Among the many responsibilities assigned to the Lakehaven Board of Commissioners, the act of choosing a suitable replacement when a commissioner position becomes vacant can be one of the more somber tasks.
There are several reasons a board position can become vacant. Some of those reasons are resignation, inability to serve (usually due to illness or incapacitation), retirement, relocation or the death of a commissioner. As noted in the November/ December 2019 newsletter, Commissioner Tim McClain sadly and unexpectedly passed away in early October.
At the time of his death, Tim was running for re-election in a contested race for another six-year term. Even though Tim passed away before the day of the election, he nevertheless won re-election to his position. While the position officially became vacant on the day of Tim’s death, the Board chose not to seat a replacement for Tim until after the election because the outcome of his race was unknown. Had Tim’s opponent won the election, any replacement chosen by the Board would only serve until January 1, 2020. Since Tim won the election, the position became vacant and, as a result, the Board set about a process to choose a person to fill his position until the next regular election, which will be in November 2021.
With the vacancy resulting from Tim’s election win, the Board, according to state law, was required to appoint a replacement within 90 days. If the board did not appoint a successor within 90 days, the selection of a replacement for the vacant position would fall to the King County Council. (At the time this newsletter went to print, the Board had not appointed a successor, which was scheduled to occur at a special meeting on December 19th. Please go to the District’s website, at www.lakehaven.org, for an introduction to your new commissioner).
Losing a high caliber commissioner like Tim McClain leaves huge shoes to fill. Tim was an advocate for staff safety;especially the water and sewer Operators as well as the folks in the field. He considered it his mission to make sure our staff are safe at work so that they could go home to their families each night. With benefit from this focus, our workers have some of the newest and best safety equipment and training in the industry. Tim absolutely loved serving as a commissioner and he loved serving our community as well.
Thank you Tim McClain for your service to Lakehaven and our community. Heaven gets to enjoy your infectious laugh and wonderful sense of humor now. I very much appreciate having had the opportunity to serve with you! God’s Peace.