In an internal memo, Katie Blinn, assistant state elections director, notes that although Ron Sims was elected KingCo Exec all these years as a Democrat, the voters approved a charter amendment last year that makes it a nonpartisan office.

Thus the County Council, in picking Sims’ successor until the next election this fall, will not need a list of three candidates provided by the Democratic Party apparatus. 

Pierce County recently dealt with the same situation, to fill the newly nonpartisan post of County Auditor, when the Democratic incumbent, Pat McCarthy, was elected Pierce County Executive. Although the local Democrats forwarded a list of candidates (full disclosure: Blinn was tops on that list), the Pierce County Council picked Jan Shabro, a former Republican state House member and former County Councilmember.

Here’s a bite from Katie’s note:

King County is taking the position that the county offices (including county executive) are now nonpartisan since the 2008 charter amendment passed.  In addition to addressing how the county offices are elected, the charter amendment also changed the process for filling vacancies in county office, and specifically struck the reference to the partisan office method established in the State Constitution, and replaced it with a reference to filling vacancies in nonpartisan office.  So it appears that the traditional party nomination process will not apply.”

Referring to Councilmember Larry Phillips’ expressed interest in the post, Blinn added,

I believe that they are also aware of the line of AGO’s (state attorney general’s opinions) stating that a Councilmember or Commissioner cannot appoint himself and must resign in order to be eligible for the appointment.”