Togo West’s nomination to the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics is moving quickly through the D.C. Council. On Tuesday he received a council committee’s approval. The full council is expected to vote Thursday on the former secretary of the Army and veterans affairs.

In its recommendation that the council back West’s nomination, committee members wrote that “put simply, Mr. West’s background demonstrates the highest qualities of public service.” The committee members reiterated comments made by former D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt during a public hearing on Monday. She described West as a “first-rate professional” whose “judgment is clear and steady.”

West’s likely approval will take some of the pressure of an 18-month standoff between the council and Mayor Adrian Fenty over the filling an empty spot on the board of elections. That empty spot became critical when the board’s chairman announced last week that he’ll be resigning on Aug. 2. That would have left the three-member board with only one member, making it impossible for it to approve the outcome of the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.

The council and mayor scrambled following the resignation announcement and Fenty nominated West late last week.