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| New: Rod Dembowski has been appointed as District 1 Councilmember. Read more. |
Council District 1 Vacancy
The election of Bob Ferguson as Washington State Attorney General has left a vacancy in District 1 of the Metropolitan King County Council effective January 16, 2013. The Council is a nonpartisan county council elective office and its vacancies are filled according to state law (RCW 36.16.110).
Process:
The King County Executive, on Jan. 15, proposed three nominees to fill the vacancy (announcement):
- Rod Dembowski — Attorney, Foster Pepper PLLC
- Will Hall — Councilmember, City of Shoreline; Senior Legislative Analyst, Snohomish County Council
- Cindy Ryu — State Representative, 32nd District
The Council will review the three nominees and hold interviews in the Committee of the Whole (announcement):
“Our goal is to get a Councilmember to represent the over 220,000 residents of District 1 as quickly as possible,” said Council Chair Larry Gossett. “We will have a thorough vetting of the candidates sent to us by Executive Constantine with the focus of filling the appointment with the best of those candidates.”
One of the nominees may be appointed by a majority vote of the Council. The Council has 60 days to make the final appointment from the date the position becomes vacant on January 16. The appointee will serve in office until certification of the 2013 general election.
Background:
Until a few years ago, nominations of candidates to fill vacancies on the County Council were made by the precinct committee officers of the political party to which the departing member belonged. In 2008, voters amended the King County Charter to make all elections for County offices non-partisan. The state legislature then created a new process in 2010 that calls for county executives and chairs of county commissions to nominate candidates for appointment to vacancies on non-partisan county councils or commissions.
Thirteen residents of District 1 submitted applications to the Executive by the Dec. 3 deadline.
An Executive appointed advisory committee reviewed the applicants' qualifications, their knowledge of issues currently relevant to King County, and their knowledge of issues specific to people living in District 1. The committee recommended five candidates to the Executive (announcement).
The King County Executive proposed three nominees from those recommended by the committee.
If the Council does not make the appointment by March 17, 2013, the Washington State Governor must make the appointment within 30 days thereafter from among the same three persons nominated by the Executive to the Council.
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