By Bob Roegner, Inside Politics

While the races for positions on the Seattle City Council held the attention of most of the regional media, there was actually more excitement in the suburban races.

The mayor’s race in Renton was easily the highlight. Renton is a strong mayor form of government and even though most would acknowledge things were running pretty well, incumbent Mayor Kathy Koelker was on the defensive for almost a year as council member Dennis Law mounted an aggressive attack on her style and personality.

A majority of the city council backed Law, as did the police and fire unions, and he was able to raise and spend more than $120,000.

Koelker fought back and also spent more than $100,000 trying to show the accomplishments of her administration, including luring the Seahawks headquarters to town. This race may have been the most expensive local race in state history.

However, the yearlong investigation and inconclusive result of “Lipstick Gate,” primarily through rumor and innuendo, dominated public comment. “Lipstick Gate” started with someone writing a derogatory word on the mayor’s semi-private bathroom mirror in lipstick. An outside police department performed the investigation, which was inconclusive. Supporters of the mayor felt maybe an opposing council member had done it, while opponents of the mayor thought she may have done it herself to gain sympathy.

It was a constant undercurrent in a bare knuckles race. In the end, Law won. But it will take a while for the wounds to heal — and that should be Law’s first priority.

In Redmond, longtime Mayor Rosemarie Ives stepped down and council member John Marchione defeated council member Jim Robinson to claim the strong mayor position his mother held for two terms prior to Ives.

In Burien, incumbent Gordon Shaw held on to his position, defeating former council member Stephen Lamphear in his attempted comeback.

In Tukwila, where growth and development policies are always an issue, council member Jim Haggerton defeated council member Pam Carter and will replace outgoing Mayor Steve Mullet.

Not much changed in Kent, although Suzette Cooke, who is halfway through her first term as mayor, did end her honeymoon period when she implemented a salary survey without discussion with the city council.

Watch the politics in Kent, as the mayor’s race is only two years away.

In Pacific, incumbent Mayor Richard Hildreth had no problem turning back a challenge by former mayor Howard Erickson.

In Auburn, most races were quiet as incumbent council members were either unopposed or faced minimal opposition.

However, there was one big upset that may give a sense of public perception. Incumbent Roger Thordarson lost to political gadfly and former council member Virginia Haugen, and it wasn’t close, although Thordarson may have been distracted by some family issues.

Things are never quiet when Haugen is around, and some current council members were critical of her for not doing her homework when she was on the council before.

However, her questioning of city priorities and financial support for several downtown projects may have struck a chord with voters. She also had a well-publicized dust-up with the mayor.

Auburn may become a little more contentious, and with new mayors in Renton and Tukwila, along with a ballot issue here in Federal Way on the form of government, South King County politics will be fun to watch.

Federal Way resident Bob Roegner, a former mayor of Auburn, can be reached at bjroegner@comcast.net.