Citizen panel recommends five names for pending vacancy on King County Council

Executive Constantine thanks Citizens Advisory Committee; next step is transmittal of three names to the Council

A field of 13 applicants for a pending vacancy on the Metropolitan King County Council was narrowed to five Thursday night by a citizen panel convened by King County Executive Dow Constantine, who will decide on three names to transmit to the Council for the appointment.

The Executive tasked the Citizens Advisory Committee with reviewing applicants for the vacancy that will be created on Jan. 16 when Councilmember Bob Ferguson is sworn into office as state Attorney General. The panel voted unanimously to recommend five names to the Executive. They are, in alphabetical order:

• Rod Dembowski — Attorney, Foster Pepper PLLC
• Will Hall — Councilmember, City of Shoreline; Senior Legislative Analyst, Snohomish County Council
• Cindy Ryu — State Representative, 32nd District
• Keith Scully — Planning Commissioner, City of Shoreline; Attorney, Newman Du Wors
• Chuck Sloane — Deputy Ombudsman, King County Office of Citizen Complaints – Ombudsman; Board Chair, Municipal League of King County

The Executive thanked the 13 members of the advisory panel, which met for many hours to review applications and written responses to questions, conduct interviews, and discuss applicant qualifications.

Eleven of the 13 Citizen Advisory Committee members are residents of District 1. They evaluated applicants based on their qualifications, including leadership skills and budget experience, their knowledge of issues facing King County, and their knowledge of issues specific to the residents of Council District 1.

Under state law, the Executive must transmit three names to the County Council for the final appointment. The Council has 60 days to fill the position from the date it becomes vacant. The appointee will serve in office until certification of the next general election in November 2013.

The members of the Citizen Advisory Committee can be found here.