Pierce County Council members and Kitsap County commissioners will meet Thursday in Gig Harbor to pick a successor to former state Sen. Derek Kilmer, who was elected to Congress.
The two boards will meet at 10:30 a.m. in the Council Chambers at the Gig Harbor Civic Center, 3510 Grandview St., Gig Harbor. The meeting was finalized Monday.
Local Democrats late last month selected emergency room doctor Nathaniel Schlicher as their top choice to serve a year in the state Senate, filling Kilmer’s seat for the 26th District.
By law, the council members and commissioners can pick Schlicher or one of two runners-up – Todd Iverson or Gerry Baldwin – also nominated by 26th District Democrats.
The winner will need four of six votes that will be split equally between Kitsap and Pierce counties. Each of the three Kitsap commissioners gets one vote, while each of the seven Pierce council members gets three-sevenths of a vote.
The appointment could be important for the new legislative session that started Monday. A coalition of Republicans and two breakaway Democrats has seized control of the Senate by a margin of 25-23, not including Kilmer’s vacant seat, so many decisions could be close.
steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com
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