MLK County at last

Martin Luther King County has been a matter of policy debate and County Council votes for so long, the reality was difficult to conceptualize.

What would an MLK County look like? Now we know. In a word, it looks like us, the 1.8 million residents of King County. The new logo's powerful black-and-white rendition of the slain civil-rights leader represents this county's greatest asset: its diversity.

Soon, citizens will see the logo on new county park signs and, for a few, on corrections-department uniforms. Over time, the King logo will appear on official stationery and on Metro buses.

It's an overdue moment worth the wait.

Logos are important symbols. They promote a visual representation of a region's greatest aspirations.

At our finest, we are the embodiment of our symbol. At our lowest, we look up to it for guidance.

Fiscal prudence has led county officials every step of the way. The county is not paying a fee to the King estate and the $600,000 cost of transitioning to a new logo will be incurred over five years.

The decades-long effort is a tribute to bipartisan cooperation, stemming from the original idea by former County Councilman Bruce Laing and carried forward over the years by that Republican's Democratic colleagues, Councilman Larry Gossett and County Executive Ron Sims.

Renaming our county for America's best-known civil-rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate is more in tune with our values, whether we always live up to them or not.

Our county was originally named for an Alabama slaveholder and U.S. vice president, William Rufus DeVane King.

We were not paying homage to this King, but merely currying favor with a person who wielded national influence at a time when our state wanted to enter the union.

That mission was accomplished. Fast-forward to the 21st century, when our county deserves a name in keeping with a more-enlightened image.

Seattle is named for Chief Sealth. Washington state is named for the nation's first president. Welcome Martin Luther King County as the third symbol of American diversity and greatness.