Offering frequent news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Republicans defeat attempt to appoint Joe McDermott to King County Council

The King County Council has just voted on - and defeated - an amendment to name Joe McDermott as the appointed replacement for Dow Constantine, who resigned as Councilmember upon becoming County Executive.

The vote was four to four, with all the Democrats (Julia Patterson, Bob Ferguson, Larry Gossett, Larry Phillips) in favor and all the Republicans (Jane Hague, Kathy Lambert, Reagan Dunn, Pete von Reichbauer) opposed.

The amendment was offered by Julia Patterson, who delivered an impassioned speech on McDermott's behalf. Councilmembers Gossett, Ferguson, and Phillips echoed her remarks, saying McDermott's record as a state legislator, his familiarity with the district, and his skills as a consensus builder made him the ideal choice.

But they could not convince any of their Republican colleagues to join them in naming him as Constantine's successor. Indeed, when the time came to vote, the four Republicans were so quiet that their replies of "no" could barely be heard when the roll was called. The Democrats, in contrast, made their "ayes" loud and clear.

The Council is currently in recess. We'll let you know if any other noteworthy developments occur tonight. For now it looks like the Council is deadlocked. The Democrats want Joe McDermott on the Council and the Republicans don't.

UPDATE, 6:30 PM: The Republicans on the Council just attempted to name outgoing Seattle City Councilmember Jan Drago as the appointed replacement for Constantine. This time, it was the Democrats' turn to vote no. So that plan has failed, and the Council remains deadlocked.

Over at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (in the comments), former Representative Toby Nixon has some sage advice to the Republican councilmembers:
The Republicans need to keep in mind that the time may come when Kathy Lambert or Reagan Dunn (just a couple of examples) are elected to higher office and the council will be choosing their successor -- and the Democrats on the council will remember well what is happening right now.
Very good point. The Republicans need to stop playing obstructionist games and let the Council get on with the business of actually appointing a successor.

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