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Extra Fizz: Constantine Hires Department Director McGinn Let Go

City Hall, Politics   February 9, 2010 at 3:04 pm Erica C. Barnett

Editor’s note: This post has been updated.

King County Executive Dow Constantine has hired former Seattle Human Services Department director Alan Painter, Constantine spokesman Frank Abe confirms. Abe says Painter will make $111,056 serving as a “policy advisor on human services, health and housing” under Constantine’s director of strategic initiatives, Carrie Cihak.

Painter was one of the first department heads asked to step down by then-Mayor-Elect Mike McGinn last December. He was well-regarded in the housing and human services community; in a letter in early December, the Housing Development Consortium, which represents non-profit housing developers, urged McGinn to keep Painter, who “has served the people of Seattle with selfless dedication for many years.”

Abe says the Constantine office is “very excited to have someone with [Painter's] range and depth of experience working on these critical issues” at the county.


  • gloomy gus

    I'm so glad Painter's found a more congenial gig, just what, two doors down from his old office! Congrats to him and to Constantine.

  • petersteinbrueck

    Great news! Seattle's loss, Alan is a highly dedicated, knowledgeable professional who will serve the Executive and county residents well.
    -Peter Steinbrueck

  • West Seattle Waiter

    Another reason why Dow is a leader and a professional. He is keeping his head low and focused on the basics making sure the County is in good shape during the severe budget crisis. McGinn looks like a clown in comparison. And the public has lost faith in McGinn and once its gone, its hard to bring back that support.

  • sad for seattle

    Agree with the comments above. Alan Painter is a class act, well-respected, a great public servant — this decision by Dow speaks volumes of the contradictory leaders this area elected. I predict the county will excel while the city continues to flounder under this un-strategic, short-sighted blight of a mayor 52% of this city elected.

  • Ann

    He's “a class act” and “well-respected” as long as he is pushing the ideologies and policies you agree with. If not he's just another idealogue pushing an agenda.

  • harlatumbleson

    I am pleased fro both Alan and the County. He will bring good knowledge and problem solving skills toward addressing the County's economic crisis and assuring a solid, sustainabale approach to human services.-Harla Tumbleson

  • Former DPDer

    So,Peter…where were you when we needed you? You would have been a shoe-in. Instead look what we got.

  • peter steinbrueck

    Thanks ExDPDer, for me the shoe didn't fit at the time, but there's always the future! -Peter

  • tterry

    Shifting “let go” employees between seattle and king county is the reason nothing changes.
    Never is any new blood brought it. Thiss is one big shell game to demonstrate cutting in one government area and shifting to another.
    This happens all the time and the public is not aware of the magitude.

  • tterry

    I do not understand if Abe was so great why did McGinn let him go>
    Peter?

  • RecallMcginn

    Because McGinn is a moron… simple as that.

  • Guest

    how does working tirelessly to come up with a humane response to the issue of homelessness in our community make one an idealogue?

  • Guest

    Because he has no knowledge of human service issues in the City and didn't do any due diligence during the transition. McGinn doesn't know the merits of those dept. heads he fired. At the City Council confirmation hearing for Painter, no one came forward to speak against his appointment as director.

    McGinn has surrounded himself with advisors of dubious merits and doesn't seem interested in keeping key personal who happen to have worked under the former administration.

  • rilly?

    Jesus H. Christ. On a stick. What in the hell is Painter going to do? Sit around and think? Aren't there enough people in constantine's adminsitration doing nothing already? I bet the press release will use words like “coordinate” “interface” and other useless terms. I say more cops and guns and republicans.