King County Council approves 3 appointments to Legislature

SEATTLE -- The King County Council on Monday approved the appointments of three people to fill vacancies in the Washington Legislature from districts in King County.

Former state Rep. Jamie Pedersen is the new state senator for the 43rd Legislative District, filling the vacancy created with the election of state Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, as mayor of Seattle. Brady Walkinshaw was selected to fill Pedersen’s seat in the Washington House of Representatives.

Pedersen, D-Seattle, has been a member of the state House for the 43rd Legislative District since 2006.

Walkinshaw most recently was a program officer with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A graduate of Princeton University, Walkinshaw has worked on issues of food and nutritional security abroad, and has been active locally on a number of civic issues, the King County Council said in a news release.

Walkinshaw will be joined in the state House by SeaTac Deputy Mayor Mia Gregerson, who was appointed by the council to the vacancy in the 33rd Legislative District created by the election of state Rep. Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines, to the King County Council.

According to the state constitution, Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) of the affected political party nominate and submit three names to the county council in the event of a vacancy. The Democratic PCOs of the 43rd submitted Pedersen as their preferred candidate for the Senate. Walkinshaw was the top choice of the PCOs for the House seat. Gregerson, along with Elizabeth Albertson, and Debra Omaha Sternberg were interviewed by the Democratic PCOs in the 33rd Legislative District.

Pedersen, Walkinshaw and Gregerson will all serve one year and will have to stand for election to full terms in 2014.