1. James Dow Constantine was born on November 15,1961 and is an American lawyer, urban planner, and politician who is the chief executive officer of Sound Transit.
21 Facts About Dow Constantine
1. 2.
Dow Constantine was appointed in 2025 after resigning as county executive of King County, Washington, a position he had held since 2009.
3.
The son of John and Lois Dow Constantine, he was born and raised in West Seattle.
4.
Dow Constantine attended the University of Washington, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in political science and graduated as a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.
5.
Dow Constantine served an internship with Washington's 34th Legislative District representative Phil Talmadge.
6.
In 1989, Dow Constantine earned a JD degree from the University of Washington School of Law.
7.
Dow Constantine later returned to obtain a Master's degree in urban planning from UW in 1992.
8.
Dow Constantine served as chair of the 34th District Democrats organization and worked as an aide for King County Council member Greg Nickels.
9.
Dow Constantine was elected to the state house of representatives in 1996.
10.
Dow Constantine left the state senate in 2002 after being appointed to the King County Council to replace Nickels, who had been elected Seattle mayor.
11.
Dow Constantine was a King County Council member from 2002 to 2009, representing the eighth district, which includes West Seattle, parts of Southeast Seattle, North Highline, Burien, Vashon Island, Maury Island, Normandy Park, and parts of both SeaTac and Tukwila.
12.
Dow Constantine announced his candidacy for King County Executive on February 16,2009, to replace Ron Sims who was appointed the United States Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
13.
Dow Constantine received press attention for stressing the conservative affiliations of Hutchison, pointing to her involvement with the Discovery Institute and contributions to Republican candidates such as President Bush in 2004 and Mike Huckabee in 2008.
14.
Organizations that endorsed Dow Constantine included NARAL Pro-Choice Washington, the Sierra Club, the Cascade Bicycle Club, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the UFCW.
15.
Dow Constantine was ultimately declared the winner, and was inaugurated November 24,2009.
16.
In early 2019, Dow Constantine was mentioned as a possible candidate for governor of Washington in the 2020 election.
17.
Dow Constantine is the longest-serving county executive in King County history.
18.
Dow Constantine announced in November 2024 that he would not run for re-election as King County Executive once his term expires in 2025.
19.
On March 27,2025, Dow Constantine was selected as the CEO of Sound Transit by the board of directors.
20.
Dow Constantine had been among five finalists for the position and was a member of the Sound Transit board during the selection process.
21.
Dow Constantine had appointed the nine members of the board who represent King County, which led to accusations of a conflict of interest.