Fun Fact: Did you know that King County has never had an elected county exec from outside Seattle. Elected is the key word because Ron Dunlap of Bellevue served as an appointed short-term executive for about a year in the early 1980s after John Spellman became governor.
This year in the crowd of five major candidates there are two Eastside contenders, though their poll numbers are not much to crow about.
State Rep. Ross Hunter of Medina and state Sen. Fred Jarrett of Mercer Island are both polling in single digits but are both extremely interesting and qualified candidates.
Hunter is an active and busy budget writer in Olympia. Jarrett is well versed on state transportation and education.matters.
Either would be the first elected executive from the Eastside but the challenge is getting through the primary. One more fun fact: there are way more county voters than Seattle voters, a margin of roughly 2 to 1.
Go figure.
I admire Jarrett for challenging fellow candidates to release questionnaires from various interest groups showcasing answers to a long list of questions on issues. Real meat. I admire Hunter for responding to the challenge and posting his. Here is an editorial on the subject.