EVERETT — Local Republicans selected three nominees Saturday to fill a vacant seat on the Snohomish County Council.
Nate Nehring, Kevin Ashe and Michael Stevens are the names the Snohomish County GOP is sending to the council for the final decision. The party’s precinct committee officers met for nearly five hours at the Historic Everett Theatre to winnow down a field of nine contenders. They indicated no preference among the nominees.
During introductory speeches, the finalists sounded themes of defending conservative values of property rights and fiscal responsibility, while working collaboratively on a council where Democrats will hold a 3-2 advantage.
Nehring, a middle school science teacher who serves on the Stanwood Planning Commission, said he’s excited to campaign to keep the job. More generally, he’s eager to improve Republicans’ election prospects.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I will bring young people into the party,” the 21-year-old said.
Nehring said people often ask about his relative youth. He responds that he has more experience with city and county government “than most people twice my age.”
Nehring is the son of Marysville mayor Jon Nehring.
Ashe has served on the Darrington Town Council for 14 years and co-owns the IGA supermarket in town. He said his experience, including work as a logger, would help him take on rural issues. He emphasized the can-do spirit that he and others in his community exhibited, especially after the deadly mudslide hit the nearby Steelhead Haven community in 2014.
“We have shown that we’re not quitters, we are still here and we are still standing,” he said. “… I will provide leadership, I will work hard and I won’t quit until the job is done.”
Stevens has served on the Marysville City Council since 2010. He said his day job as an architect has familiarized him with land-use and property-rights issues that would figure prominently into the county job. He wants to promote conservative values, but understands the importance of teamwork with others who might not share his political outlook.
“It will be critical to find someone who can work with the sitting members of the County Council,” he said.
He also showed a sense of humor. “If the press is here, you can print this: Michael Stevens isn’t always right,” he said.
The vacancy opened up after Republican Councilman Ken Klein left Dec. 31 to join County Executive Dave Somers’ staff. The District 1 seat represents northern Snohomish County, including Arlington, Darrington, Granite Falls, Marysville and Stanwood.
Whoever lands the appointment will have to win in November to remain in office beyond this year. The official filing period is in May. The election is for a full four-year term.
The county charter and state constitution outline the rules for filling the vacancy. The process is similar to the one used a year ago to appoint former state Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, to represent east Snohomish County on the council. Dunshee departed after losing the November election to Sam Low, a Republican from Lake Stevens.
Given Klein’s party affiliation, the charter requires the county GOP to provide the names of three candidates to replace him. The state constitution gives the council 60 days from the date of the vacancy — through March 1 in this case — to make the appointment. If the council is unable to reach a decision, the governor would have 30 days to make it.
Council Chairman Brian Sullivan said he’d like to have his new colleague seated as soon as possible to vote on looming issues. In addition to the usual budget and land-use quandaries, the county is gearing up to solicit bids for a long-haul garbage contract, an agreement that could be worth a half-billion dollars over 20 years. The council also is preparing to vote on a courthouse renovation plan.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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