About King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn

King County Councilman Reagan Dunn has spent his legal career fighting to make our communities safer through his leadership on criminal justice policy, his work as a federal prosecutor, and his dedication to providing legal representation to those in our community most in need.
Reagan was first appointed to the King County Council in February, 2005 to fill the vacancy created by Rob McKenna’s election as Washington State Attorney General. Reagan was then elected in November, 2005 and then re-elected in 2009 with 78 percent of the vote. He now represents more than 200,000 citizens in Southeast King County. Reagan was the first Republican office holder in ten years to receive the rating of “outstanding” by the Municipal League of King County.

Reagan currently serves as the Chairman of the Law, Justice, Health, and Human Services Committee in King County. This committee has oversight of programs representing nearly 80 percent King County’s general fund budget, including areas such as the courts, prosecutor, sheriff, domestic violence and sexual assault funding, criminal justice, public defense, and many other critical services. He has also held the posts of council Vice Chairman, Chair of the Regional Transit Committee, Chair of the Transportation Committee and he has served on the Budget Leadership Team.

Among his many accomplishments on the King County Council include working to support state-wide bail reform for dangerous defendants following the tragic murders of the four Lakewood Police Officers in 2009. Reagan serves as the statewide Executive Director of the Remember Lakewood Referendum Campaign (HJSR 4220) which seeks to amend the Washington State Constitution to give judges discretion to deny bail for dangerous offenders. Reagan also has championed transparency in government, fought to prevent cyber bullying, and labored to reduce recidivism for offenders being released into the community. He has also worked to lower taxes, protect our environment and keep our communities safe across King County.

Prior to holding elected office, Reagan earned his stripes in the courtroom as a federal prosecutor. As a Special Assistant United States Attorney in both the Southern District of Florida and the District of Columbia, Reagan prosecuted narcotics cases and other street crimes. He then Joined the United States Attorney’s Office in Seattle as an Assistant United States Attorney in the General Crimes Unit, prosecuting a variety of crimes including narcotics manufacturing, child pornography, internet crimes, Bank Fraud, and many other matters. Reagan was a leader in indicting cases for the office and was soon promoted by United States Attorney John McKay to the Terrorism and Violent Crime Unit. As a member of this elite team of prosecutors with Top Secret clearance, Reagan’s chief duties included the investigation and prosecution of federal weapons violations. Reagan also served as the Coordinator of FACE (Firearm Crime Enforcement Coalition of Western Washington), a multi-agency law enforcement effort which seeks to reduce gun-related violent crime.

Before working as a federal prosecutor, Reagan was appointed by President George W. Bush to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC in January 2001. He helped to oversee the transition from the Clinton-Reno DOJ to the Bush-Ashcroft DOJ in the first half of 2001. At DOJ, Reagan worked in a variety of capacities including serving as the first National Coordinator and co-author for Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Bush administration’s national effort to reduce gun violence. From this post, Reagan served on the Executive Committee of the Attorney General's Task Force on Gun Violence and Chaired the Justice Department’s Firearms Enforcement Assistance Team (FEAT). Project Safe Neighborhoods remains a key priority of DOJ today and has been credited across the nation for reducing incidents of gun violence.

Concurrent with his programmatic responsibilities for Project Safe Neighborhoods, Reagan had significant management responsibilities at DOJ. He worked as one of about sixty presidential appointees at “Main Justice” on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC, working closely with Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Department’s senior leadership. During most of Reagan’s tenure in Washington, he held the title of Senior Counsel to the Director for the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA). EOUSA oversees the largest group of public lawyers in the United States, providing administration and support to all 93 U.S. Attorneys offices across the nation. EOUSA serves more than 20,000 lawyers nationwide and Reagan served in one of the agencies most senior posts.


Like many Americans following September 11, 2001, Reagan lent a hand in the fight against terrorism. He worked as a DOJ delegate on the President’s Task Force on Citizen Preparedness and was actively involved in the formulation of USA Freedom Corps and Citizen Corps. He helped to design and launch the V.I.P.S. Program (Volunteers in Police Service) and led the Bush administration’s efforts to expand the National Neighborhood Watch Program to include the fight against terrorism. Reagan also participated in the investigation of Zacharias Moussaoui in the Eastern District of Virginia, sometimes referred to as the 20th Hijacker.


Prior to joining the Justice Department, Reagan lived in Bellevue, Washington, and practiced law for several years with the law firm, Inslee, Best, Doezie & Ryder, P.S. While working in Bellevue, he represented many small businesses and also served as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Eastside Business Alliance.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University, Reagan attended the University of Washington School of Law, he graduated in 1998 with a Juris Doctorate, Order of Barristers, where he was selected as a member and Vice President of the Moot Court Honor Board. During Law School he was a judicial aid to the Honorable Barbara Durham, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Washington.

Throughout his career, Reagan has dedicated his time to providing legal representation to those in our community most in need. He currently sits on the Washington State Bar Association’s Pro Bono and Legal Aid Committee and was a board member of the Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP) — providing pro bono representation to victims of Domestic Violence. He also served on the Board of Lawyers Helping Hungry Children (LHHC)--an emergency feeding program located in Seattle.

Reagan is also a member on the National Association of County Officials (NACO) Law and Justice Committee and serves on the Board of the Eastside Heritage Center. Reagan also sits on the Board of Directors of the Bellevue Schools Foundation and is the Chairman of the Board of the Jennifer Dunn Leadership Institute. Reagan enjoys teaching, and has been a frequent instructor on criminal law. He has taught numerous times at the National Advocacy Center in South Carolina for the National District Attorneys’ Association (NDAA) and DOJ’s Office of Legal Education.

Reagan’s commitment to public service has not gone unnoticed. In 2009, he was one of twelve republicans nation-wide to be selected by the Aspen Institute to the Institute’s prestigious Rodel Fellowship program. He shares this distinction with only one other Republican in Washington State (Rob McKenna, class of 2007).

In 2002, Reagan received the Project Safe Neighborhoods Achievement award by Attorney General John Ashcroft for significant contributions to the fight against gun violence in America; in 2003 he was recognized by EUOSA for his dedication and contribution to the agency; in 2005 he received an award for his outstanding service and Dedication to the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

Reagan is married to Paige Green Dunn and they have a one year old son named Hayden. They live in unincorporated King County outside of Maple Valley. They enjoy spending time in Eastern Washington as a family where Reagan enjoys bow hunting, fly-fishing, horseback riding and many other outdoor activities.

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