With Dave Upthegrove moving on in mid-January to his new job as state lands commissioner, King County Executive Dow Constantine will choose three nominees to replace him on the County Council.
Voters elected Upthegrove, a Des Moines Democrat, as state lands commissioner on the November ballot, which means he will be resigning the District 5 seat he has held since 2014 in January. District 5 includes parts of Kent, Tukwila, Renton and the cities of Des Moines, Burien, Normandy Park and SeaTac.
Under the revised code of Washington, the executive nominates three individuals who meet charter requirements, such as residence in the same council district, according to a King County Executive Office spokesperson. The council then has 60 days to select one of the nominees by majority vote of the remaining members. An election for the seat will be held in November 2025.
Constantine and staff are still working out the timeline of when nominees will be sent over to the council, according to a Nov. 20 email from a spokesperson.
Upthegrove’s final day on the council is expected to be Jan. 15, according to a council spokesperson.
Voters elected Upthegrove to a third, four-year term on the county council in 2021. He defeated Shukri Olow, of Kent, with 63.9% of the vote.
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