Huff-Menees also previously worked as assistant director of the state lottery and as deputy mayor of Bremerton during Mayor Cary Bozeman’s first term, during the critical period that launched the revitalization of downtown. She had been serving most recently as an assistant administrator in the King County elections department before being tapped for the director’s job. Huff-Menees takes over as the successor to former Kitsap resident Dean Logan, who quit last summer to accept a similar position in Los Angeles.

Logan shouldered the majority of the blame for the department’s screw-ups resulting in the legally contested 2004 governor’s election. That race saw Governor Christine Gregoire win a hand recount by 129 votes, after two previous machine recounts showed Republican Dino Rossi to be the clear winner. The controversy was centered in highly Democratic King County — the only county in the state where the elections director is a political appointee, and not chosen by popular vote. The problems included allegations of voter fraud including supposedly previously uncounted ballots, problematic provisional ballots, as well as ballots found to be cast by convicted felons, dead voters, and homeless people registered by the Democratic Party, illegally using the King County Courthouse as their “home” address.

How long Huff-Menees will actually hold the position before King County voters get to decide who gets to keep the job, is a question mark. The King County Council has stated it intends to put a measure on the 2009 ballot that would allow voters to choose the elections director beginning in 2010. Meanwhile, a petition drive is currently under way to give that option to voters in November, setting up a possible February election. Huff-Menees declined to say whether she would campaign for the position if and when it becomes elective.

Sims, who vehemently opposes election of the director — has asked the council to delay a decision on how to fill the position in order to make it more attractive now to potential job-seekers.