Newly elected legislator to resign from Edmonds Council in January

Published 2:42 pm Friday, November 7, 2014

Edmonds City Councilman Strom Peterson, who is on his way to winning election to the State Legislature, says that he plans to resign from the Council in early January.

Democrat Peterson holds a 60 percent to 40 percent lead over Republican Allen McPheeters for the position that 21st Democratic State Rep. Mary Helen Roberts now holds.

Peterson said Thursday that by resigning at the Jan. 6 Council meeting he would be ready to start the legislative session Jan. 12 while staying on the Council long enough to help the Council approve a 2015 budget and to help confirm a replacement for Edmonds Municipal Court Judge Douglas J. Fair, who ran unopposed in the Tuesday election for a position on the South District Court.

Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling said before the election that he expects to have a nominee to replace Fair by early December.

Peterson, who doesn’t need to resign from the Council because both it and the legislature are part-time positions, said Tuesday that he would resign.

Once Peterson resigns, the six remaining Council members would have 90 days to appoint a replacement. The appointee would serve through certification of the 2015 election, when voters would choose someone to serve the last two years of his term.