Ron Sims approaches his job with his head in the clouds and is reluctant to return to planet earth. Both figuratively and literally:
From his temporary, 32nd-floor offices in the Bank of America Tower, King County Executive Ron Sims enjoys an airline passenger's view: Mount Rainier, the Olympics, the sports stadiums, and ferries crisscrossing Puget Sound.Sims wants his new office to occupy the top two floors of a to-be-constructed 13-story county office tower. Members of the County Council want him to rejoin the council and the regular folk in the courthouse or the admin building. The view-loving Sims and chief-of-staff Kurt Triplett are defending their sky-high-turf.
Sims says he can't move in to the admin building without displacing one of the departments. But members of the council say that moving the elections office out of the admin building was one of the goals of the new office tower all along anyway.
Triplett, Sims' chief of staff, said, however, that consolidating the elections functions "was never discussed as part of the new county office building. It is a very real option that could be looked at ... but it wasn't what was originally talked about."A long-time observer of county government e-mails that
Triplett is lying. Elections has been slated to be in the new building since first discussed years ago.adding that
one of the features they were really excited about was that they were putting customer service on the first floor with sidewalk access and a tunnel across from the new garage. A handful of 30 min. public parking spaces that they were going to put on the first floor of the garage for people wishing to buy marriage, business, and vehicle licenses; register to vote; and pay property taxes or access property records.But what's customer convenience when you're talking about the boss' view?I thought facilities had some great ideas about putting the departments that interacted with the public the most on floors that were very accessible, and I loved that some short term parking was going to be available for the public.
Of course, if David Irons is elected County Executive, Sims will be liberated to take a job as many feet off the ground as his heart desires.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at August 08, 2005 12:47 AM | Email ThisGet that man out of office before he comes up with more expensive fantasies!!
Ron Sims reminds me of a spoiled child in Toys R us! And we - the people - are his parents! He wants everything he sees - everything he dreams of and has no sense of the cost or the impact of his purchases! The parents have tried talking to him - reasoning with him about expenses and his lack of wisdom in toy choices...(Trains, etc..)..but little Ronny just has to have everything! It's just too cool! The parents have threatened to withold Ronny's allowance but he steals money from his parents anyway! In fact, little Ronny conspired with his little friends and took some stray animals and hid them at various places in the community. Every few months, Ronny and his friends would move the strays to a new location instead of getting them medical help and good homes! He stole more money from his parents in his effort to hide and play with these strays....
It's time for little Ronny to get a spanking! He is a sick boy!
We need David Irons!
Posted by: Deborah on August 8, 2005 01:37 AMA more fitting office would be the maintenance closet on level SB3 next to the fan room.
Posted by: JCM on August 8, 2005 07:57 AMThe rest of the state has to ultimately PAY for KC elections screwups. Since request for assistance was made, and if granted, it now is NOT just a KC problem. Does this give the Average WA Citizen the right to Bitch at Simms? It is our tax money being spent on a job that Simms & Co. should be able to do on their own, but admits it they can't.
For Pete's Sakes ! Give him an office with alot of windows but on ground floor, with bars.
Posted by: Chris on August 8, 2005 08:34 AMSo, I agree with Larry Phillips (feels strange). When Ron is voted out in November, Triplett needs to go also. He sounds as self serving and arrogant as his boss.
PS: What does Officer Ring have on who?? Instead of being prosecuted for what looks to be just cause; all of a sudden the investigation is dropped, he is handed his fill pension, payment of his legal costs, and a clean work record and all it entails. It apprears that somebody can't pay him off fast enough. Wow, he must have good video footage of somebody important recreating in Enumclaw.
Posted by: dl on August 8, 2005 09:55 AMFor that reason, if no other, the offices of the King County Executive and Council should be in the basement, below ground level, windowless, with no flat-panel TV.
Posted by: gaelwolf on August 8, 2005 09:57 AMHey Ron, it’s only money taken away from our families. Spend, spend and spend, because if we kept it ourselves, we would just use it on something selfish. No wonder these pols think our money is theirs; we let them by electing them over and over again.
Shame on us.
Obviously, you all didn't have very good home training =P
Posted by: Mike H on August 8, 2005 05:26 PMI'd prefer that he become a professional fire jumper, and continue with 98% accuracy as a good standard for his parachute.
Posted by: BananaLand (aka Iguana) on August 8, 2005 05:51 PMHere it might put the party of Ron Sims on notice that their desire for aristocratic accommodations at our expense isn't unopposed.
Posted by: Hank Bradley on August 8, 2005 06:03 PMThe answer is . . . yes.
Posted by: Amused by liberals on August 9, 2005 11:30 AM