About Councilmember Claudia Balducci

King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci is a mom, transportation and affordable housing leader, and a former public safety official. Representing Council District 6 in East King County, Claudia Balducci is committed to making King County government works better. She believes all residents should have safe and affordable places to live, educational and career opportunities, physical and mental health care, and a healthy and sustainable environment. She is committed to ensuring King County government is transparent, effective, responsive, and accountable in delivering the services and projects that improve the lives of all county residents.

Claudia first became active in civic life when she joined her neighbors to advocate for the revitalization of her local shopping center in the Lake Hills community of Bellevue. She went on to serve on the Bellevue City Council, including one term as Mayor. Elected in 2015, and now in her third term on the King County Council, Claudia works across the region as chair of the Sound Transit Board’s System Expansion Committee, immediate past president of the Puget Sound Regional Council, chair of the King County Affordable Housing Committee, chair of the King County Council Committee of the Whole, and chair of the Regional Water Quality Committee.

Transit Champion

As an elected official, Claudia has championed transportation solutions to benefit all Eastsiders, notably fighting to extend light rail from Seattle to Bellevue, Redmond and beyond. She has also advocated for improvements to major freeways, like SR 520 and I-405, as well as local arterials, regional trails and better bike lanes in Bellevue.

Affordable Housing Leader

Because runaway housing costs and homelessness are regional problems that require regional solutions, Claudia has worked with stakeholders and leaders across King County to find solutions. In 2017 and 2018 she initiated and co-chaired a Regional Affordable Housing Taskforce, which included elected representatives from the County, Seattle and other cities to develop recommendations toward a common goal of providing homes for all residents. She now chairs the Affordable Housing Committee, a regional body dedicated to implementing the Task Force recommendations. Additionally, as Mayor of Bellevue and County Councilmember, Claudia has worked with Eastside cities to create emergency shelters for men, women and families without homes.

Connecting Parks and Open Space with People

As Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee she led Council’s work on the 2020-2025 King County Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space Levy, which 70% of voters approved in 2019. The renewed levy makes investments across the county, including over $50.5 million to build out the new Eastrail connecting from Renton to Woodinville. It also funds open space, pools and playfields across the Eastside.

In the Community

Claudia is a strong advocate for education and the arts, supporting great organizations like KidsQuest Children's Museum, Music Works Northwest, Bellevue Youth Theater, Youth Theatre Northwest, and many more. In 2021 she secured $900,000 to help fund Together Center’s expanded human services hub to bring together more organizations and provide more services to Eastside residents. Read a selection of highlights from a busy 2021.

In 2015, Claudia was recognized as “Elected Official of the Year” by the Alliance of Eastside Agencies (Human Services) and the Washington State Democratic Party. In 2016, Claudia was inducted into the Transportation Choices Transportation Heroes Hall of Fame and, in 2019, the Puget Sound Business Journal named her the Transportation Executive of the Year.

Claudia is a graduate of Providence College and the Columbia University School of Law. She lives in Bellevue with her husband, Jim, teenager, Victor, and adopted shelter dog, Angel.