Compared to 2010 or even 2009, 2011 may seem like a sleepy election year, with not much on the ballot.

But that’s no reason not to participate. Odd-numbered years are when we decide who’s going to represent us close to home. The decisions that our locally elected leaders make directly affect our lives.

Nobody seems to understand this truth better than 2011’s most inspiring candidate – Richard Mitchell. Mitchell is running against incumbent Jane Hague in the Sixth County Council District (which spans Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Mercer Island, and other nearby communities) because he believes his neighbors deserve a council member who listens and shows up for the job all of the time – not just part of the time.

Jane Hague recently proved that she thinks she has better things to do than listen to her constituents when she skipped a July 12 hearing the Transportation Committee was holding on potential Metro cuts. Hague, a member, had come to a committee meeting earlier that day. But she wasn’t at the hearing, where more than four hundred people testified.

Evidently she had something better to do that night than her job.

“We all expect leadership on challenging issues. And leadership means making decisions when they are hard,” Mitchell told me recently when we sat down to talk about his candidacy.

Mitchell would know. He was responsible for vetting potential judicial nominees as Chris Gregoire’s first general counsel.

He now serves as a King County Housing Authority commissioner, King County Bar Association vice president, and Seattle University regent.

His academic qualifications are nothing less than stellar. He has three degrees – in architecture (from Cornell, 1989), in urban design (from the University of Michigan, 1992) and in law (from Syracuse, 1995).

Best of all, Mitchell is a trustworthy, caring person … the kind of leader who is impossible to dislike. He values conversation. He relishes the opportunity to meet people and hear their concerns. That’s an attitude that an effective elected official must have.

I asked Mitchell why, as a first-time candidate, he chose to run for county council (as opposed to, say, city council). He explained that his public service has always been focused on improving quality of life at the regional level. He likes working with different communities and helping them figure out how they can work together to cooperatively resolve problems and meet challenges.

This is what King County government does … or should be doing. Mitchell is correct when he describes King County as a regional government, rather than local. King County brings together Seattle and Skykomish, Snoqualmie Pass and Shoreline, Redmond and Kent, Kirkland and Federal Way. It is a diverse jurisdiction with a population that is larger than several states. It needs leadership that is dependable and responsive.

Mitchell is determined to provide that leadership. After watching Jane Hague coast to re-election in 2007 without a credible opponent, he made a decision that he would challenge her the next time around if no one with more experience stepped forward.

“I felt it was about time someone else ran for this office and gave the voters a choice,” he said.

He is genuinely committed to protecting and strengthening the vital public services we all rely on, from our underfunded courts to Metro and Sound Transit’s expanding Link light rail system to regional parks like Marymoor and Cougar Mountain.

In my time as an activist, I’m not sure I have ever met a candidate so remarkably prepared to serve in the office he was seeking.

The Seattle Times editorial board, which I often disagree with, came to the same conclusion when it endorsed Mitchell on July 25.

“In our interviews with the four candidates for this seat, he stood out for his quick mind and grasp of detail,” the Times said, describing him as “the most accomplished and promising challenger to Jane Hague”.

Mitchell is also the only candidate running for the 6th who the Municipal League bestowed with its highest rating of “Outstanding”. (Incumbent Jane Hague was merely rated “Good”).

In almost every respect, he embodies the high-caliber, well-rounded candidate that we often wish we could vote for. He’s running, but will we elect him?

If you live on the west side of the Eastside, then you are among those who have the power to decide. This summer, you can strengthen your voice and our region by voting Richard Mitchell for King County Council.