We're just getting back to half strength here at the Cola offices, so we missed this bit of news today, reported by Goldy at Horse's Ass: State Rep. Marcie Maxwell (D-41) has said she will not seek the appointment for the senate seat being vacated by state Sen. Fred Jarrett (D-41), who was appointed deputy King County Executive by county exec Dow Constantine in November.

[caption id="attachment_21839" align="alignnone" width="284" caption="State Rep. Marcie Maxwell (D-41)"][/caption]

As we've reported, the senate appointment was basically Maxwell's for the taking. As we also reported, Maxwell was under pressure from House Speaker Frank Chopp not to take the position; Chopp reportedly argued that Maxwell's reelection chances would be stronger in the House, and that the House Democrats were a sounder operation, financially and politically, than the Senate Dems. As part of the agreement to remain in the House, Maxwell—whose key issue in the House is education—will take over Chopp's seat on the Quality Education Counci, which is working to implement the new definition of Basic Education mandated by the state last year.

Six candidates have expressed an interest in taking over Jarrett's seat: Randy Gordon, a Bellevue attorney who tried to beat out Darcy Burner as the Democrat for Congress against Dave Reichert (R-8) in 2006; George Pieper, vice-president of the Greater Seattle Business Association and vice chairman of the King County Civil Rights Commission; Vicky Orrico, a Bellevue community activist who has  twice run unsuccessfully for the Bellevue City Council; Maureen Judge, executive director of the Washington Toxics Coalition and a onetime candidate for Mercer Island City Council; Democratic Party activist Aaron Belenky of Renton; Mike Rosen, a new precinct committee officer in the 41st District; and James Morrison, another 41st District member who just announced that he was running recently and reportedly has done little or no campaigning.

The 41st District Democrats will hold a special meeting on January 5, at which the PCOs will choose a three-person slate of candidates to send to the King County Council, which will make the final call. Although the council has said it hopes to make a decision by January 11, that may be optimistic; having failed to replace Constantine at its last meeting of the year on  remains deadlocked 4-4 along partisan lines.

The 41st, which encompasses Mercer Island and much of Bellevue, is a fairly conservative district that, until Jarrett switched parties in 2007, was represented by a Republican in the state Senate. Any Democrat who wins the district, in other words, will have to win over some Republicans. Mercer Island City Council member Steve Litzow, who challenged Maxwell as a Republican once before, is reportedly planning to run again next year against whoever seems most vulnerable among his district's representatives in Olympia.

If Pieper, one of the leading candidates, were to get the nod, he would be the district's first openly gay representative. Noting that Referendum 71, which upheld gay domestic-partner rights, passed by 65 percent in the 41st, Pieper said he isn't worried that his sexual orientation will be an issue if he's chosen, noting that "Equal Rights Washington has done a tremendous job of education over here," and pointing out that Referendum 71, which upheld gay domestic-partner rights, passed by 65 percent in the district.