Dave Upthegrove

Dave Upthegrove is an American politician from the state of Washington. Formerly a member of the Washington House of Representatives representing the 33rd legislative district, he was elected to King County Council, representing District 5, in 2013 following the retirement of Julia Patterson.

He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Biography

Upthegrove was a descendant of the German Op den Graeff family. He was born and raised in South King County. He attended Lakeside High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental conservation from the University of Colorado at Boulder,and a Graduate Certificate in Energy Policy Planning from the University of Idaho.

He was appointed to the legislature in January 2002 and was elected to a two-year term in November 2002. He was then re-elected at two-year intervals until running for King County Council.

Upthegrove was chair of the Environment Committee and also served on the Local Government and Transportation Committees. He is a former chair of the Select Committee on Puget Sound. He has been involved in education policy, sponsoring and passing legislation to improve the teaching of civics and to better meet the needs of recent immigrant students. The Washington Conservation Voters called Upthegrove "a leader on environmental issues and a rising star in the House." Upthegrove led high-profile environmental initiatives to clean up Puget Sound and to clean up soil at schools and day cares contaminated by a local Asarco copper smelter. The Seattle Times noted that "Upthegrove can bring opposing parties together, a crucial skill in Olympia." The non-partisan Municipal League of King County, which evaluates candidates based on involvement, character, effectiveness and knowledge gave Upthegrove the highest possible rating of "outstanding."