Ted Van Dyk, Obama supporter:
It is hard to imagine someone less qualified as Deputy Housing and Urban Development Secretary than Ron Sims. Sims' weak suit, as King County Executive, was his administrative competence. His troubles with the county jail, elections office, sewage-treatment facility and transportation planning are well known. Like Locke, he is personable; a nice guy. But the HUD Deputy's job is to administer and run day-to-day a department notorious for its scandals, corruption, and screwups while the Secretary serves as outside man. Unless he is careful, HUD will eat Sims alive.Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at March 22, 2009 01:45 PM | Email This
But Sims will probably exit government either doing a perp walk or as a multi-millionaire. Probably the latter, since no press organization would dare expose the corruption in Sims' HUD.
Posted by: iconoclast on March 22, 2009 02:19 PMGood fit then, since KC did the same.
Posted by: TJ on March 22, 2009 02:36 PMIf there was some justice in this world where liberals dictate how even conservatives discuss issues, contol the media, and control schools that might actually happen.
Sims will get a free pass. It's how things work now.
Sheesh! We have a tax cheat as head of the Treasury Department. The Vice President thinks FDR was President when the 1929 market crash happened.
Nothing is beyond comprehension these days. Sims will never get criticism. He's liberal, he's from Seattle, he's black. Unless Sims shoots somebody he's got it made.
Posted by: Bill Cruchon on March 22, 2009 03:42 PMHmmm... Seems like one Seattle executive who went to Washington DC did extremely well in the percs & bonuses department. That would be the Franklin Raines who got to drive Fannie Mae until the booking-cooking got too hot to handle.
Let us now see how Mr. Sims does at driving the HUDmobile.
Posted by: Insufficiently Sensitive on March 22, 2009 05:22 PM" It is hard to imagine someone less qualified as Deputy Housing and Urban Development Secretary than Ron Sims. Sims' weak suit, as King County Executive, was his administrative competence. .... "
And this is coming from someone who was a vocal advocate for David Irons for King County Director of Elections?
" But the .... job is to administer and run day-to-day a department notorious for its scandals, corruption, and screwups "
As least you know David Irons has the experience, having been involved with the Herbold / Young / Sotelo / Marzolf / Esser administrations of the King County and Washington State Republican Party.
Posted by: Brian Thomas on March 22, 2009 08:32 PMThis is a strikingly bad combination - Sims & HUD.
Pretty tough job and unless he is able to surround himself with very very good administrators who can mask his own inabilities (which he didn't do @ KC - instead he hired "yes men") this is a national disaster in the making.