Summary

Ferguson thanks Blue Ribbon Selection Committee for their service

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The next step in appointing the King County Executive will be interviews with the four nominees on Monday, May 18 at a special meeting of the Council’s Committee of the Whole.

Monday, May 18
9:00a.m.
Council chambers
10th floor, King County Courthouse
Third and James Streets

This meeting follows the recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee created by the Council to vet the nominees.

“I want to thank the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee for their service to King County. They dedicated many hours to reviewing materials, interviewing the nominees, and putting forward thoughtful recommendations to the Council,” said Council Vice Chair Bob Ferguson, Chair of the Committee of the Whole. “The Committee’s input will be invaluable as the Council makes this important decision of who should lead our government for the next seven months.”

Chaired by former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice and Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke, the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee was comprised of volunteer citizen representing the diverse economic, geographic, and social interests of King County and four separately elected officials from the County’s criminal justice and public safety system.

Asked to examine each of the four candidates nominated by Councilmember and evaluate their strengths against a number of criteria, the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee issued their recommendation in the form of a Motion at the end of its May 13 meeting. The Motion recommended Charles Royer, the former Mayor of Seattle, with 10 votes, and Kurt Triplett, the Interim Executive and former Chief of Staff to Ron Sims, with 5 votes.

The Motion outlined what the Committee found to be the strengths of the two recommended nominees:

Charles Royer:
• Demonstrated ability to develop responsible budget
• Demonstrated ability to respond to public concerns
• Demonstrated leadership skills
• Demonstrated skills in pursuing legislative agenda at local, state, and federal level

Kurt Triplett:
• Knowledge of functions of King County government
• Knowledge of issues and challenges facing King County government.

The nominees will be interviewed in following order: Kurt Triplett, Charles Royer, and former County Councilmembers Louise Miller and Steve Hammond. It is expected that the Council may make a final appointment later that day.

Whoever is appointed as King County Executive will serve until the results of the next general election are certified in late November.