Council-elects to determine new deputy mayor | Inside Politics

Published 4:46 pm Thursday, September 24, 2015

Although most residents don’t know it, there is another election underway – in the Federal Way City Council. And while there are only seven voters, they will elect the most visible member of the council, the deputy mayor. You don’t get to vote but you may influence who wins by who you vote for in November.

This election isn’t as secret as waiting for the puff of smoke to elect a new Pope, but it does have just as much intrigue as candidates try and round up the necessary four votes in quiet one-on-one discussions. In January, the seven elected members of the City Council will meet in a formal council meeting and cast their votes to elect one of them as deputy mayor. But, like the election of the Pope, how the votes go that evening may not give the casual observer a true picture of what went on behind the scenes.

In these columns I always urge voters to note who is endorsing which candidates for election to what position. The reason for that is relationships count for just as much as policy in how things get done on the council.

The deputy mayor has little raw power, but a lot of influence and status. The deputy mayor fills in for the mayor when he is unavailable, organizes the council representation on committees, and meets with the mayor regarding the council agenda. And what if you secretly hold dreams of higher office, such as mayor or the state legislature? Then being deputy mayor would look very good on your resume.

In theory, the position could go to anyone of the seven council members, but frequently it has gone to the most senior council member who hasn’t held it. However, intrigue is always part of the process. Mayor Jim Ferrell was so turned off by the process of electing the mayor in the council-manager form of government, the equivalent to the deputy mayor election in the current structure, he started the movement to switch to the strong mayor form of government. State Rep. Linda Kochmar was passed over for the position until the last year of the change in government, and she only got a one-year term rather than the traditional two-year term.

This year’s race for the deputy mayor position has no formal candidates as no one wants to disclose their interest too early. But there are a few things voters can watch as the drama unfolds.

The current deputy mayor is Jeanne Burbidge, who is the senior member of the council. The second most senior member is Dini Duclos at eight years and she was deputy mayor before Burbidge. Since both have held the position recently, it is unlikely they would be elected again in January.

Also, Duclos is up for election this year and needs to retain her position to be part of the process, Burbidge is mid-term and will be one of the seven voting in January. If Duclos returns to the council, she or Burbidge could be a potential compromise candidate if no one else can put together the mandatory four votes. The most likely candidate for the top job is Susan Honda, who has four years of experience and is running unopposed for re-election this year. Another possible candidate is Kelly Maloney. Maloney is not up for election this year and will be voting in January.

Both have been rumored to have aspirations for higher office but have been in the council minority on the debates regarding the Performing Arts and Events Center which is favored by a majority of the council. Since it seems unlikely that either would get four votes, an alliance would give them half of the needed votes.

Watch Honda. Martin Moore has only been on the council for two years and Lydia Assefa-Dawson was appointed to the council and is running for her first term. Moore has been a controversial council member and faces an uphill battle for the job. But he was crucial in appointing Assefa-Dawson to the council and both of them, as Democrats, supported Republicans for office, then Moore switched parties. If they vote together they control two votes.

While not likely, what happens if Mark Greene defeats Assefa-Dawson? None of the current council members have a relationship with him and he would be a wild card who could hold a key fourth vote for someone. And if P.K. Thumbi defeats Duclos, his active participation in Republican politics would suggest he would vote for someone who is a Republican or leans that way. Then, the trio of Thumbi, Moore and Koppang, if he wins, would only need one more vote to elect the deputy mayor.

Either Koppang or Julie Hiller will be the newest member of the council as one of them will fill Bob Celski’s seat. Koppang ran against both Honda and Maloney, and seems unlikely to vote for either one. Hiller would likely lean toward Honda, which in theory would give Honda three votes if Maloney supports her. In that case Moore, Assefa-Dawson or Duclos could be the fourth vote. And if Thumbi were to defeat Duclos and Koppang were to win, what happens if they then vote with Moore and Assefa-Dawson to make Moore Deputy Mayor? The seemingly least likely candidate, Moore, could then emerge as the winner.

Honda should be the next in line and could get a combination of her own vote, Maloney, Moore, Duclos and Assefa-Dawson. But it could go any number of directions depending on who is elected in November. Moore and Assefa-Dawson hold key votes.

But speculation about a compromise is continuing. It could be Duclos, assuming she is re-elected. She would have her own vote, maybe Burbidge, possibly Koppang, and she has been helpful to Moore who might help bring Assefa-Dawson in to the fold. But Burbidge could also get the same set of votes.

Getting to four votes is a challenge but everybody is in the game, including Ferrell as he has endorsed Duclos, Assefa-Dawson and Koppang. He wants someone he can work with but won’t run against him. That could have an impact on Honda and Maloney.

Who do you want to be deputy mayor for the next two years?

Federal Way resident Bob Roegner is a former mayor of Auburn: bjroegner@comcast.net.