Candidates throw hats in ring as filing deadline passes

Two state legislators, a former TV news anchor and two County Council members are running to replace Ron Sims in the most competitive primary for King County executive in 16 years.

And, as Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels seeks a third term, his challengers include a longtime City Council ally, a former Sonic, and a cellphone executive who has put $200,000 of his own money into the race.

The county-executive race — wide-open, thanks to Sims' appointment to a top housing position in the Obama administration — pits two county-government outsiders, state Rep. Ross Hunter and state Sen. Fred Jarrett, against Metropolitan King County Councilmembers Dow Constantine and Larry Phillips.

Approaching the executive race from even farther away is former KIRO anchor Susan Hutchison, who has the advantage of voters' familiarity with her name and face but so far isn't taking part in candidate forums.

Also running are engineer and former municipal public-works director Alan Lobdell, and two frequent candidates for public office: attorney Stan Lippmann and Goodspaceguy, formerly known as Michael Nelson.

The candidate-filing deadline was Friday.

The primary is Aug. 18, and the top two vote-getters in all races move on to the Nov. 3 general election.

Sheriff Sue Rahr and County Councilmembers Bob Ferguson, Kathy Lambert, Julia Patterson and Pete von Reichbauer will be unopposed. Councilmember Reagan Dunn will face Party of Commons candidate Mark Greene and financial-services trainer Beverly Harison Tonda.

Nickels has seven challengers, including Jan Drago, a 16-year council member who often agrees with Nickels on big initiatives but says she would bring a more collaborative style to the city's top post.

Also running are former Sonic James Donaldson, who owns a physical-therapy clinic; former Sierra Club chairman and nonprofit founder Michael McGinn; T-Mobile executive Joe Mallahan; corporate recruiter Norman Sigler; Kwame Garrett, the son of activist Omari Garrett; and Magnolia resident Elizabeth Campbell, who opposes replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel.

Mary Martin, a member of the Socialist Workers Party, had announced she was entering the race but did not file the paperwork, according to King County.

Seattle City Council

Four Seattle City Council seats are up, and longtime incumbents Richard McIver and mayoral candidate Drago will not seek re-election.

The candidates filing for Drago's Position 4 were Sally Bagshaw, a former head of the King County prosecutor's civil division; housing advocate David Bloom; Brian Carver, an Amazon.com manager and community organizer; Iraq war veteran Dorsol Plants; and Thomas Tobin. Renter Joshua Caple, who runs an adult day-health program, filed an insufficient filing-fee petition, according to the county.

Position 8, held by McIver, has six candidates: Seattle Department of Transportation employee Bobby Forch; tree activist David Miller; local Sierra Club chairman Mike O'Brien; landlord and three-time candidate Robert Rosencrantz; former city employee Jordan Royer, whose father, Charles Royer, is a former Seattle mayor; and musician Rusty Williams, whose late mother was a longtime City Council member.

Incumbent Councilmember Nick Licata will go up against county parks employee Jessie Israel and architect Marty Kaplan.

City Council President Richard Conlin has one competitor, former Washington Mutual employee David Ginsberg.

City Council candidates are elected at-large.

Two-term Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr is being challenged by bankruptcy attorney Pete Holmes, a former chairman of the Office of Professional Accountability Review Board.

Port of Seattle

In Port commission races, incumbent John Creighton is unopposed.

Four candidates filed to replace retiring commissioner Pat Davis: Tom Albro of Seattle, who runs the Seattle Monorail; Juan Paraiso of Kent; Max Vekich, a former state representative and marine-cargo clerk from Seattle; and Robert Walker of Renton, a software engineer who ran an unsuccessful low-budget campaign in 2005.

Three candidates are vying for the seat held by Lloyd Hara, who's running for King County assessor: David Doud, a Bellevue real-estate broker; Rob Holland, a Seattle fuel salesman; and Al Yuen, a semiretired businessman from Bellevue.

Seattle School Board

Seattle School Board President Michael DeBell will run unopposed.

Five candidates filed for the Southeast Seattle seat held by Cheryl Chow, who is not seeking re-election. They are: Wilson Chin; Bookda Gheisar, executive director of Global Washington; Charlie Mas, investment adviser and school activist; Betty Patu, longtime ninth-grade intervention coordinator for Seattle schools; and Greg Wong, an attorney and former teacher.

Incumbent Mary Bass, who represents Central Seattle, has three challengers: Joanna Cullen, a self-employed writer and editor and 2001-03 president of the Seattle Council PTSA; Andre Helmstetter, co-owner of MezzaLuna Bistro and parent who protested the decision to close T.T. Minor Elementary; and Kay Smith-Blum, co-owner of Butch Blum clothing store and organizer of a large 2004 fundraiser for school music programs.

King County assessor

No candidates filed for King County assessor because Scott Noble didn't resign the post in time for a primary to be held. But Noble's chief deputy, Rich Medved, and Seattle Port Commissioner Lloyd Hara plan to run in a November election that will be held without a primary.

Noble must forfeit his office when he is sentenced later this month for vehicular assault in connection with a head-on collision that occurred when he drove the wrong way on Interstate 5 while intoxicated. He pleaded guilty last month to the felony.

Snohomish County

In Snohomish County, the lone Republican on the County Council, John Koster, a former state representative and two-term council member, will face two Democratic challengers: Ellen Hiatt Watson, a community activist who supports strict limits on rural development, and Krista Larsen, a civil engineer.

Two-term council incumbent Democrat Dave Somers, a former fisheries biologist, is being challenged by three Republicans: Steve Dana, a restaurant owner and former Snohomish mayor; Vern Little, a Boeing quality manager and Lake Stevens mayor; and Greg Stephens, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat as an Independent in 2005.

Councilmember Dave Gossett, D-Mountlake Terrace, seeking his third term, will face former Lynnwood Fire Chief Bob Meador, a Republican.

In Everett, Mayor Ray Stephanson will face Jim Johnson, a mortgage-loan originator and Vietnam veteran, for the nonpartisan post.

Bellevue

All three Bellevue City Council incumbents are facing challengers, including some well-financed newcomers.

Patsy Bonincontri is being challenged by Kevin Wallace, president and chief operating officer of Wallace Properties and part of a longtime Bellevue family. Councilmember Conrad Lee is facing a challenge from Vicki Orrico, chairwoman of the Bellevue Planning Commission.

Michael Marchand, a former deputy communications director for Gov. Gary Locke and now a director for Microsoft's Health Solutions Group, is running against incumbent Don Davidson.

Kirkland

Former Redmond Mayor Doreen Marchione is seeking a political comeback in Kirkland, challenging incumbent City Councilmember Tom Hodgson.

In two of the four City Council races, no incumbent is running.

Staff reporters Linda Shaw, Lynn Thompson, Nicole Tsong and Bob Young contributed to this report. Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com