King County Council Appoints Carlyle, Frame To Replace Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles

The King County Council unanimously appointed replacements Thursday for departing Washington state Senator Jeanne Kohll-Wells. Kohll-Wells will leave the Senate since she was elected to the County Council in November.

State Representative Reuven Carlyle has been appointed to serve the remainder of Kohl-Welles’ term in the state Senate. And community organizer Noel Frame has been appointed to Carlyle’s seat in the state House of Representatives. Frame is a Democratic precinct committee officer and served previously on the staff of Senator Maria Cantwell.

Last spring she was also one of the finalists to replace Sally Clark on the Seattle City Council. In Frame's statement before that council, she disclosed the personal struggles that inspired her to enter politics.

“A few people know what brings me to the fight, and I share these details insofar as I think it will help people, and this is one of those moments,” Frame said. “So here it goes. I am a survivor of sexual abuse. I am somebody who manages my own mental health with medication every single day. And I am far from the worst off in my family.”

Frame says she wants to represent others who can’t advocate for themselves.

The appointments of Frame and Carlyle will extend through the upcoming legislative session. Both appointees must run for office next fall in order to keep those seats.