Rep. Don Walko's election to Common Pleas Court is likely to set off an avalanche of aspirants to fill the balance of his term in the Legislature.

"That's going to be a wide-open seat," said Jim Burn, the Allegheny County Democratic chairman. "I've heard rumors of as many as 11 candidates."

Mr. Walko won't don his judicial robes until Jan. 4, and the special election in his district can't take place until at least 60 days after that, but potential candidates are already courting support and contacting the party committee members who will be influential in choosing his successor.

The bulk of the district is on Pittsburgh's North Side but it also extends south of the Allegheny River to some East End comminutes including parts of Lawrenceville and Stanton Heights. North of the city, it covers Reserve and part of Ross.

Among those already considering bids for the seat is Paul McKrell, who until days ago was the campaign manager for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's re-election campaign. Among others eyeing the district are Mark Purcell, a former Ross commissioner who is now chief of staff to state Rep. Bill Kortz, D-Dravosburg, and Tim Tuinstra, a past president of the Observatory Hill Inc., a North Side community group. Each of them said he expected more names to be in the mix before next year's special election, as did Mr. Walko, who expects to be assigned to the Family Division of the county bench.

Mr. Walko said he expects to step down from the seat he has held since 1994 on Jan. 3, 2010. The date of the election to fill the rest of the term that expires at the end of next year is up to the speaker of the state House. The election must be at least 60 days after the resignation, but the speaker could choose to schedule it to coincide with the regular primary election in May to avoid the administrative costs of a special election. Mr. Walko said that's what he expects to happen. He noted that while 2010 is shaping up to be another contentious budget year and the Democrats have only a narrow majority in the House, it's not likely that any crucial votes will take place until after the primary date.

Mark Wolosik, Allegheny County's elections director, estimated that a special election on a date other than the primary's would cost his department roughly $60,000, although the costs would be billed to the state.

Whatever date is chosen for the contest, the political parties qualifying for automatic ballot status -- the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties -- may nominate a candidate for the special election. Independent candidates can secure a place on the ballot by collecting petition signatures equal to 2 percent of the winning vote total in the district's 2008 House election.

The seat may be attractive to the politically ambitious, as open House seats do not often appear on the ballot. But Mr. Walko pointed out that the seat's allure may be tempered by the fact that it is a potential candidate for elimination in the redistricting that will follow the 2010 census. The city has bled population since the last census. The neighborhoods of the 20th District have been among the bigger losers. Adjoining districts, such as those held by Rep. Jake Wheatley and Rep. Dom Costa, have also suffered population losses. Legislative mapmakers may be tempted to cannibalize a junior legislator's seat to preserve those of the neighboring veterans.

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