When the new Seattle City Council convenes to consider Mayor Greg Nickels' nomination of Jorge Carrasco as superintendent of Seattle City Light, council members will have a unique opportunity to bring skepticism and scrutiny to bear on one of the most contentious positions in city government.

Too bad they'll probably blow it.

After all, the three new city council members--David Della, Jean Godden, and Tom Rasmussen--ran promising to bring a "new era" of collegiality and improved relations between the mayor and the council; Godden and Rasmussen even accepted the mayor's offer to help them rake in post-election funds. If Carrasco's nomination sails through unchallenged, the council will have blown its chance to ask some tough, necessary questions about a nominee whose past deserves some serious scrutiny.

Here's the first question: Why was Carrasco forced to step down from two previous jobs--first as city manager in Austin, Texas, then as municipal utility district (MUD) director in Oakland, California? Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis lauded Carrasco's "breadth of experience" at Carrasco's public introduction in council chambers last Thursday. What he failed to mention was that Carrasco was a polarizing figure, not a unifier, in both positions. In Oakland, according to the San Francisco Examiner, the MUD board ousted Carrasco because of "low morale and persistent problems with Carrasco's management style." In Austin, the story was similar: According to the Austin Chronicle, Carrasco instigated a "not-always-cold war" between his office and city hall by firing 100 public hospital employees without first informing the mayor or the council; later, he incensed council members by locking them out of departmental information and failing to inform them of a $51 million shortfall until five months after he saw it coming.

"He pledged to be an effective communicator--how does he square that with the problems that arose in Austin?" says one council skeptic, Nick Licata, who sees "little red flags" around Carrasco's ability to communicate with the council. Former City Light head Gary Zarker, ousted last March, was "terrible" on that front, Licata says.

Another concern all the council members should be raising is Carrasco's lack of experience running an electric utility such as City Light. Although energy committee chair Jean Godden, who will oversee Carrasco's confirmation, acknowledges that "everyone has mentioned the fact that he has no electric utility experience," she doesn't seem too concerned. "I think he's quite impressive," Godden says.

Other issues--how will Carrasco, who has never headed a heavily unionized workforce like Seattle's, work with City Light's unions; how amenable will the former private-utility director be to contracting out city services; and how adept will he be at putting City Light's shaky finances in the black. Godden says the council has "a responsibility, as the board of directors for City Light, to look into his background." Hopefully, the council will do more than just pay lip service to that promise.

barnett@thestranger.com