EDMONDS — Strom Peterson will soon exchange his seat on the City Council for one in the Legislature.
Peterson, a Democrat, was elected decisively last week to succeed retiring Rep. Mary Helen Roberts in the 21st Legislative District.
He’ll be sworn in Jan. 12 for a two-year term representing residents of Edmonds, Mukilteo and unincorporated areas around Lynnwood. The district also includes Paine Field.
Peterson will arrive in Olympia as lawmakers try to come up with billions of additional dollars for public schools and transportation. He’ll join a House controlled by a Democratic caucus with fewer members than before. Meantime, the Senate will be ruled by a firmer Republican majority.
That means doing what he said he’s done as a council member: find solutions through compromise.
“I don’t know if it really changes the dialogue that much,” he said. “It was already going to be a tough session, where people were going to have to sit down and work together and compromise.”
Peterson, 46, who owns The Cheesemonger’s Table in Edmonds, won re-election to the City Council in 2013.
He beat three other Democrats in the primary, then defeated Republican Allen McPheeters in last week’s election. Peterson garnered 60 percent of the vote.
“We were feeling good going in,” he said. “The result was certainly great.”
Peterson will be in Olympia next week and again in early December for orientation. During those meetings, he could learn to which committees he’ll be appointed.
He said he’d like to be on the environment panel to work on legislation dealing with climate change, which he described as a “core” issue in his campaign.
Public safety, transportation and local government are other committees on which he’s interested in serving, he said.
Peterson intends to remain on the council through January to take part in discussions of the next city budget and some large planning issues.
“He will be a loss for the city,” said Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling, a Republican who endorsed Peterson for state office. “He is a quality person, a good decision-maker and is proactive in solving problems.”
Once he resigns, finding a replacement could be an interesting exercise.
When Councilman Frank Yamamoto resigned earlier this year, it took 59 rounds of balloting before the City Council mustered a majority to appoint Thomas Mesaros.
Council President Diana Buckshnis is expecting a smoother transition.
“I anticipate everyone is going to have an open mind and look for the best candidate,” she said Friday.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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