Ryu, Hall both plan to resign current positions if appointed to County Council position

Shoreline City Councilman Will Hall and Democratic 32nd District State Rep. Cindy Ryu both say that they would resign their current positions if appointed to fill the vacancy on the Metropolitan King County Council created when former County Councilman Bob Ferguson took office as state attorney general Jan. 16.

The eight remaining County Council members have until March 17 to choose Hall, Ryu or Seattle attorney Rod Dembowski to represent County Council District 1, which includes Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Woodinville the King County part of Bothell, north Kirkland, unincorporated areas between Bothell and Kirkland, and northeast Seattle. County Executive Dow Constantine nominated the three. At least five Council members must agree on a candidate or Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee will appoint one of the three.

The person selected to fill the vacancy on the Council will serve through certification of the November election, when voters would choose someone for a full four-year term plus the last month of the term that Ferguson won in 2009.

Ryu, Dembowski and Hall all have registered with the State Public Disclosure Commission, a step that allows them to raise and spend money for the August primary and November general election.

Ryu has reported raising $31,710 and spending $2,639. Dembowski has reported raising $63,936 and spending $3,752. Hall has reported raising $3,070 and spending $120. 

Candidates file for ballot positions in May. If three or more candidates file, the position will appear on both the primary and general election ballots. If only one or two candidates file for the position, it will appear only on the November ballot.

Dembowski, like Ryu, has said that he plans to run for the County position whether he wins the appointment or not. Hall has said that if he gets the appointment, he certainly will run for a full term but that if he doesn’t get the appointment he would reconsider whether to run for the county position or run for re-election to the City Council.

Ryu would not have to choose between running for the county position and running for re-election to the legislature because the two offices are on the ballot in different years.

Neither Hall nor Ryu would be required by law to resign their current part-time elected positions if appointed to the County position, but both say that they would,

Ryu said Sunday that she would resign her legislative position “as soon as possible” because a position on the County Council would demand her full attention and because the 32nd District deserves full representation during the current legislative session.

Hall said a few weeks ago that if he would win the county appointment, he would resign immediately from the City Council, meaning that the remaining Council members would appoint a replacement for the last few months of the term he won in 2009.

A Ryu resignation from the legislature would mean that elected Democratic precinct committee officers from throughout the 32nd Legislative District would nominate three candidates, with County Council members from King and Snohomish counties making the final choice, The District includes Shoreline and part of northwest Seattle in King County, and Lynnwood, part of Mountlake Terrace, south Edmonds, Woodway and nearby unincorporated areas of southwest Snohomish County.