James Joseph McDermott (born July 1, 1967) is an American politician serving as a member of the

King County Council The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative body of King County, Washington, consists of nine members elected by district. The Council adopts laws, sets policy, and holds final approval over the budget. Its current name and structure i ...

. He previously served ten years as a state legislator, seven years in the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

and three in the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olymp ...

Education

After graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in history and political science from

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the ...

, he earned a Master of Public Administration from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

Career

He went on to work for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney and the

Seattle Public Schools Seattle Public Schools is the largest public school district in the state of Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Park and Tukwila. As of 2018, 113 schools are operated by ...

. In 2009, McDermott completed Harvard University's

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a

David Bohnett Foundation The David Bohnett Foundation is a global private foundation that gives grants to organizations that focus on its core giving areas – primarily Los Angeles area programs and LGBT rights in the United States, as well as leadership initiatives and ...

LGBTQ Victory Institute Leadership Fellow.

Washington Legislature

McDermott served in the state House from 2001 to 2007. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he was re-elected by wide margins in 2002, 2004, and 2006, winning over 80 percent in 2006. Following the resignation of Senator Erik Poulsen on September 5, 2007, McDermott expressed an interest in being appointed to the 34th district seat in the

. On October 13, 2007, the precinct committee officers (PCOs) of the 34th district recommended McDermott for appointment with 54 of the 65 PCOs voting for him. Two days later,

unanimously appointed him to the seat. He ran unopposed for the remaining two years of Poulsen's Senate term in 2008 but was not a candidate for re-election in 2010.

King County Council

Instead of seeking re-election to the state senate, in 2010 he ran for King County Council, seeking the 8th district seat that

Dow Constantine James Dow Constantine (born November 15, 1961) is an American politician, lawyer, and urban planner in the state of Washington who is serving his third term as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was in the stat ...

had vacated when elected

King County executive The King County Executive is the highest elected official representing the government of King County, Washington. The post was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968. Previously the powers o ...

. The seat had temporarily been filled by former Seattle city councilwoman

Jan Drago Jan Drago (born May 12, 1940) is an American politician and educator from Seattle who has served on both Seattle City Council and King County Council. Personal history and education Prior to her election to Seattle City Council, Drago was schoo ...

, who had pledged prior to her appointment that she would not run for the position in 2010. McDermott won the seat handily and was sworn-in on November 24, 2010. He is the first openly gay member of King County Council, representing the 8th district.

Personal life

McDermott is a third-generation resident of West Seattle, where he and his husband, Michael Culpepper, make their home. Joe McDermott is not related to Congressman

Jim McDermott James Adelbert McDermott (born December 28, 1936) is an American politician and psychiatrist who was the U.S. representative for from 1989 to 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The 7th District includes most of Seattle, Vashon I ...

References

External links

*
Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDermott, Joe 1967 births Living people Gay politicians LGBT state legislators in Washington (state) Members of the Washington House of Representatives Washington (state) state senators King County Councillors Gonzaga University alumni Evans School of Public Policy and Governance alumni