By Warren Cornwall
Herald Writer
After four years as the "1" in a lot of 4-1 votes on the Snohomish County Council, Republican Gary Nelson on Wednesday took the reins as chairman.
His election signaled the arrival of two fellow party members on the council, and the first Republican majority on the council in more than a decade.
Expect to see the council take a stronger role setting the agenda for county government, a job earlier councils had largely relinquished to County Executive and Democrat Bob Drewel, Nelson said.
The council’s place is to "be a spokesperson for people of the county about what we’d like to see going on over in the executive’s office," he said, shortly after being elected chairman by a vote of 5-0.
High on his list are boosting the number of sheriff’s deputies, making land-use regulations more user-friendly, watching county departments’ job performance more closely and improving how the county handles storm-water runoff, Nelson said.
As council chair, Nelson can shape the agenda by deciding when legislation will get hearings, and by picking which council members will run committees overseeing county activities, or sit on various commissions and boards.
On Wednesday, both Nelson and Drewel said they would seek to work together as the county faces a tightening budget and a stumbling economy.
"I think the barometer of any success we have will be one of a team effort, the council in harmony with the executive branch," Nelson said.
Nelson spoke after three new councilmen were sworn in, putting the final touch on November’s election results.
Republican John Koster now holds the District 1 seat previously controlled by Democrat Mike Ashley. Dave Gossett, a Democrat, took the District 4 seat left open by Democrat Barbara Cothern’s retirement. Republican Jeff Sax took over the seat held by Democrat Dave Somers. That gives Republicans a 3-2 majority.
Nelson’s and Democrat Kirke Sievers’ seats weren’t up for election.
Drewel said he and Nelson had frequently agreed on matters in the past.
"We’ve always worked very well together," he said.
Despite the cooperative tone, there were some predictions of potential friction between the two branches. There have been signs of tension in recent weeks.
"The system is going to be tested more than it has in the past, because I think the executive is going to have to veto more than he has in the past," Sievers said.
Two weeks ago Nelson blasted the outgoing council and Drewel for a series of controversial votes after the election.
"The county executive may see the outgoing council chair and the monthlong Democrat majority as a chance to play political football, but I would point out that the proponents of those actions are crassly manipulating citizens with these tactics," he stated in a press release.
Drewel said the votes involved matters in the works for some time.
"There’s nothing in here I agree with," he said of the release.
The three new council members are fresh from the campaign trail, and bring with them promises of their own.
Koster has said improving the business climate in the county, and keeping or increasing jobs, is high on his list of goals. The former state lawmaker has also said he’s concerned about a shortage of sheriff’s deputies, and a lack of planning to handle the county’s traffic problems.
Gossett said coping with growth will be his guiding theme. The former Mountlake Terrace mayor pointed to demands on law enforcement — from deputies to jailers — as one sign of a larger population. The county must also figure out how to pay for infrastructure strained by growth, such as roads, he said.
Sax, who made law enforcement a centerpiece of his campaign, said he would begin looking for ways to hire the additional deputies — as many as 47 — he has said the county needs.
He also said the council should reconsider a recently-approved plan to manage growth around Lake Stevens. The plan limits development around the city until millions of dollars in road improvements are financed.
You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.
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