What happens if Kowalkowski wins?

DAVENPORT — Local voters in city limits will have two candidates to choose from in the race for city Mayor in the Nov. 7 General Election: incumbent Brad Sweet and challenger J.J. Kowalkowski, who both filed during Filing Week in May.

Later in May, Kowalkowski told The Record-Times he was withdrawing from the race and ceasing his campaign, stating that his heart wasn’t in the race and that he felt that wasn’t fair to the citizens.

But because he didn’t officially withdraw his name in time, according to the county Auditor’s Office, he will still appear on the ballot as a legal option in the race for Mayor.

So what happens if Kowalkowski defeats Sweet, but doesn’t want the job?

According to City Hall, it would not be as simple as turning the job back to the incumbent, who has said he does want the job.

Kowalkowski would be sworn in as mayor at the first council meeting in Jan. 2024. If he still didn’t want the job, he could resign.

Elections deputy Norm Caley pointed to state RCW 42.12.070, which states that when a vacancy occurs in a nonpartisan office, the remaining members of the governing body, i.e. city council, shall appoint a “qualified person” to fill the vacant position.

City administrator Steve Goemmel shared City Council Procedure Rule 8.1, which says city council would follow RCW 42.12.070 to fill a vacancy, while quipping that any citizen in city limits of legal age and standing could be “qualified” to be appointed by council.

This process most recently occurred here in late 2007, when Chuck Johnston resigned as Mayor and Jeff Wilkie was appointed as his successor, with Karen Carruth filling the vacated council seat.

Ironically, Carruth would soon succeed Wilkie as Mayor herself following questionable firing practices by Wilkie that led to his eventual resignation in early 2008.

Wilkie controversially fired Goemmel and city clerk LaRae Damschen, appointing Connie Stauffer as city clerk and saying he would act as his own city administrator.

But he resigned two weeks later, and council offered unanimous votes for confirmation to reinstate both employees before appointing Carruth to the mayoral role.