King County's Constantine off to a good start

MINDFUL that King County government is broken, Executive Dow Constantine offered a "blueprint for reform" that correctly includes a plan to restore public confidence. Part and parcel of that is working to get labor and other costs under control.

With many contracts up this year, Constantine must work collaboratively with employees to reduce cost-of-living increases and amend work rules.

County employees pay more of overall medical benefits this year compared with last year, but public confidence would be bolstered in years ahead by also requiring county employees to contribute to health premiums.

None of this will come easy. But Constantine and his staff recognize the glaring need to get the financial house in order. Constantine seems wary of a sales tax increase to save programs in criminal justice, human services and public health, especially if state lawmakers raise the sales tax this year. As he should be. A recession is not a good time to increase taxes.

The county faces a $60 million budget gap in 2011, after many years of slicing and dicing. But Constantine outlined several ideas to help stem the cycle of boom and bust, including a cap on future spending when the economy rebounds to save for the next downturn.

Compared with new Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, Constantine is a quieter presence, but quiet like a fox. He plans to create a new director of labor relations to usher in some changes. He hired away one of Seattle's top employees, longtime Budget Director Dwight Dively, who will share his budget wizardry with the county. The executive relies on his deputy, the innovative former state Sen. Fred Jarrett.

Constantine is also winning praise, deservedly so, for meeting with mayors of various suburban cities to create greater regional cooperation. He's traveled to Duvall, Carnation, North Bend and other locales.

With money tight, Constantine is attempting to reform county government with a host of good ideas and an impressive staff. He emphasizes customer service and employee suggestions for further cost savings.

The new executive is off to a solid start. Now he must live up to his 100-day sales pitch.