. Yes. Okay. Um, and so I’m hoping at review two we’ll hear not just process but also some of the substance of what’s being found, what sorts of.
[57:24] So if there are things that were escalated, what sorts of issues caused escalation and what were the what were the results of that escalation? Um, if if we’re seeing a whole bunch of contracts fall out because they’ve got state funding, really the issue was federal funding, honestly, because federal funding comes with all of these strings.
[57:43] So when I introduced this amendment and talked to DHS about it, they were concerned that they not have to do two separate and different kinds of oversight for contracts that had federal oversight, uh, the way we wrote it, of course, said locally funded. So now, of course, the, you know, sort of the gotcha is oh, yeah.
[57:58] But now state money excludes things as well. That’s news. And, you know, not great. But uh, because I don’t know that the state does the same level of, uh, real oversight that the feds do. And if we start seeing lots of contracts fall out because of small amounts of state money, I would want to know about that.
[58:15] I would want to know that that is happening so that we are nevertheless, we’re getting lots of contracts falling within this oversight. And frankly, that is exactly, I think, what the council wanted in passing this amendment was, hey, we had a sample that was the original audit that had massive problems in a very small number of contracts.
[58:34] Does that translate? Does that mean that there’s massive problems in large number of contracts, or is it limited more or less to this area or somewhere in between? And so I think we’ll get a sense of that from what you’re doing.
[58:54] Um, and then so, uh, so question number two is, um, I’m a little confused about Robert Half’s work. I heard both that he’s an independent contractor and that he’s contracted to DHS. Which is it? And how does it work? Please. Um, so, Council member, on the first question you asked, you’ll absolutely see results from us in February.
[59:15] Um, we’ll keep track of the state funding and identify if that is a significant issue. We’re also collaborating or communicating regularly with the state auditor’s office, and we can share those concerns with them as well. Um, so next, I just want to note that, um, director McLaughlin is here on the call today.
[59:37] Um, just to be clear, Robert Hof is a consulting firm, and there are several staff from that firm who are doing the work, and she can respond to exactly how that is structured. Go ahead. Is that okay? Good morning. For the record, Susan McLaughlin, the director of the Department of Community and Human Services.
[59:59] Um, thank you for your question, Councilmember Balducci. Yes. Robert Hafez is is an organization that provides staffing and DHS has a contract directly with them to provide, um, a temporary staff to conduct these reviews. That’s the five staff that were mentioned by the auditor’s office. So just to make sure I understand the firm. So it’s not a person named Robert Huff.
[1:00:22] It’s a firm maybe the last name. Robert. Last name? Half. Um, and DHS is contracting directly with. And the contractors are the ones who are deciding what to escalate.
[1:00:46] And so then the escalation happens and what’s what is how how is this all overseen then by the auditor or by like, how does this all turn into a report? And what can we expect will be that, um, we just want objective and independent information, and this feels like it might be captive and not objective. Um, I can respond, Council member, to how the auditor is ensuring that that work is done in a quality way.
[1:01:09] Megan, right now is conducting quality reviews on the, um, the reviews that have been conducted by the Robert half staff and communicating back to them any gaps that she has seeing in the work so that there can be further discussion and skill improvement.
[1:01:31] We also have, as Megan mentioned, insight into all of the documentation that has been created by Robert Hawk. So we can periodically take a look at that and make sure that you can rely on the results that are coming from that group. Okay. Well, thank you. All I know it is a is a large body of work.
[1:01:45] I appreciate it. And the fact that it’s on track to be completed in the time frame is very good indeed. So thank you all for for the effort. Look forward to the future. Reports. Thank you Councilmember Fain. Thank you. Chair.
[1:02:05] Um, and thank you to Councilmember Balducci for clarifying that locally funded language because I had I went back and looked at that and was trying to figure out the context because like you, I wouldn’t want to exclude a large number of grants simply because they include some, um, state funding or even federal funding.
[1:02:28] Um, so I think I heard some, uh, agreement from the auditor and correct me if I’m wrong, that in the next report you’ll provide a little bit more context. So, um, just for clarity, I’d love to see, uh, what the total universe of DCH, uh, grants are.
[1:02:47] And then how many are excluded because they include state and federal funding, and then how many are being excluded from your review because they’ve essentially timed out or they don’t receive, um, current payments, which is what I understand to be the other kind of exclusion factor in this scope. Um, so I would love to see that breakdown in the next, um, uh, report that you provide for us. Thank you for doing this.
[1:03:11] Um, this sort of supplemental report, even though it’s only been, uh, about a month. Um, so I have a couple questions here, if you don’t mind. And this can be something that you share with us. Um, later.
[1:03:34] Um, if you don’t know it now, one is, um, this current pace that you’re projecting that you’ll finish in this two year target, all the 2000 grants, um, but at the current pace, of, what, 68 in 1 month? That is somewhat projected to be like two and a half years. Is that just because we’re getting you were getting up and running? Um, that it was a little bit they weren’t able to get through as many.
[1:03:58] Um, there there are several different factors. Council member. So it’s definitely slower in the beginning as you’re learning to do the process and speeds up as you get some more experience under your belt. My team is starting their work next month, and that is going to add a big boost.
[1:04:18] And the compliance team at DHS work is also ongoing and will continue. So at the current pace, we believe that it will, um, that we will be able to complete as a whole the contracts by the end of the biennium. If that seems to not be the case.
[1:04:43] Um, we would reassess and see, you know, is it 100 contracts that are remaining or is it a thousand contracts remaining? And the action we take would differ depending on what that looked like. So, um, I imagine that next August will be able to really be very clear about whether we’re on track for completion by the end of the biennium.
[1:05:02] Thank you. And then just one last question. It just popped up because, um, chair, if you don’t mind, um, you showed that pie chart of review.
[1:05:26] Um, and I saw the overlap in the kind of quality assurance of the Robert half, um, audits that are going on, but I didn’t see that same, um, QA work on DHS. Um, and the work that they’re doing. And I know that you’ve been working closely with them, and there’s a lot of training and they’re doing good work.
[1:05:44] But I’m just curious as to why, um, that you aren’t doing any of that QA work, at least in the beginning. Um, on the DHS side. Uh, Councilmember, the compliance team at DHS is a very highly skilled group, and they’re doing a very small slice of the work that is just the nature of their work that they would be doing anyway.
[1:06:07] So contracts that they were reviewing have been excluded from the sample or from the 2000. And so that’s why there is no overlap. And the reason that there is some overlap is the nature of, um, creating a statistical sample.
[1:06:31] We want to have every single contrast to have a contract have an equal chance of being selected by our office for review. And because Robert Huff has already done, um, some reviews, the entirety of the 2000 are, um, have the potential to be selected. So it is possible that we will select one that they have already done. Um, and that’s just the the nature of the overlap.
[1:06:56] But does the compliance team, the lack of overlap with the compliance team makes sense. I’m not sure I fully understand, but I’m happy to take that offline if that would be easier. I’m happy to do that. Thank you. Councilmember Dunn. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[1:07:18] And I want to thank Kimber and your team, as well as DHS for, uh, taking the laboring oral and continuing this audit process that was started, uh, a while back now. And it’s obviously an important part of how we heal. Uh, and improve, uh, county government and the trust of the public. I, I’m not sure I heard the number.
[1:07:40] And maybe you said it and I missed it, but the number of grant recipients that are going to be audited roughly through this next, uh, sounds like three rounds or so. What is the total aggregate number there? Megan, do you have that number at hand? I don’t have that number because we’re going by, um, Grant.
[1:08:00] And so any given provider can have multiple grants, it’s easy to, to pull that. But I don’t actually have that at the moment. I want to say maybe 700 is when I recall pulling this last. But happy to get that to you. And provide to the. Meeting so that. That number 700 is figure. You think that’s grants or grant recipients. That number reflects.
[1:08:22] Uh, the providers. So we know the number of um, of contracts or grants, but it’s sort of we haven’t because we’re reviewing them on the grant basis as opposed to the provider basis. I don’t have the number for the provider front and center at the moment.
[1:08:43] If you get back to me on that number, that’d be helpful. But it sounds like it’s a substantial chunk there. Uh, and will give us a much better feel for the systemic challenges that we face as a county in terms of outlay of taxpayer dollars. Okay, great.
[1:08:58] Well, I just want to say thanks, and I appreciate the work you’re all doing. And we’ll watch all of these, uh, with great interest moving forward as policy makers. All right. Thank you. Anything else? Can you hear me? All right. Yeah. I don’t have anything else. Thanks, Mr.. Chair. Great. Uh, Kimber, anything else you want to. Share? Uh, no, thank you, Mr. Chair.
[1:09:26] We’d be happy to receive any questions outside of this meeting. If council members have them. And we’ll report back on the questions that you had that we didn’t have answers for right away. Thank you. Excellent. Okay. If there is no other business before the body, uh, this committee is now adjourned.