Re-elect Dunn to King County Council Position 9

REAGAN Dunn deserves re-election to his seat on the Metropolitan King County Council. Running for his second full term, Dunn has demonstrated a cool head on the council, abiding commitment to public safety and the fortitude to zig when everyone else zags.

On the latter point, Dunn was the only one of nine council members to vote against the county's ill-conceived foot-ferry tax with a goal of putting ferries on Lake Washington.

A former U.S. Justice Department official, Dunn's commitment to public safety remains strong. His Safe Neighborhoods Initiative helped create a partnership between the county sheriff's office and landlords to help law enforcement better track down illegal labs manufacturing methamphetamine.

Dunn also did some of the county's heavy lifting to help preserve about 7,000 acres along the Raging River. King County worked with the state Department of Natural Resources and environmentalists to preserve this part of the Mountains to Sound Greenway along Interstate 90.

Dunn's challengers for the District 9 seat, which sprawls from south Bellevue to Enumclaw, bring some interesting ideas but do not match Dunn's record of effective public leadership.

Beverly Harison Tonda, a financial-services trainer from Maple Valley, was spurred to activism over frustration of a county zoning issue affecting her property. She's smart and we encourage her to stay involved and flesh out her record of public service.

Mark Greene is running as a Party of Commons candidate even though this is no longer a partisan office. He has run unsuccessfully for several political offices, including secretary of state in 2008.

Dunn has proved himself to be a thoughtful and effective member of the King County Council. He deserves re-election.