Desperately seeking an independent or a moderate for open King County Council seat

METROPOLITAN King County Council members must be forward-thinking and willing to select an independent or moderate to fill the council seat vacated by new County Executive Dow Constantine.

Constantine's swearing-in as executive last week created a vacancy and an automatic problem for approving either a caretaker or an individual eager to run for the post next November.

Although the council job is officially nonpartisan, as of a public vote last year, Republicans and Democrats still divide along party lines on matters deemed partisan, such as selecting a replacement for Constantine, a Democrat from West Seattle.

Eleven individuals have applied. The danger is a stalemate that leaves 4-4 ties on votes for potential replacements. Let's not go there.

Under the previous arrangement, political party precinct committee officers would select a list of three candidates and the council would select from the list. Precinct officers are no longer involved.

For that reason, the council created a committee to interview and vet candidates this week, with council approval expected Dec. 14. The committee will forward three to six names, with at least one caretaker candidate and one planning to run for election next fall.

Sounds easy, but it might not be.

Even creation of the committee was a partisan 5-4 vote, with Constantine joining the four Democrats before he became executive and the four Republicans disagreeing.

The search for a replacement could run awry. If the candidate is viewed as a hard-core Democrat, the four Republicans could balk. There are various takes on the one-year incumbency. It's good. It's bad. Who knows?

The best bet, especially with a county facing so many financial troubles, is to fill this job in an orderly manner. The way to make that happen is to select an individual who is independent or politically moderate enough to fill the seat the next year.