Published: Saturday, January 2, 2010
Snohomish County Council to pick leader
On Monday, the five councilmen will choose which Democrat will take the lead in setting their agenda
EVERETT — The Snohomish County Council expected to start 2010 by selecting a chairman Monday morning, a decision that could bring competition between fellow Democrats.
No official rules govern who gets to be chairman from one year to the next. Generally, it's the vice chairman from the previous year.
“Typically we only do one year and often it's the vice chair that takes it, but that's not always what happens,” outgoing Council Chairman Mike Cooper said. “There's no formal rotation.”
The five councilmen are expected to select from among their peers at 10:30 a.m. Monday.
The chairman heads the council's efforts to draft the county budget and takes a lead in administrative duties. The post carries an extra 10 percent in salary.
The 2009 vice chairman was Councilman Dave Gossett of Mountlake Terrace.
The party in control, in this case the Democrats, often rotates the chairmanship among its members. All current members of the council are Democrats except for Republican John Koster.
Gossett was chairman in 2007. Only Brian Sullivan of Mukilteo has yet to serve as chairman. That would make Sullivan a possible choice, too.
“I'm clearly interested, but it's obvious that I don't have three votes,” Sullivan said. “It's untraditional that (Gossett would) be chairman so quickly, considering that there's four Democrats on the council. But at the end of the day, there's no rules.”
Gossett said he wanted another shot at the top spot because “I think I'm very good at building lines of communication with all of the council members.”
“I've talked to various councilmen about it, including Brian,” Gossett said.
Councilman Dave Somers said he is supporting Sullivan but would be comfortable with Gossett, too.
“In the normal rotation of things, this was really Brian's year,” he said. “I told Brian last year that I would support him for chair this year. I was a little surprised that Dave Gossett said he was interested.”
Sullivan said he doesn't want to be vice chairman in 2010 because that would put him in line to be chairman in 2011, the year he's up for re-election. The first-term councilman doesn't think he could do both at once.
Gossett is fresh from winning his third term. Term limits bar him from running for the seat again in four years.
On another front, things are looking up for the outgoing chairman in his ongoing battle with cancer.
Doctors diagnosed Cooper in July with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. The disease forced him to undergo an intense dialysis routine and chemotherapy. The chemo ended around Thanksgiving, Cooper said.
“I can't say enough good about my physicians and the medical staff,” he said. “I'm improving. The cancer is under control and the kidneys are getting better. I'm very optimistic about the long-term outcome.”
Cooper, who is in his first term, has said he plans to seek re-election next year.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
No official rules govern who gets to be chairman from one year to the next. Generally, it's the vice chairman from the previous year.
“Typically we only do one year and often it's the vice chair that takes it, but that's not always what happens,” outgoing Council Chairman Mike Cooper said. “There's no formal rotation.”
The five councilmen are expected to select from among their peers at 10:30 a.m. Monday.
The chairman heads the council's efforts to draft the county budget and takes a lead in administrative duties. The post carries an extra 10 percent in salary.
The 2009 vice chairman was Councilman Dave Gossett of Mountlake Terrace.
The party in control, in this case the Democrats, often rotates the chairmanship among its members. All current members of the council are Democrats except for Republican John Koster.
Gossett was chairman in 2007. Only Brian Sullivan of Mukilteo has yet to serve as chairman. That would make Sullivan a possible choice, too.
“I'm clearly interested, but it's obvious that I don't have three votes,” Sullivan said. “It's untraditional that (Gossett would) be chairman so quickly, considering that there's four Democrats on the council. But at the end of the day, there's no rules.”
Gossett said he wanted another shot at the top spot because “I think I'm very good at building lines of communication with all of the council members.”
“I've talked to various councilmen about it, including Brian,” Gossett said.
Councilman Dave Somers said he is supporting Sullivan but would be comfortable with Gossett, too.
“In the normal rotation of things, this was really Brian's year,” he said. “I told Brian last year that I would support him for chair this year. I was a little surprised that Dave Gossett said he was interested.”
Sullivan said he doesn't want to be vice chairman in 2010 because that would put him in line to be chairman in 2011, the year he's up for re-election. The first-term councilman doesn't think he could do both at once.
Gossett is fresh from winning his third term. Term limits bar him from running for the seat again in four years.
On another front, things are looking up for the outgoing chairman in his ongoing battle with cancer.
Doctors diagnosed Cooper in July with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. The disease forced him to undergo an intense dialysis routine and chemotherapy. The chemo ended around Thanksgiving, Cooper said.
“I can't say enough good about my physicians and the medical staff,” he said. “I'm improving. The cancer is under control and the kidneys are getting better. I'm very optimistic about the long-term outcome.”
Cooper, who is in his first term, has said he plans to seek re-election next year.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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