Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson has given his endorsement to Sen. Fred Jarrett in his bid for King County Executive.

Larson said he has respect for more of the candidates, but saw Jarrett’s nonpartisan background as appealing.

“Voters asked for a non-partisan position,” said Larson, who publicly endorsed the change in the King County charter for nonpartisan elected officials.

As a state representative, Jarrett switched from the Republican to Democratic party in 2007.

“He has the unique distinction of having served in both parties,” Larson said.

The Snoqualmie mayor also noted that Jarrett’s position as a Mercer Island resident puts him in the “neutral zone” between the Eastside and Seattle.

Larson passed over city employee Alan Lobdell, who is also in the race, for the endorsement.

North Bend decision

North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing has not endorsed any executive candidate yet, but has a clear idea of what he is looking for in the next executive.

“A good criteria is who will represent the rural cities the best. There may be other criteria but that’s a good place to start,” Hearing said.

The previous executive, Ron Sims, was criticized for being too Seattle-centric.

“The norm has been to be Seattle-centric and to ignore all the cities outside Seattle,” Hearing said.

Seattle, which accounts for around 33 percent of the county’s population, is represented by four of the council’s nine members. Two of the four also represent areas outside Seattle.