King County Executive Dow Constantine on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 submitted three names to the County Council for consideration to fill the vacancy left by the election of former Councilmember Dave Upthegrove as State Lands Commissioner.
The three individuals are, in alphabetical order:
- Karen Keiser – Former State Senator, 33rd District
- Julia Patterson – Former King County Councilmember and State Legislator, 33rd District
- De’Sean Quinn – Current Tukwila City Councilmember
“These nominees bring the experience, expertise, and understanding needed to represent the constituents of District 5 effectively,” Constantine said. “Each of these individuals is prepared to step into this role for the interim and, as experienced elected officials, each will be ready on day one to protect the interests of the residents of District 5 and the entire county, pending a democratic process later this year when South King County voters will make their voices heard by choosing their next councilmember.”
In 2010, the state Legislature established a new process requiring county executives to nominate candidates for appointment to vacancies on non-partisan county councils.
Elected officials, community leaders, and constituents reached out to Executive Constantine to provide recommendations of candidates they thought would be well-suited for the position.
After reviewing those recommendations and conducting many conversations, Executive Constantine worked to select three qualified nominees to send to the council for their review.
The council has 60 days from Jan. 15, 2025 — when the position became vacant — to make the final appointment.
The appointee will serve until the certification of the next general election in November.
District 5 includes parts of the the cities of Renton, SeaTac, Normandy Park, Des Moines and Kent:

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