Girmay Zahilay

Girmay Hadish Zahilay (/ˈɡɜːrmaɪ ˈzɑːhɪlaɪ/ GUR-my ZAH-hil-eye;[1] born May 6, 1987) is an American politician and lawyer who is a member of the King County Council from District 2 in Seattle, Washington. He was elected in 2019, defeating longtime incumbent Larry Gossett.

Girmay Zahilay
Member of the King County Council
from the 2nd district
Assumed office
January 8, 2020 (2020-01-08)
Preceded byLarry Gossett
Personal details
Born
Girmay Hadish Zahilay

(1987-05-06) May 6, 1987
Sudan
EducationStanford University (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (JD)
ProfessionAttorney
Websitewww.kingcounty.gov/council/zahilay.aspx

Early life and education

Zahilay and his brother were born in Sudan to Ethiopian refugees from Tigray[2] who had escaped military conflict. He was three years old when his family immigrated to the United States, settling in the Rainier Valley.[3] Zahilay moved between public housing arrangements in several neighborhoods in South Seattle, including the International District and Skyway, while his mother Abie worked double shifts as a nursing assistant. The family also stayed at a homeless shelter in Downtown Seattle between moves to public housing in New Holly and Rainier Vista.[4][5]

He graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle and was a research intern at the University of Washington Department of Biology.[6] He majored in biology at Stanford University, where he served as president of the Black Student Union. Zahilay earned a J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an intern at the Office of the White House Counsel during the Obama administration.[3]

Career

Zahilay worked for the Congressional Hunger Center and New York City Coalition Against Hunger as a community organizer after graduating from college.[4] He then moved to jobs at law firms Skadden Arps in New York and Perkins Coie in Seattle.[3] Zahilay also founded a non-profit, Rising Leaders, that aims to provide mentors for underserved middle school students.[3]

He announced his County Council District 2 campaign in February 2019, becoming the first challenger to six-term incumbent Larry Gossett since 2005.[7] Zahilay campaigned on the expansion of public housing and the replacement of youth incarceration with other methods.[4] Gossett, who had also attended Franklin High School and had led his own Black Student Union at the University of Washington, trailed Zahilay in the primary election by a 37 percent margin.[8] Zahilay defeated Gossett in the November 2019 general election, becoming the youngest member of the King County Council.[9][10] He was sworn in to represent District 2 on January 8, 2020, and was selected to chair the council's Law and Justice Committee.[11]

Council tenure

During his first year in office, Zahilay commented on the weight of being the only sitting Black county councilmember in Washington state and his efforts to connect with the youth in his district by visiting several Zoom elementary classrooms.[12] In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, his office organized multiple events to hand out free masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in areas of his district that were disproportionally impacted by the pandemic.[13] Zahilay supported multiple county level ballot measures that applied changes to the role of the county sheriff in response to the George Floyd protests.[14]

References
  1. Jimenez, Esmy (November 4, 2019). "Seattle voters contend between political newcomer or civil rights legend". KUOW. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  2. "'It's a nightmare': Their homeland racked by war, famine, Seattle's Tigrayan community looks for answers". The Seattle Times. August 16, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  3. Gutman, David (August 9, 2019). "King County Council's Larry Gossett fighting for his political life against Girmay Zahilay, first-time candidate who calls him a hero". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  4. Smith, Rich (June 7, 2019). "Larry Gossett Faces His First Serious Challenger in Girmay Zahilay". The Stranger. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  5. Burkhalter, Aaron (September 25, 2019). "Meet the King County Council District 2 Candidates: Girmay Zahilay". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  6. Hansen, Lily (December 3, 2019). "A Seattle-only focus is no longer going to cut it". The Daily. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  7. Harrison Green, Marcus (February 27, 2019). "Seattle attorney to challenge Larry Gossett for King County Council seat". The Seattle Times. p. B8.
  8. Gutman, David (October 13, 2019). "Larry Gossett faces toughest election yet against Girmay Zahilay for King County Council". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  9. Brownstone, Sydney (November 7, 2019). "From sharecropper's son to Black Panther to politician, County Councilmember Larry Gossett reflects on his legacy". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  10. Santos, Melissa (November 5, 2019). "Newcomer Girmay Zahilay soundly defeating Larry Gossett in race for King County Council". Crosscut.com. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  11. Gutman, David (January 8, 2020). "Girmay Zahilay begins work on King County Council as Larry Gossett era ends". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  12. Alicea, Simone. "LISTEN: Girmay Zahilay reflects on an intense first year on the King County Council". KNKX. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  13. "Councilmember Girmay Zahilay Takes Fight Against Covid-19 Into His Own Hands". The Seattle Medium. September 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  14. Gutman, David (July 21, 2020). "King County Council moves to strip power from Sheriff's Office; proposals to head to voters in November". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
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