Taking office as the first new Executive that King County has elected since 2009, Zahilay pledged to bring groups together to tackle the county's problems. He also carrying out a major shakeup in County government, ousting many longtime staffers.

Without "bold action," Bainbridge Island was on track to be two years late in adopting an updated long-term growth plan, according to the city's new consultant. But with little consensus around a path forward and two new councilmembers taking office, a change in strategy may not be enough.

Following an intense debate over the future of Sammamish's fledgling Town Center area in this month's elections, three growth skeptics are set to join the city council. Now the question is just how dramatically things get scaled back in 2026.

Despite significant spending to steer the Kirkland City Council toward a more slow growth direction, voters elected progressives in three out of four races. In the end, the election seemed to show most Kirkland residents are happy with the city's current direction.

Light rail riders will see out-of-service trains running between International District-Chinatown and Lynnwood as the next major milestone for testing on the full 2 Line.