Newly minted King County Council member Teresa Mosqueda was sworn in Tuesday, Jan. 9 at her first meeting on the county council.

Mosqueda, a former Seattle City Council member, will be the first Latina to serve on the county council, according to her office. She will chair the Health and Human Services and Regional Transit committees.

Mosqueda will also vice-chair the Transportation, Economy & Environment Committee. She represents District 8, which includes all of Vashon and Maury Islands, White Center, West Seattle, Burien and parts of Tukwila.

In a press release, Mosquda referenced the recent news from Washington State Ferries that Vashon will likely keep operating on limited ferry service for years to come.

Mosqueda said she’ll continue looking into enhanced water taxi service to the island and adding Metro shuttle service to offset the effects of reduced ferry service. She added that she will press the state “to do everything it can to get our ferries back to full capacity.”

“I know how critical frequent ferry service is to the community, and what an impact this announcement will have on connectivity to and from the island,” she said.

During her swearing-in ceremony, Mosqueda thanked outgoing councilmember Joe McDermott for his decades of service on the council and in the state legislature. She called it “an honor” to be able to build on his legacy in serving District 8 constituents.