Dow Constantine will officially announce later this morning that he’s taking on Larry Phillips–and anyone else seeking the soon-to-be-empty King County Executive Seat. The announcement is hardly a shock; when asked earlier about running after Ron Sims announced his departure, Constantine said “My job as King County Council Chair right now is to ensure that we have a fair open and extremely effective appointment process.” That’s polit-speak for “yes.” But there’s an interesting dynamic forming. Obviously the biggest issue facing the county is the budget and most people are quick to blame the past administration (a.k.a. Ron Sims) for that. So people have been framing their campaigns and campaign feelers against the long-serving incumbent. Now Constantine and Phillips (who Constantine calls “a friend and an ally”) have to figure out how to run against each other. So DW asked: what makes you so different from Larry Phillips?He never really got specific about the distinctions.Constantine says he was hoping to postpone his announcement until Sims went to D.C. and will have a more formal campaign kickoff later. But now Sims’ confirmation hearing appears to be pushed back until March, so Constantine pulled the trigger. His basic reasons for running echo everyone’s favorite slogans these days, change. “I feel that at this moment in our history, a moment of change in America, Ron’s nomination gives us an opportunity to bring significant change to King County Government, which hasn’t seen it in a long time.”Constantine is largely focusing on the budget, saying he wants to get serious about implementing systems for figuring out which agencies and programs are working, cut the fat and make everything more efficient. Better fiscal management is, of course, the theme of Phillips’ campaign as well. So in the weeks to come, look for a lot of pressure on both candidates to come up with specific ways to save the county money without cutting popular programs like family court services and immunizations. With Sims out, leaving no one to really run against, Constantine, Phillips and anyone else hoping to win the top spot will have to convince voters that they are the best person to manage us out of the budget crisis.Constantine is quick to point out that he and Phillips have a specific distinguishing feature–Constantine’s district includes largely rural Vashon Island. For that reason, he says, he’s more attuned to the needs of people in the vast rural swaths of the county than his Magnolia-based opponent. We’ll see if he can convince residents from Issaquah to Skykomish–who have referred to him in the past as “Chairman Dow”–of that.It’s worth noting Constantine says he’s committed to finding someone who isn’t planning to run for the Executive Seat in November to fill in at the top until then–something both candidates can probably agree to.