February 04, 2009
Ron Sims' Greatest Hits
I'm trying to compile a list of the greatest, or at least most memorable, accomplishments of King County Executive Ron Sims, President Obama's nominee for Deputy Secretary of HUD.
In no particular order:
Brightwater
The 2004 Election
The Yousoufian Public Records Lawsuit
and the Kingdome replacement which motivated Yousoufian to request the records.
The Critical Areas Ordinance
The cooked traffic study for Redmond Ridge
Tent City
Animal Shelters
The King County Jail
The computer fiasco
The convicted embezzler in the elections office
What have I missed? Post your suggestions in the comments
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 04, 2009
11:44 AM | Email This
1. Your post on pay for play--where you posted evidence of Sims shaking down development permit-seekers.
2. How about expediting the permit process for the SIR/Pacific Raceway expansion?
3. Yes, provided there is 'solid' evidence of this it would be a hot one with the Blago situation still fresh in everyone's mind. :)
4. We should give Sims some credit where credit is due.
Executive Sims recognized as 2005 'Economic Development Champion' for Brightwater-related work
Oh, this was the Master Builders who nominated Sims for spending billions of our money and forcing a new plant into a region when capacity could have been expanded in Renton, and despite valid seismic, engineering and other impact concerns that Sims helped to suppress and ignore by hiring "experts" to refute all the public testimony. But hey, it opens up decades of new development and profit for his buddies at our expense and that of the communities that will share the noise, smell, etc.
Ok, so it's not so flattering. Sims seems to be proud enough to put it on the county's website.
5. How about ripping off the taxpayers in the King County Airport for Rail to Trail debacle?
How about taxing all of King County to expand ferries?
How about taxing all of King County for floods, even if you don't live in a flood plain?
How about the Maple Valley Donut Hole scam?
6. East Lake Sammamish railway trail fiasco?
7. When it's put on one list, it is obvious he will fit right in.
8. Sound Transit, anyone?
9. Oh, and how could we forget? $600,000 + annual royalties to change the MLKC logo.
10. If ya'll could win an election by whining, you would have some influsence in this State. You need ideas, stop crying, stop blaming the voters, stop being such crybabies. It's YOUR fault you loose. It's the ideas stupid.
11. In Uncle Ron's honor we name to rename Brightwater. I vote for "Ronald Sims Sewage Treatment Facility of King County". It fits with his legacy.
12. Uh-oh. We are loose influsence! Quick, everyone get out and buy a
Pelosi GT before it's too late!
13. Good one, Brass Tax, but didn't the 1% for arts also initiate with the Sims?
14. Mr. Sims medical examiners office is still a mess. The lawsuits from the mismanagement at KCMEO have cost us hundreds of thousands
15. Sims turned DDES into a money-making predator that's been combing Vashon Island for years, trespassing and charging people with permit "violations" for buildings 20, 30 years old and older. Appealing to the Hearing Examiner is futile. If a complaint is dismissed, DDES simply makes up a new (phony) one. The county office on Vashon is a cesspool of corruption.
16. Sims turned DDES into a money-making predator that's been combing Vashon Island for years, trespassing and charging people with permit "violations" for buildings 20, 30 years old and older. Appealing to the Hearing Examiner is futile. If a complaint is dismissed, DDES simply makes up a new (phony) one. The county office on Vashon is a cesspool of corruption.
17. I just don't get why the Yousoufian lawsuit doesn't get more play, and why it didn't nix Ron Sim's HUD appointment. Arguably most of the other fiascos such as the payroll software mess could be written off as normal bureaucratic waste.
But the Yousoufian case was willful abuse of power. The column by Joel Connelly about Sims' appt doesn't even mention the case. If Tim Eyman had pulled a similar stunt, there would have been a huge ruckus and a mention of it in every article referencing Eyman from now till the end of the world.
Media bias? Nah, couldn't be.
18. About 10 years ago, wasn't Sims involved in trying to use HUD money to build a luxury hotel, claiming it was legal as long as it provided jobs for low income people?
Anyone remember this?
19. Another thing -- The old abandoned K-2 factory was rezoned behind the scenes before anyone knew about it by Ron and Dow, who are in bed with the developers. Now they're moving the Vashon library to this site, one mile south of town, out of walking distance. They don't care what the people want. Walkable community, anyone?
20. russell garrard, corruption in the Sims government that would shock you has been presented to courts, the media, and even federal law enforcement. There is no integrity in the Pravda media to give it legs, and there is even less in government to stop it. Assume the worst of both, then double it and you're still not close.
21. Another Sims hit, maybe not a major one, was his support for the banning of 30 or so types of Malt Liquor in downtown Seattle. It was a joint effort of Sims, Paul Schell, and Mark Sidran, but Sims was especially vocal. He said something along the lines that the convenience stores were selling 'poison' to the sick.
At the time I was working for a place that sold malt liquor, and I wrote to Sims that even if alcoholism is a disease (which I doubt) I was not an MD and could not be expected to do an on-the-spot diagnosis of customers buying booze.
The ban was evaded by malt liquor makers by changing the names of the products. The law had stupidly specifically banned products by name. The city's consultant concluded that the whole effort had been 'meaningless.'
22. Sims was the SECOND heaviest man on our local global warming bandwagon.
And Palouse, you can't nail a bad speller by using his own spellings.
You loose. I mean lose.
24. King Ron fits right in with the rest of the Obama clown posse that can't appear to shoot straight, that is unless, it happens to be directly into their foot with the gun still holstered.
25. Pshaa on the conviction in elections,,,the number one on Lettermans list is knowing allowing a convicted fellon for bank fraud work in the Office of Management and Budget for over 3 years.
26. #10, the Democrats have been in charge for the past quarter century in Seattle and Washington state, running us into a huge deficit while lately blaming everything on Bush. Spending is NOT the way out of deficits, and neither is blaming everyone else for your lack of control. I suggest you start signing your posts 'Clueless in Seattle'
27. How about misusing HUD funds for his developer friends?
http://novbm.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/ron-sims-misuses-hud-funds/
28. Maple Valley "Doughnut Hole."
29. Can this blog just be changed to SoundWhining.org or SoundLosers.org? It's pathetic. No ideas other than waaa waaa.
30. #30 - hey ostrich face- whatsa matter ? Do these harsh words against your ilk get under your skin ?
Man up or go back to your limp wristed leftist website.
31. Obviously #30 doesn't own any property affected by the CAO.
32. ...I'm telling' ya--this guy is like a psycho girlfriend-stalker.
WA is not distanced at all from DC with what he'll command back on us with the power of the Big Gov now behind his ineffective and smiley-face pandering gluteus. Lawdy hep us...
...visions of modern Concord Bridges, tea parties and secessions some to mind if this trend keeps up...
33. I think Ron might be a prophet...you remember his other big boner...saying the Rossi originally victory when Ron said elections had bank like accuracy....hmm....since the banks are largely insolvent and also disorganized...comparing KC elections to a bank isn't that far off...
34. What is a KS? King Shit?
35. There's got to be one on land use regulations.
Hey- great hat tip over on Malkin's blog.
36. How about the $1million dollar crackhouse/whorehouses in pioneer square that were sold for $12500 a piece.
37. What about his fabulous job of keeping a major sports franchise in Seattle?
