As he leaves to take the 2nd spot at the Housing and Urban Development Department, it is a good time to mention Sims' biggest failure. (The Seattle newspapers will describe his successes, such as they are, so I don't have to do that.)
The King County Executive is, by most accounts, a decent man, a better man than the average Democratic politician. He is not a good executive, and never will be a good executive, but he is, on the whole, a good man. (It shows something about the low quality of so many of our elected officials that I have to say that, I suppose.)
But he failed to treat a large number of his constituents here in King County decently because he is one of our worst urban imperialists. Again and again, he took actions that damaged the interests of people living in rural areas. (For some examples, see this article.) As far as I can tell, he never regretted those actions, never even tried to understand the problems of rural areas.
Why he was so indifferent to this rural minority is something of a mystery. He had a mediocre education, so it is likely that he knew little about the history and problems of our rural areas. He may believe that he gets a reasonably accurate picture of the world from our "mainstream" news organizations, which are filled with urban imperialists. And, like many other Democratic politicians, he holds many Green superstitions, superstitions that often lead to acts of urban imperialism.
But I am not sure whether all those together are enough to completely explain his hostility to our rural minority. Perhaps it is simply a matter of party. Rural areas here, as elsewhere, tend to be Republican, and he may have wanted a bit of revenge on those who voted for the other party. Or, in spite of many protests, he may never have realized how much damage he was doing to rural areas.
Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.
(Neither this column nor this editorial even mention how badly Sims treated our rural areas. The author of the first, Joni Balter, is definitely an urban imperialist. The author of the second probably is. And you will notice, if you read the editorial, that the editorial writer mostly forgives his mismanagement of the King County Jail, even though the jail routinely "violates inmates' civil rights".
Those in other areas will wonder what Sims brings to the job at HUD. He's a good speaker and an effective politician. At best — and some of my friends will think I am being too kind — he is a mediocre manager. He is a poor policy analyst, unused to thinking in cost/benefit terms. He would be a good man to sell a program, a mediocre man to manage a program, and a poor man to develop a program.)
Posted by Jim Miller at February 03, 2009 01:58 PM | Email ThisAlthough I do think Obama while a Harvard graduate and a lawyer, two credentials I do not respect, will be good for the country. I only hope Donovon escaped from the Ivy-league know it all mentality.
PSsT, this is going to be interesting for Sims!
He will not be surrounded by his hand picked "groupies" any more!
I think that Jim is way to kind. Sims is a classic political crook and should fit in nicely with the Chicago style politics now in vogue in D.C.
Posted by: G Jiggy on February 3, 2009 04:26 PMTragedy, I guess, that a man thinks he made this land into a great place but he leaves and we are grateful but there is another one waiting in the wings not ready to serve in leadership but impose in tyranny. Like Sims, probably driven by fear at the core ignoring the great guardrails of faith, constitution and knowing who knows all. Unwilling to go low and serve...it will take a great awakening to turn from our ways but how much deeper the cost we must pay for letting live and let live when a little justice and along the way would not have hurt anyone.
Hey Seattle schools people they are closing all your schools because you abort all your kids...they are going to the private schools because they are told they are racist at their core. They move away because the prosecutors office is cut to the bone!
We will get a great leader again that does not need to check the polls but knows the great joy and privilege of imposing freedom on us all.
Posted by: Col. Hogan on February 3, 2009 05:02 PMAKA, confiscation without remuneration!
Posted by: Fed UP on February 3, 2009 06:22 PMJust wanted to comment that your definition of "decent" is quite different than mine. Not going to get into it again, but a decent person wouldn't be involved in, and excuse the things that Mr. Sims has covered-up and excused. As if things aren't rotten enough in DC, now they're going to get a little bit worse.
It's really unfortunate that self-interested career politicians like Sims, who have no integrity, seem to be exactly what the Democrats look for these days. Our loss in King County is now everyone's loss in America.
Posted by: MJC on February 3, 2009 06:34 PMBut if you ask me, he did a good job as executive. Call me an urban imperialist also, but most of the county's revenue does not come from rural areas and most of the county's population does not reside in rural areas. That's not the case with all parts of the nation, but it is the case here in King County, where he is/was executive.
Posted by: allison on February 4, 2009 08:49 PMBut if you ask me, he did a good job as executive. Call me an urban imperialist also, but most of the county's revenue does not come from rural areas and most of the county's population does not reside in rural areas. That's not the case with all parts of the nation, but it is the case here in King County, where he is/was executive.
Posted by: allison on February 4, 2009 08:49 PMBut if you ask me, he did a good job as executive. Call me an urban imperialist also, but most of the county's revenue does not come from rural areas and most of the county's population does not reside in rural areas. That's not the case with all parts of the nation, but it is the case here in King County, where he is/was executive.
Posted by: allison on February 4, 2009 08:55 PMBut if you ask me, he did a good job as executive. Call me an urban imperialist also, but most of the county's revenue does not come from rural areas and most of the county's population does not reside in rural areas. That's not the case with all parts of the nation, but it is the case here in King County, where he is/was executive.
Posted by: allison on February 4, 2009 08:56 PMRon Sims has nothing to do with the taxes on ferries. Talk to your state representatives (which I can only assume are republican if you live in a rural area and despise paying taxes for things useful to the majority).
Posted by: rod on February 4, 2009 09:02 PMRon Sims has nothing to do with the taxes on ferries. Talk to your state representatives (which I can only assume are republican if you live in a rural area and despise paying taxes for things useful to the majority).
Posted by: rod on February 4, 2009 09:02 PMUh, wrong Rod. Sims taxed all of King County for foot ferries. The King County Council passed his plan, without a vote of the people. More urban tyranny on rural residents.
Posted by: Palouse on February 6, 2009 12:28 PM