Sound Politics: Ron Sims and his 42-story tower

October 18, 2006

Ron Sims and his 42-story tower

"Sims wants tower to replace King County's "ugly" building"

King County Executive Ron Sims wants to tear down one of downtown Seattle's least attractive buildings -- the county Administration Building -- and replace it with a tower of up to 42 stories.

This brings to mind a joke about an elephant and a Porsche.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at October 18, 2006 03:22 PM | Email This

Comments

1. Let me keep my money. I'll take unattractive.

Posted by: swatter on October 18, 2006 03:46 PM

2. I'll venture a guess that his new office will be on the top two floors -- has this guy lost touch with reality?

Posted by: Lew on October 18, 2006 04:01 PM

3. I'm reminded of the joke about the difference between a porcupine and a Porsche, only replace the Porche with a building.

Posted by: Obi-Wan on October 18, 2006 04:08 PM

4. I had to look that one up.

Naughty, Stefan. Very naughty.

Posted by: Nathan Azinger on October 18, 2006 04:31 PM

5. An excellent idea! And not just for county offices but city, state, and federal space as well:

Close up the drunks' apartment house and move it there.

Close up the sex-offenders' quarters in SODO and move it there.

Close the combination public toilets/brothels/crack-houses and move them there (save at least 3/4MM$ per annum).

Close all methadone clinics and move them there.

Move Murray's, Cantwell's, and McDermott's offices there.

Dedicate the entire space as Nickel's strip zone - sparing Georgetown.

Toss in a $$ for blood plasma collection center.

Create a permanent campground on the roof for Tent City.

Don't forget BBQ grills for Nickels and Kerlikowske to grill steaks for the community's finest.

Install private mail boxes so Sims' relatives don't have to be inconvenienced using his home address.

The potential is endless. Build it higher than 42 stories. Create our own tower of Babel.

Fantastic! Ron - you are the man!

Posted by: Tyler Durden on October 18, 2006 04:40 PM

6. Why of course he does, he has not taken all your money yet. These people must wake up at night with new Billion Dollar dreams.

Gulp Gulp Gulp Gulp Gulp..... It reminds me of the first video game we all had....Pac man, and Man can this guy pack your dollars away...Munch Munch Munch those Billions Ronnie!

Posted by: GS on October 18, 2006 04:57 PM

7. I like the idea more then any other of his proposals

Posted by: Andre on October 18, 2006 06:13 PM

8. Would the top floor would surely house Ron Himself with a large Golden Crown?

Would it surely take all new furniture?

Would it surely cost twice what he says?

Would it surely have 1 million dollar self cleaning toilets on each floor?

Would it surely house King County Elections within one floor and one more inch of his grasp?

Would the Choo Choo RTA surely pass through his 42nd floor suite for his contolled enjoyment?

Would their surely be a helicopter pad above his suite for quick site seeing of his magistry and his court of appointees?

Have I missed anything?

Posted by: GS on October 18, 2006 06:37 PM

9. I was reading the voter pamplet last weekend. King County Prop 1 didn't quite sound right. The county is seeking voter approval to sell or swap waterfront properties they have owned for decades. One presumes the County is making good revenue from the leases. The legislation also has an emergency clause attached to it. Any revenue from the sale of the properties goes into the County capital funds account. Is there anyone else out there who just figured out where those funds will be used?

Posted by: Tadpole on October 18, 2006 06:52 PM

10. Sounds like Paul Allen has been talking to his highness about another "public-private" partnership. And I am sure Li'l Ronnie is already picking out his penthouse decor.

King Sims is going to have to come up with a more compelling reason other than he thinks the current building is unattractive. He will also have to show why the county couldn't do a long term lease in an existing downtown office building. If the exterior bugs him that much, he should just instruct that the exterior lights get turned off at night and the graffiti artists will get it spiffed up in a flash.

Besides, this isn't the ugliest building in Seattle--the EMP is.

Posted by: Burdabee on October 18, 2006 07:43 PM

11. Sims suffers from the same delusions of grandeur as most dictators-for-life. If we let him have this building, the next thing you know, he'll be threatening to develop nukes.

Posted by: Organization Man on October 18, 2006 08:20 PM

12. IF, and I repeat IF, the financing pans out it seems like a great idea. The county benefits by getting modern and efficient ofice space, and the private sector benefits from development and more available office space. The fact is that this land is in the middle of downtown and in the middle of downtown higher is better. Better for capitalism ,environmentalism, rurualism, and urbansim. An idea that benefits governmant and the private sector is something that both republicana and democrats should embrace. Asumming it pans out of course.

Posted by: Giffy on October 18, 2006 09:01 PM

13. Why don't we just get him a lifetime prescription of Viagra instead?

That would be a lot cheaper way for Seattleites to help him to come to terms with his inadequacy.

Posted by: Jeff B. on October 18, 2006 09:05 PM

14. Two words; Cascade County...

Posted by: KS on October 18, 2006 09:46 PM

15. 10

Thanks for the thought, let's move Ron Sims to the EMP.

They have a nice Science fiction section there that he would be right at home in....

Posted by: Gs on October 19, 2006 04:39 AM

16. Why does KC need to have its admin (non-public contact people) in the most expensive property in the county? Why don't they move it to somewhere far less expensive?

The only solution is succinctly stated in #14.

Posted by: Right said Fred on October 19, 2006 07:40 AM

17. so--an "ugly" building is not called MLK Building, but a pretty one will be? so--why again the 'needed' name logo changeover? name goes on all--you wanted it, you got it--p.c. or not--double standard?

i fear the new design with the Seattle-McDermott libs here will look like something out of the mideast complete with prayer towers.

how about a big sphinx with Ron's head on the amimal? like a Vegas building--after all, your chances of accurate vote counts and winning any value for your taxes is about the same as house odds in Vegas.

Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on October 19, 2006 12:13 PM

18. I expect Ron Sims to proclaim himself the King of Scotland any day now.

Posted by: Legast on October 19, 2006 04:13 PM

19. You don't see it. King Sims is looking for a building to have named after him.

Posted by: George on October 20, 2006 09:31 AM