Three well-known names and experienced politicians were nominated by King County Executive Dow Constantine to replace Dave Upthegrove on the County Council.
Karen Keiser, former state senator from the 33rd District; Julia Patterson, former District 5 County Council member and 33rd District legislator; and De’Sean Quinn, current Tukwila City Council member, were nominated by Constantine for the District 5 seat, according to a Thursday, Jan. 23 press release from the county executive’s office.
The County Council will pick a replacement from among the three. The council has 60 days from Jan. 15 — when the position became vacant — to make the final appointment. The appointee will serve until the certification of the next general election in November.
Upthegrove, a Des Moines Democrat, resigned from the position after voters elected him in November 2024 to be the state lands commissioner. He held the council seat since 2014.
District 5 includes parts of Kent, Tukwila, Renton and the cities of Des Moines, Burien, Normandy Park and SeaTac.
“These nominees bring the experience, expertise, and understanding needed to represent the constituents of District 5 effectively,” Constantine said. “Each of these individuals is prepared to step into this role for the interim and, as experienced elected officials, each will be ready on day one to protect the interests of the residents of District 5 and the entire county, pending a democratic process later this year when South King County voters will make their voices heard by choosing their next council member.”
In 2010, the state Legislature established a new process requiring county executives to nominate candidates for appointment to vacancies on nonpartisan county councils.
Elected officials, community leaders, and constituents reached out to Constantine to provide recommendations of candidates they thought would be well-suited for the position, according to the press release. After reviewing those recommendations and conducting many conversations, Constantine worked to select three nominees to send to the council for their review.
• Karen Keiser
Keiser, of Des Moines, announced in March 2024 that she would be retiring at the end of 2024 as state senator although her term doesn’t end until Jan. 11, 2027. Voters reelected Keiser in 2022 to a four-year term. She resigned Dec. 10, 2024 after 23 years as senator. She began her legislative career in 1995 when she was appointed to a vacant House seat. Keiser ran and won her first election in 1996. She served in the House until 2001, when she was appointed to a seat in the Senate, where she was reelected six times.
• Julia Patterson
Patterson, of SeaTac, served 12 years on the King County Council before resigning in 2013 at the end of her third four-year term. She represented the 33rd District in the House and the Senate for close to a decade before running for the county council and winning. She helped lead the incorporation of the city of SeaTac in 1989 and served on the first SeaTac City Council.
• De’Sean Quinn
Quinn has served on the Tukwila City Council since 2008. His current term expires the end of this year. He works as an assistant general manager of Partnerships and Strategies with King County Metro. He previously served as the community relations manager for then-King County Executive Ron Sims. He was later appointed as council relations director, where he served as chief liaison to the King County Council, and then as regional relations manager under Executive Constantine
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