Though he's not a big fan of the strategy, Democratic King County Council Member Bob Ferguson says he and his colleagues may be moving toward choosing a "caretaker" to fill the county executive slot. Ron Sims is leaving the post to take a job in the Obama administration. One possibility being floated is to appoint someone who won't be running for the permanent position in November.

While he'd rather see the council pick someone who's not a "lame duck the moment they walk in the door," it appears nobody interested in running for the seat — declared exec candidate council member Larry Phillips, or possibly Dow Constantine — can secure the five votes necessary to get the council's blessing.

Unlike years past when the county council would choose from a list of three potential appointees furnished by Precinct Committee Officers, the new "non partisan" council gets carte blanche to select who they want to fill a vacant position.

The interesting twist is that Ferguson, though he disagrees with the concept, may wind up being a logical choice for the caretaker post. Though no one is willing to speak on the record about the idea, privately county insiders say that Ferguson's name has been floated and the notion is gathering steam.

It would bring someone to the job who not only has detailed knowledge about the county and its current challenges, but also someone with six years of experience on the budget committee. And it would counter the "lame duck argument" because presumably Ferguson, though he'd leave the exec position come January, would not be leaving county government.

Ferguson, who's up for reelection in the fall, could appoint a caretaker of his own to take his council seat, someone who would keep his staff intact and not have permanent designs on the office. Meantime, he could run for his council position — a race that would likely not yield much of a challenge — and resume his job next year once he's done with the temporary exec duties.

But this would mean Ferguson, an ambitious pol in his own right, would have to give up a free shot at an open exec seat. He'd also be stepping in for a 10-month sojourn at a time when the county is fraught with financial troubles with little time to do much more than limit the hemorrhaging.

But the unlikely career move does have benefits. He could return to the council. (If Ferguson jumped in the exec race and lost, he'd be out of a job.) And holding a managerial position would be a nice addition to the resume should he decide to run for state attorney general in 2012, a post Ferguson makes no bones about being interested in.

For the record, Ferguson says he's strongly considering running for county exec in November, though he acknowledges that the fact that it would be "up or out," and the strain of such a campaign on his family (he's got one-year-old twins) gives him pause. Ferguson declines to comment on whether he'd take the caretaker job but says "I'm willing to consider any solution that will help the county get through a very tough budget year."

"For one name under consideration, there are at least two options under discussion," says Democratic political consultant Christian Sinderman. "It seems to me that at this point, all legitimate options remain on the table."

Sinderman adds that the caretaker post wouldn't be a bad idea for Ferguson "or anybody else." "It's a chance to play a larger role in county government, address a difficult budget situation and do so without the distractions of being on the ballot [for executive] this fall,” he says.

Asked about about the strategy to ensure Ferguson has a good shot at keeping his council seat, Sinderman says he's not privy to the details of what's being discussed, "but I'm not sure anyone would want to do this without some means of getting his old job back."

State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz (a former county council member himself) officially opposes the caretaker idea. "The assumption is that anybody can run the county for nine months. I don't think that's true. The county executive position is an important job," he says. "The county is facing serious challenges. The idea that a caretaker can govern represents failure to govern, frankly." Pelz declined to comment on whether Ferguson taking the position would address some of these concerns.

Though it would likely help his bid for county exec to have Ferguson in the caretaker position, instead of challenging him in November, council member Larry Phillips is still skeptical about the idea. He says it depends on the circumstances. Asked if he would support Ferguson should he agree not to run for county exec, Phillips says: "How would you enforce that?"

"Bob would still have to run for his council seat," he adds. "What's the public perception? Would they see it as an inside deal? I'm interested in pursuing the idea, but there's some questions that need to be answered."

Sims is up for Senate confirmation later this month, which gives the council precious little time to make up its mind.