Webster to be installed as Ronald Wastewater commissioner Nov. 26

By Evan Smith

Ronald Wastewater commission candidate George Webster plans to take office at a "Swearing-in" ceremony for the last five weeks of the term that opponent Richard Matthews holds by appointment Tuesday, Nov. 26, at the Wastewater District office shortly after King County officials certify results of the Nov. 5 election, certification that is scheduled for between 3 and 4pm Tuesday.

Webster said this week that elections officials had told him that they planned to send letters of certification in early December.

He said that he wanted to be installed as soon as possible because of what he called Ronald Wastewater District "gamesmanship," in moving its meeting from Nov. 26, the day his election would be certified, to Monday, Nov. 25. Webster can take office as soon as the election is certified because he is running for the remainder of the term that Matthews holds by appointment in addition to the full six-year term that begins at the end of the year.

Matthews won appointment when the Board expanded its membership from three to five in early 2012.

Webster had arranged for a Shoreline District Court judge to swear him in right after certification, but then District Manager Michael Derrick offered to schedule the swearing-in ceremony as part of the first board meeting in December because the Nov. 26 meeting had been moved up.

Commissioner Brian Carroll later arranged for the 5:30pm Nov. 26 swearing-in ceremony at the District office.

Asked if the moving of the Nov. 26 meeting to Nov. 25 was done so that the old board could meet one last time without him, Webster answered “Yes; for sure,” adding that he had predicted it before the election.

Webster leads Matthews 53 percent to 47 percent in votes counted through Wednesday evening.

In the contest for a full six-year term that begins in January, Gretchen Atkinson leads Ginny Scantlebury 51 percent to 48 percent.

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