Bellevue attorney expected to fill state Senate seat

Officials expect Randy Gordon to be appointed to former state Sen. Fred Jarrett's seat after the Bellevue attorney won the support of most of the 41st District Democratic precinct-committee officers Tuesday night.

The Metropolitan King County Council will decide Jarrett's interim replacement, but that body traditionally follows the local party's recommendation, said council Chairman Bob Ferguson, adding that he will vote for Gordon and expects the rest of the council to follow suit.

The precinct-committee officers nominated three candidates, in ranked order, to the council. Besides Gordon, the list includes party activist Aaron Belenky and former Greater Seattle Business Association Vice President George Pieper.

Ferguson said the council will interview the candidates and make its selection Monday, the day the Legislature convenes for a 60-day session. Jarrett resigned the seat in November to serve as King County deputy executive under new County Executive Dow Constantine. His spokeswoman said Wednesday that he supports the party's selection.

"He hopes the council will respect the hard work of the 41st District's precinct-committee officers, and he looks forward to working with their first choice, Randy Gordon," Lindsay Adams said.

A special election will be held in November to determine who will complete Jarrett's term, which ends in 2012. That race will likely be competitive.

The 41st District includes southern Bellevue, Mercer Island and Newcastle. Jarrett was a Republican when he was elected to a House seat in the district, but he switched parties in 2007 and ran successfully for the Senate the next year.

Gordon, 56, a graduate of the University of Michigan and Harvard Law School, has served on various county and state law boards and as an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law. He filed as a candidate to run against Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert in 2006 but withdrew his candidacy to support Democrat Darcy Burner, who lost.

"We're heading into a session which is not going to be business as usual," Gordon said, noting the state faces a large budget shortfall. "We need to balance the budget without hurting poor people, students and the public's health and safety."

Gordon won the support of 54 of the precinct's 73 party voters in attendance Tuesday.

"He worked very hard," said Susan Sheary, chairwoman of King County Democrats. "He is very highly thought of and more than qualified to do the job."

Belenky received nine votes and Pieper got eight. Two officers did not vote.

Belenky, 36, of Renton, attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before returning to his hometown of Seattle to work as a computer programmer. He served in several party positions, including as president of the Young Democrats of Washington. He could not be reached Wednesday.

Pieper, a 39-year-old small-business owner, lives in Bellevue and has been involved with environmental and civil-rights causes since attending the University of Washington and Antioch University, Seattle.

"Government should operate with the same restraints that business has to consider," Pieper said. "That is, running efficiently and effectively and delivering services in a customer-service manner."

Two others, four-time congressional candidate Heidi Behrens-Benedict and party activist Michael Rosen, also received votes Tuesday.

Brian Rosenthal: 206-464-2311 or brosenthal@seattletimes.com