January 15, 2007
Ron Sims actively seeking a lucrative exit?
King County Executive Ron Sims appears ready to step down for more lucrative opportunities well before his term ends in January 2010.
Sims was mentioned in press reports as a finalist for Port of Seattle director (Tay Yoshitani got the job)
Sims's candidacy for Port director sounded fanciful. But I'm told Sims was actively lobbying for the job (The annual compensation is over $350,000, more than twice that of County Executive). Sources familiar with County Council backroom dealings report that several Councilmembers were already jockeying for the appointment to succeed Sims.
Sources close to the Port's executive search would neither confirm nor deny Sims' candidacy. But they did say Sims would have had a "pretty tough time" meeting the Commission's basic requirements for the job.
(Reports linking Sims to the Port job are no longer online, but a dead link survives at Google News, saved here)
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at January 15, 2007
10:48 AM | Email This
1. I would be interested in finding out what the qualifications are but it does not surprise me in the least that Mr. Sims would not meet the basic requirements for that job and many, many others.
2. As a Democrat party hack Mr Simms meets or exceeds qualifications for that and many other lucrative positions....
3. Sims' moving around is like a farm manure spreader. Same skills & acheivements dispersed to another public taxpayer-funded entity. Same result.
Hide out in the government catacombs and rack up your retirement. Private (results oriented) business would eat him alive. Except for the lobbying firms & his contacts.
did anyone notice the Sea Times spread on Port Guy Dinsmore? Light on port's f-ups and port's performance relative to other ports & little on our "tight" security. Heavy on praise and image. Typical Seattle reporting. Polite. p.c. left tilt.
4. I am a bit dissapointed...I would have rather had the opportunity to vote him out on his ass.
5. Lamprey eels follow shad when they about to lay eggs. The lamprey eel is always found fastened at the orifice from which the shad drops her eggs and from there it sucks out the roe while rasping the fish using the blood to wash down the roe in its maw. It's interesting how this process of nature is so similar to Ron Simm's career.
6. This isn't the first Democrat to get elected for four years and then want to bail right after the election. A few years ago there was Ed Hansen for Everett mayor and after five months on the job he bailed to the PUD manager job.
Then there was Reardon who just got elected to the State Senate and a couple of months later ran and won County Executive.
Now there is Brian Sullivan and Jean Berkey who want Sievers job in Snohomish County after they were just elected to the State legislature.
I do know of one Republican that has done that but the poor guy needed a real job so he had to relocate for a minor position.
Speaking of the Port Director job, I just couldn't help but laugh at the qualifications needed for the job. Before Gregoire got the Director of Ecology job, there was a director that ended up as Port Director (or was it the SeaTac director). Some need for qualifications.
Sims is as eminently qualified as Riniker for Port position after a couple of years as Ecology director.
7. Maybe he got a look at the Port Director's digs. He obviously failed in his attempt to get a swanky new office of his own as Executive.
8. Good news. Let it be. The sooner the better. SIms is a kling-on in the broaded sense of the word, courtesy of OR Rep. Wu.
9. Good news. Let it be. The sooner the better. SIms is a kling-on in the broadest sense of the word, courtesy of OR Rep. Wu.
10. "Sources close to the Port's executive search would neither confirm nor deny Sims' candidacy. But they did say Sims would have had a "pretty tough time" meeting the Commission's basic requirements for the job." What do they mean "tough time"? Don't they know that the port job is tied to transportation; and Ron's got a fantastic track record when it comes to "Lite Rail","Bike Trails", "Park & Rides","Right of Way Acquisitions" and administering important functions such as "elections".
Give me a break! He's just another incompetent political hack looking for one last government trough to feed at before retiring on a fat pension.
11. From the Seattle Times....
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=successor31&date=20061031&query=sims+port+director
The successful candidate will not only need shipping- or airport-industry experience and a track record of running a profitable business and managing a big work force. He or she also must have the skills and personality to navigate "a complex political environment."
Let's see:
1. Shipping or airpot-industry experience
Nope. Lifelong political hack.
2. A track record of running a profitable business
Nope. Lifetime of government jobs.
3. Managing a big work force
Nope. I doubt mis-management counts.
4. Have the skills and personality to navigate "a complex political environment."
Nope. Zero skills and zero personality.
12. I'm so glad this dishonest,incompetent race pimp diddn't get the job.In guess Ron Sims is not satisfied with ruining King County Government and saddling the taxpayers with billions for major screwups in transportation-he wants to screw up The Port as well.Typical Democrat-its a Government job or bust-he could never make it in the private sector-too stupid/incompetent.By the way two of his mentors(Franklin Raines and Norm Rice) both were forced out of their respective jobs due to mismanagement.The former(Raines) is now being sued for cooking the books to qualify for hge bonuses.
13. Just a word about Tay Yoshitani-excellent choice!!A fiscal conservative who ran the Port of Oakland (very profitably)without any taxpayer subsidy.Very honest in his dealings and real breath of fresh air.Now would be a good time to end the taxpayer subsidy this port really should not be recieving.
14. There must be a bank around here that would be proud to have Sims as a manager. Maybe he could turn around the bank that Rice drove into the ground.
15. They just build their fat ass pensions and then they run and only come back to help get more tax hikes.
We can't get rid of Locke, no matter how long he is out of office.
He is still dreaming up new ways to take your money.
The Fat Cats tell you how we should take care of the Children, while they get 16k raises every year....Gulp Gulp Gulp
16. I'd say that Ed Murray the State Transportation Chair would be the next head of the Port after this new guy. Ed's been skimmimg off Port consulting jobs for a while now and as soon as he gets Gay Marraige pasted in Olympia, he will be on this job like a "Bass on a Plug". When are we going to elect some folks that don't work for the industries they regulate? I am really getting tired of Government employees (or consultants) getting elected as essentially undeclared lobbyists to push through funding and pay raises that will eventually benefit themselves. Jeanie Kohl-Wells anyone?
17. Sorry folks that should read "passed" in Olympia, more coffee, Quick! Oh wait caffeine was banned when they cut trans-fats and processed sugar, darn!
18. Does Sims qualify for PERS1 retirement? If he was a government employee before 1977 he is. I'm not sure when he started with the City of Seattle.
Anyway, retirement formula is very generous for employees taking a big leap in pay during last two years since retirement is based on the average of the last two year pay.
19. Ron loves his brightwater water treatment project? so, let him work THERE--
but--"up from the ranks"--from sledge/slop cleaner-pumper & up through the ranks--
let him EARN his pay--then, I'll back, believe & support him. no sooner. respect? bog job? it's EARNED in the "real world."
20. Does anyone else find it suspicious that Sims was so willing to trade real estate with the port of seattle? I'm talking about the Boeing airport for that 50 mile stretch of existing railway that he wants to turn into bike paths.
21. can Sims run the new Art Park in seattle? caretaker? custodian? tour guide? bum chaser? greeter? graffitti cleaner? all for a paltry $400k a year? wait, wait--compensation studies needed. this is seattle. time to discuss & debate ad nauseum.