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Visionaries are rare among the ranks of elected officials, but Ron Sims, three times elected Executive of King County, Wash., provides an exception. A clear example: in face of mounting perils from global warming, Sims believes every major regional decision should be made with a 2050 mindset – assuming it’s already mid-century, and attempting to look backward from that vantage-point to assess the wisdom of major new infrastructure and other steps now taken, or not.
The climate change issue is not new for Sims; he espoused it as early as 1986, shortly after his initial election to the King County Council. Now considered a national leader on the issue, he has played a critical role in protecting over 100,000 acres of green space as a critical “carbon sink” – offset to the booming Seattle region’s CO2 emissions. Sims made King the nation’s first county to sign on to the Chicago Climate Exchange. Regions, Sims believes, must lead the global warming issue, not only in monitoring emissions but such steps as vibrant and efficient public transit alternatives. He points to buses– King County’s system carries 300,000 a day and has partnered with General Motors in developing the country’s first hybrid diesel bus fleet, and to rail – he took a leading role in turning around the troubled Sound Transit agency that is now building the region’s first light rail system. Sims has also authored a reform health insurance plan for county employees, including strong incentives for healthier lifestyles. And he created a study highlighting the links between “walkable” communities and increased health. As a council member, King joined with a colleague in a successful effort to rename King County, which has originally taken its name from a 19th century slave holding vice president, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And while he can be labeled as a political liberal, he has also practiced conservative fiscal management: King County has earned AAA ratings from the nation’s three bond rating agencies. Earlier in his career, Sims worked on the consumer protection issues at the Washington State Attorney General’s office and the Federal Trade Commission. He ran Seattle’s juvenile offender program and was board president for the South East Effective Development, a neighborhood advocacy and economic development group. In recent years, he has been an election observer for the Carter Center in both Zambia and the Republic of Georgia. Last updated May 17, 2007 |