EVERETT — The Snohomish County Council appears ready to appoint a new ombudsman as early as this week, after interviewing two finalists Wednesday.
They’re choosing between Jill McKinnie, an Everett-based staffer for Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, and James Krider, a Republican who served two terms as the county’s prosecuting attorney.
“We’re going to deliberate and we hope to reach a decision within the next few days,” Council Chairman Dave Somers said after the interviews.
The post for a government problem-solver has been vacant since the beginning of the year. Under county code, it must be filled by April 30.
County Executive John Lovick recommended the two ombudsman candidates in February.
McKinnie has worked as Larsen’s district director since 2001. Her resume includes 30 years as a staffer for congressional Democrats, mostly working on constituent issues.
“I learned early on about asking questions,” she told council members. “Don’t act like you know everything.”
She serves on the board of directors for Everett-based nonprofit Housing Hope.
Krider served as the county’s prosecuting attorney from 1995 through 2002. He has since voluntarily resigned from the practice of law. Krider, asked about the resignation last week, said he made the decision because he had no intention of continuing to practice law.
Krider views the ombudsman’s role as a last resort, serving people who are dissatisfied with county government.
“The ombudsman is the voice of the people,” he said.
As the county’s prosecutor, Krider said he devoted much of his time to land-use issues.
Land-use issues accounted for the largest share of ombudsman complaints last year. Other common issues involve human services, taxes and the criminal justice system.
In addition to helping people navigate county government, the ombudsman can recommend improvements to make the system work better.
During interviews, Councilwoman Stephanie Wright said the ombudsman should make the people seeking help feel valued, even if the issue isn’t resolved in their favor.
Lovick created the office in 2014. As a public advocate, the ombudsman’s job is to help people resolve problems they encounter while dealing with county government. Pay ranges from $91,000 to $128,000.
Lovick appointed former County Councilman John Koster as the county’s first ombudsman.
Koster served a year in the post, but in December failed to win reappointment for another two years. He needed support from three of five council members to stay on, but only received two.
As the county’s ombudsman, Koster spent months focused on helping people affected by the Oso mudslide navigate assistance programs. He also drew up rules for the new office.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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