Submit Your Recommendations to…. Mystery Candidates?

When the public is invited to make “recommendations” for board appointments at our local colleges—but the list of applicants is hidden—what, realistically, is the public’s role?

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Background

On the Governor’s website, you’ll find Green River College and Renton Technical College both showing board of trustee members with expired terms. Highline College is also listed with a vacancy. Maybe it’s just outdated web maintenance (one trustee at Green River is still listed with a term that supposedly ended four years ago), but it begs the question: how exactly does this process work?

On the Governor’s site, the public is invited to recommend or, perhaps more interestingly, oppose applicants for these college board seats. A seemingly civic-minded gesture—except when you ask, “Who applied?” To find out, the public actually needs to file a formal public-records request.

Meanwhile, the colleges don’t publish applicant names or statistics about who applied, making it impossible for the public to actually get to the stage of recommending or opposing unless they are organizing nominees themselves.

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Questions Without Answers

We sent these questions (twice). We received no response.

• Why aren’t applicants listed on the website?
  This initially caught our attention, since the public is invited to make “recommendations.”
• What does “recommendation” mean in this context?
  Is it more like a nomination or an endorsement? There’s also an option to oppose an appointment — but if the public doesn’t know who applied, it seems difficult to participate meaningfully. The first question on the recommendation form asks, “What board or commission has the applicant applied for?” Yet the public would need to file a records request to even know that — which feels a bit disjointed.
• How is it decided who is invited for an interview?
• How is it decided who is ultimately appointed?
• Who can view applicant materials without submitting a records request?
  For example, do current board members or college presidents have access?
• How are term extensions handled?
  For example, at Renton Technical College, the website lists Trustee Debra Entenman’s term as having expired in 2024, yet she is still an active board member. Is this an ongoing appointment, a pending reappointment, or simply an outdated website?

We did, however, file a records request for all applicants, recommendations, and oppositions in South King County as recommended by our contact in the governor’s office. It’s not nearly as satisfying as a transparent public process—but we’ll update readers when those records arrive (Expected in late December.)

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Why This Matters

Public trust in governance depends on visibility—on being able to see how officials and trustees are selected. Inviting public input without providing basic information turns participation into performance.

There’s also the matter of renewal. If expired terms are quietly extended, it blocks new applicants from even entering the process, making the “recommendation” option essentially moot.

College trustees hold real power: they approve budgets, hire presidents, and shape policy for institutions educating thousands of local residents. As the state navigates a major budget shortfall, these decisions will shape South King County’s education and workforce landscape for years.

Without transparency, it’s easy to assume decisions are made by and for insiders—another process tucked away behind closed doors.

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What’s Next

We’ll publish a follow-up once records arrive, including:

• The full applicant list, with names, application dates, and boards applied for.
• Submitted recommendations and oppositions.
• Any correspondence that clarifies how interviews and appointments were decided.

Until then, we invite the public to keep asking the same question we did:
How can we recommend—or oppose—people we aren’t allowed to know exist?

Have a lead? Contact ellsberg.danny@gmail.com