Claudia Balducci receives Eastside Elected Official of the Year honors The following is a release from the Claudia Balducci campaign:
Bellevue Mayor Claudia Balducci, who is a candidate for the King County Council seat that represents most of Kirkland, was honored with the Eastside Elected Official of the Year Award from the Alliance of Eastside Agencies (AEA) this week.
AEA, based in Redmond and serving cities including Kirkland, Bellevue, and Mercer Island, works to build healthy communities in East King County by providing a strong voice for Eastside health and human services and by promoting organizational excellence among providers.
Each year AEA recognizes individuals and organizations that have demonstrated outstanding dedication and vision in human services.
According to AEA, the Elected Official of the Year is someone who, “has been a bold ‘catalyst for change’ to better the understanding of, and support for, human services.”
“I deeply appreciate this recognition,” Balducci said. “As a Mayor and public safety leader, I know firsthand how important a strong network of health and human services is to the strength of our people, our families, and our communities.”
Balducci continued, “I am particularly honored to receive this award from AEA as one of my former colleagues and mentors, former Bellevue Councilmember Phil Noble, is such an inspiration to their organization, as he is to me still today.”
As Bellevue Mayor and member on the City Council, Balducci supported increased human services funding, even during the recession, and is a strong advocate for increased access to affordable housing on the Eastside.
She has served on the Board of the Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters Disability Board, on the Youth Link Board, and as a founding member of the leadership team for Bellevue’s Wraparound Services Program, a partnership between the city and the school district, which supports families and youth in schools.
In addition to her work to strengthen health and human services on the Eastside, Balducci served previously as the Director of King County Jails.
In that role she helped to protect public safety even during revenue shortfalls after the recession, maintaining needed staffing levels while improving safety and conditions for those with a mental illness.
Balducci is running to represent King County’s 6th Council District, which includes the cities of Kirkland, Bellevue, and Mercer Island. She lives in the Lake Hills neighborhood with her husband and 9-year-old son, a student at Bellevue Public Schools.
