Just in from King County – tonight’s “blue ribbon panel” meeting resulted in two candidates – as per plan – recommended for the position of interim County Executive, till a new one’s elected this fall. Here’s the official announcement:
Blue-Ribbon Committee recommends Royer and Triplett for appointment as King County Executive
King County Council will interview all four candidates on Monday and may make final appointmentA Blue-Ribbon Selection Committee empanelled by the King County Council tonight interviewed four candidates for King County Executive and recommended two for the short-term appointment — former Seattle Mayor Charles Royer and interim County Executive and former Executive Chief of Staff Kurt Triplett.
Read on to see what happens next, and who else was involved with this phase of the process:
The official news release continues:
Former County Councilmembers Steve Hammond and Louise Miller were also interviewed.
All four candidates will now appear next Monday at a special meeting of the Council’s Committee-of-the-Whole:
Special Committee-of-the-Whole meeting
Monday, May 18
9:00-11:00 a.m.
Council chambers
10th floor, King County Courthouse
The County Council is set to make the final appointment at its regular meeting on Monday afternoon.
The 16-member panel adopted a motion recommending its top two candidates from tonight’s interviews. To be interviewed each of the candidates had to be nominated by at least three members of the County Council.
Tonight’s Blue Ribbon Selection Committee meeting was chaired by former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice and Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke, with bipartisan membership representing the economic, geographic and ethnic diversity of the county:
· Becky Cox,
· Joan Crooks,
· Adrian Diaz,
· David Freiboth,
· Beretta Gomillion,
· Nancy Hutto,
· Sharon Maeda,
· Ted Choi Tam,
· Bob Wallace, and
· Tayloe Washburn.The panel also included the four separately elected officials in the County’s criminal justice and public safety systems:
· King County Sheriff Sue Rahr,
· King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg,
· King County Superior Court Presiding Judge Bruce Hilyer, and
· King County District Court Presiding Judge Barbara Linde.The committee’s criteria for evaluation of candidates included:
· Knowledge of the functions of King County government;
· Knowledge of the issues and challenges facing King County government;
· A demonstrated ability to develop a responsible budget;
· A demonstrated ability to respond to public concerns;
· Demonstrated leadership skills;
· A commitment to the immediate business of King County that would make it unlikely that the appointee would run for any elective office while serving under this appointment;· A commitment to maintaining the functions and structure of County government without disruption during the election of a new County Executive; and
· Demonstrated skills in pursuing a legislative agenda at the local, state and federal level.
Former Executive Ron Sims resigned last week following his swearing-in as Deputy Secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama Administration.
Whoever is appointed as King County Executive will serve until the results of the next general election are certified in late November.
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