The contest for an open seat on the King County Council is heating up well in advance of a special election to fill the position next year.
State of play: Girmay Zahilay's election last month as King County executive caused him to vacate his District 2 council seat.
This week, the council appointed Rhonda Lewis to fill the vacancy temporarily — but Lewis doesn't plan to run for election next fall, leaving the position up for grabs.
The latest: State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle) announced this week she will run for the open county council seat and not seek re-election to the state Senate next year.
Port of Seattle Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa also said in a news release this week she is "strongly considering running" for the council job.
The District 2 seat represents more than 260,000 King County residents living in the University District, Laurelhurst, Ravenna, Eastlake, Capitol Hill, the Central District, South Seattle, Allentown and Skyway.
Between the lines: Over the years, many Seattle-area state lawmakers have sought positions on the King County Council after serving time in Olympia.
The salary is much higher, and the job comes without a crushing 60-mile commute up and down I-5.
The county council also draws less public scrutiny than the Seattle City Council, which is constantly in the news.
What's next: The filing deadline to run for the county council seat isn't until May, leaving plenty of time for more contenders to step forward.
