Apparently, four candidates remain in the running for a vacant spot on the Snohomish County Superior Court bench, and Gov. Gary Locke is expected to announce his choice on Friday.
South District Court Judge Stephen Dwyer, administrative law judge Eric Lucas, assistant chief deputy prosecutor Michael Downes and deputy prosecutor Dave Kurtz said they were interviewed by Locke, indicating that the governor is giving them top consideration.
A spokesman said Locke would not discuss who was interviewed. Eight county lawyers originally submitted their names to the governor as candidates for the post.
Since his first days in office, Locke has made it a practice to travel to the county where there is a judicial vacancy and announce his appointment in person. In this case, he is scheduled to meet at noon Friday in the former courtroom of Judge Joseph Thibodeau, who retired earlier this month.
Thibodeau stepped down after a career spanning 33 years in judicial work, including 18 years as a Superior Court judge. He previously worked as a commissioner for the state Court of Appeals in Seattle.
He resigned with a year left on his term, meaning the new appointee will have to stand for election in the fall to earn a full four-year term.
A Superior Court judge makes about $121,000 a year. Half the salary is paid by the state, and half by the county.
Dwyer, 46, of Edmonds is a former Edmonds City Council member who was elected to the District Court post in 1994. He was named judge of the year in 2001 by the Washington State Trial Judges Association and last year was named outstanding judge by the Washington State Bar Association.
Lucas, 49, of Everett is an administrative appeals judge for the state Boards of the Environmental Hearings Office. He previously served for 11 years as city attorney for Langley on Whidbey Island, and during two of those years was Langley’s city administrator.
Downes, 51, of Everett has worked for the office more than 20 years. His duties include trial work, as well as supervision of other lawyers. Until now, Downes has been handling the prosecution of eight defendants in the 2002 death of 18-year-old Rachel Burkheimer of Marysville. If Downes is picked for the job, veteran deputy prosecutor John Adcock would take over that case.
Kurtz, 50, of Everett is the lead deputy supervisor in Snohomish County Juvenile Court. He’s also a former president of the Snohomish County Bar Association and has completed more than 100 felony jury trials as a prosecutor.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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