There continues to be speculations about who will run for mayor of Federal Way, so I consulted my expert panel of advisors. Listed below is an outline of each potential candidate. Many of these candidates will end up not running and others could still surface.

Pete von Reichbauer: Republican, King County Council member, former state senator. Probably the most well-known public official in South King County. He can raise the money, he is an outstanding campaigner and he has more contacts than anyone else. He is a moderate. If he decides to get in the race, everyone else will get out.

Skip Priest: Republican state representative, former Federal Way mayor. Well regarded in Olympia and locally. Political moderate who knows the city and its issues. Was initially thought to be leaning toward running for re-election to the House. Speculation has increased recently to 50 percent that he might run for mayor.

Mike Park: Federal Way City Council member, former mayor and local businessman. Should be able to raise the money and has a solid foundation of support. Knows city issues well and would be able to devote the time. Park and Priest are not likely to run against each other. Park is non-partisan and is probably a moderate to conservative.

Bob Roegner: Former mayor of Auburn, state and county administrator, political columnist. Credible candidate, good resume for the job. Has wide contacts. He has only lived in Federal Way for eight years. Has low but growing name identification. Moderate Democrat. Has never run for office in Federal Way. Is on the Federal Way Chamber board and would get some business support. (To ensure objectivity, this paragraph was offered by a supporter of city council member Jim Ferrell, the only announced candidate for mayor).

Jack Dovey: City council member, former mayor, Republican Precinct Officer (PCO). Has served two different times on Federal Way City Council. Local businessman is well known and knows city issues. A month ago, he seemed like a sure entrant, but not so sure now. He is conservative. His support could vary depending on how many Republicans get in the race.

Mark Miloscia: Democratic state representative known as a hard campaigner. Has strong name identification. Has been rumored to be interested in running for state auditor if the incumbent steps down. Conventional wisdom has chance of running as less than 20 percent.

Jim Ferrell: Republican, city council member, only announced candidate for Federal Way mayor. Is a supervisor of domestic violence in the King County Prosecutor’s office. Leans conservative. Will raise a lot of money and campaign hard. Current front-runner and most prepared at this point. Will kick off campaign in April.

Linda Kochmar: Longtime city council member, current mayor. Republican Precinct Officer. Well known in community, understands city issues. Probably could retire from current job as risk manager for Lakehaven Utility District and campaign full time. If she were the only woman, it would be worth extra votes. Chance of running have recently moved up to 40 percent.

Jeanne Burbidge: Non-partisan, city council member, former mayor, very active in regional transit issues, Municipal League Public Official of the Year. Her supporters include many of the city leaders. Like Kochmar, she would benefit if she were the only woman in the race. Her chances of running are about 5 percent — very unlikely.

Other names mentioned include State Senator Tracey Eide, Federal Way School District Superintendent Tom Murphy, and Federal Way Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Pierson. However, none of these live within the city limits, so they are not eligible to run.

Please put this list on your refrigerator and keep track as potential candidates decide what they are going to do.