Ron Sims

Last updated

The Brightwater sewage treatment plant built by King County across the county line in neighboring Snohomish County caused a number of issues, including a lawsuit between the counties over impact mitigation; cost overruns; and concerns over earthquake fault lines running through the site.

Tent City 4

On April 29, 2004, Sims announced his intention to temporarily locate a tent city on county-owned land near Bothell, Washington and gave the King County Council 90 days to determine a more permanent location within the county for the tent city to be located. Opponents of the plan filed a lawsuit that resulted in the move being cancelled. In May 2005, the council voted to have a one-year moratorium prohibiting the siting of homeless encampments on public land pending a review of the availability, suitability, and appropriateness of using county-owned land. Sims never conducted this review, and the moratorium remains in place, but the homeless encampment is currently moving from church property to church property throughout east King County.

Critical Area Ordinance

On October 26, 2004, the King County Council passed the controversial Critical Area Ordinance (CAO) to protect environmentally sensitive areas (such as wetlands and streams) and restrict development in hazardous areas (such as floodplains and landslide prone steep slopes). The plan drew the ire of many property rights groups, rural landowners, and developers as the ordinance prevented land owners from developing areas of their property that met the critical area definition. This included a requirement that landowners in rural areas that haven't already cleared their land must keep 50% to 65% of their property in its "natural state". [9] Three referendums to repeal the ordinance gathered over 17,000 signatures each, far more than the 6,900 required to qualify to be on the ballot. [10] However, a lawsuit filed by King County and a pro-growth management group prevented the referendum from being put on the ballot, and the state Supreme Court ruled that a state law requiring local governments to protect critical areas prevented local referendums from overturning critical area ordinances. [11] On July 7, 2008, a Washington State Appeals Court found that the portion of the CAO known as the clearing and grading ordinance is an indirect and illegal "tax, fee, or charge", and that prior to restricting the clearing of land for lawn or pasture, King County must demonstrate how that act could cause harm. [12]

Rails to trails proposal

On May 16, 2005, Sims announced a controversial plan to purchase the 47-mile (76 km) Woodinville Subdivision railroad that runs through the east King County roughly parallel to Interstate 405 and replace most of its track with a bicycle trail. [13] Although there is support for purchasing the railroad in order to prevent its current owner, BNSF Railway, from selling off the right of way piecemeal, the plan to remove the tracks has raised concerns from rail transportation advocates, environmental groups, and the owners, employees and customers of the popular Spirit of Washington dinner train (which ran on the tracks). It has also resulted in the formation of a grassroots movement, Eastside Rail Now!, which is aimed at stopping the removal of the tracks and at using them to begin a rail transit service in addition to their current freight and dinner train functions. In 2007, the Port of Seattle, King County, and BNSF signed a preliminary agreement in which the Port would purchase the rail line from BNSF and then exchange the line plus $66 million to pay for removal of the tracks and replacement by a bicycle trail for Boeing Field [14]

Boeing Field airlines proposal

In July 2005, Southwest Airlines formally proposed plans to spend $130 million on a passenger terminal and other facilities and move the airline's operation from Sea-Tac Airport to Boeing Field after several months of negotiations with Sims. The proposal from Southwest prompted Alaska Airlines to announce it would seek a similar agreement with the county. [15] The proposals were met with opposition from residents of Georgetown, the Seattle neighborhood north of Boeing Field, many of Washington's state and federal legislators, and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. [16] After months of pressure from the opposition, Sims killed Southwest's and Alaska's proposals in October 2005, stating that while the area around Boeing Field might have been able to support Southwest's bid with only minor road improvements, it could not support both the Southwest and Alaska proposals without major infrastructure improvements. [17]

Armen Yousoufian and Qwest Field

On May 30, 1997 Armen Yousoufian, the owner of the University Plaza Hotel in Seattle, requested documents from Mr. Sims’ office concerning the upcoming election (June 17, 1997) about and financing documents for Seattle’s Qwest Field. It took Mr Sims's office nearly four years to provide Yousoufian with the documents. Yousoufian eventually sued to be given the documents, and was also awarded five dollars a day for the delay, plus $87,000 in attorneys’ fees. In 2005, after further appeal by Yousoufian, the amount was increased to 15 dollars a day bringing the total to $122,000, plus a further $171,000 in attorneys’ fees, which some claim to be the highest such fine ever assessed in state history. [18] Yousoufian appealed further, and in January 2009 a divided Washington Supreme Court agreed that the $15 a day fine was insufficient. Two justices recommended that the King County Superior Court award $100 a day, the maximum provided for under the law. [19]

Personal

Sims and his wife, Cayan Topacio, live in the Mount Baker neighborhood of Seattle. They have three sons: Douglas, Daniel, and Aaron.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodinville, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 13,069 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is also a much larger population with Woodinville mailing addresses in adjacent unincorporated areas of King and Snohomish (Maltby) counties. Woodinville has waterfront parks on the Sammamish River, sweeping winery and brewery grounds, and densely wooded areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Field</span> Public airport in Seattle, Washington, United States

Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport, is a public airport owned and operated by King County, five miles south of downtown Seattle, Washington. The airport is sometimes referred to as KCIA, but it is not the airport identifier. The airport has scheduled passenger service operated by Kenmore Air, a commuter air carrier, and was being served by JSX with regional jet flights. It is also a hub for UPS Airlines. It is also used by other cargo airlines and general aviation aircraft. The airfield is named for founder of Boeing, William E. Boeing, and was constructed in 1928, serving as the city's primary airport until the opening of Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in 1944. The airport's property is mostly in Seattle just south of Georgetown, with its southern tip extending into Tukwila. The airport covers 634 acres (257 ha), averages more than 180,000 operations annually, and has approximately 380 based aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan statistical area in Washington, United States

The Seattle metropolitan area is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding satellites and suburbs. Under the definition by the United States Census Bureau for the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA metropolitan statistical area, it contains the three most populous counties in the state: King, Pierce, and Snohomish. Seattle has the 15th largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States with a population of 4,018,762 as of the 2020 census, over half of Washington's total population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastside (King County, Washington)</span> Suburbs of Seattle located on the east side of Lake Washington

The Eastside of the King County, Washington area in the United States is a collective term for the suburbs of Seattle located on the east side of Lake Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballard Terminal Railroad</span>

The Ballard Terminal Railroad Company LLC operates two Class III short line terminal railroads in western Washington, United States. Founded in 1997 to operate a three-mile spur through Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, the Ballard Terminal Railroad has expanded to operate two additional lines in the Puget Sound area, including Eastside Freight Railroad from Snohomish to Woodinville, Washington, and Meeker Southern Railroad, a 5 mi (8.0 km) segment from East Puyallup ("Meeker") to McMillin, Washington. Eastside Freight Railroad has ceased operation as of mid 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 900</span> State highway in Washington, United States

State Route 900 (SR 900) is a state highway serving part of King County, Washington, United States. It travels 16 miles (26 km) between southern Seattle and the Eastside suburbs of Renton and Issaquah, separated by the Issaquah Alps. The highway terminates to the west at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) in Tukwila and to the east at I-90 in Issaquah, and also has intermediate junctions with I-405 and SR 167 in Renton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King County Metro</span> Public transit operator in King County, Washington, US

King County Metro, officially the King County Metro Transit Department and often shortened to Metro, is the public transit authority of King County, Washington, which includes the city of Seattle. It is the eighth-largest transit bus agency in the United States. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 66,022,200, or about 244,500 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2023. Metro employs 2,444 full-time and part-time operators and operates 1,540 buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Seattle</span> Overview of transportation modes and routes in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Transportation in Seattle is largely focused on the automobile like many other cities in western North America; however, the city is just old enough for its layout to reflect the age when railways and trolleys predominated. These older modes of transportation were made for a relatively well-defined downtown area and strong neighborhoods at the end of several former streetcar lines, now mostly bus lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgetown, Seattle</span> Neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, US

Georgetown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is bounded on the north by the mainlines of the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, beyond which is the Industrial District; on the west by the Duwamish River, across which is South Park; on the east by Interstate 5, beyond which is Beacon Hill; and on the south by Boeing Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 405 (Washington)</span> Interstate highway bypassing Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Interstate 405 (I-405) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway serving the Seattle region of Washington, United States. It bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington, traveling through the Eastside area of King and Snohomish counties, providing an alternate route to I-5. The 30-mile (48 km) freeway serves the cities of Renton, Bellevue, Kirkland, and Bothell. I-405 terminates at I-5 in Tukwila and Lynnwood, and also intersects several major highways, including SR 167, I-90, SR 520, and SR 522.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilburton Trestle</span> Former rail trestle in Bellevue, Washington

The Wilburton Trestle is a historic wooden railway trestle in Bellevue, Washington. Measuring 102 feet (31 m) high and 975 feet (297 m) long, it is the longest wooden trestle in the Pacific Northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mukilteo station</span> Commuter train station in Mukilteo, Washington

Mukilteo station is a train station serving the city of Mukilteo, Washington. It is owned by Sound Transit, who runs the N Line of the Sounder commuter rail service through the station from Everett to King Street Station in Seattle. The station includes a parking lot with 63 spaces, as well as connections to nearby Washington State Ferries, Community Transit, and Everett Transit service on State Route 525. Mukilteo station opened in 2008 with a single side platform, later supplemented with a second platform and pedestrian overpass in 2016.

The Woodinville Subdivision is a railroad line that was formerly owned by BNSF Railway. It takes its name from one of its original end points in Woodinville, Washington, United States. The line extends approximately 42 miles (68 km) in east King County and Snohomish County. The line's ownership has been transferred in a deal involving King County and the Port of Seattle. The section from Snohomish to Woodinville was operated, on contract, by a company called Eastside Rail Freight, which is associated with the Ballard Terminal Railroad and Meeker Southern. However, train traffic on the subdivision is exceedingly rare, with the Seattle region's rail operations now conducted on other higher capacity routes.

Roads and Transit was a ballot measure in the U.S. State of Washington concerning transportation, that was sent to voters in the Snohomish, King, and Pierce Counties for approval on November 6, 2007. It was defeated by a margin of 56% to 44%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaTac/Airport station</span> Light rail station in SeaTac, Washington

SeaTac/Airport station is a light rail station in SeaTac, Washington, serving Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. It is on the 1 Line between Angle Lake and Tukwila International Boulevard stations. The line, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, runs north from SeaTac through the Rainier Valley to Downtown Seattle and the University of Washington. The station consists of an elevated island platform east of the terminals and parking garage of the airport.

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) is a metropolitan planning organization that develops policies and makes decisions about transportation planning, economic development, and growth management throughout the four-county Seattle metropolitan area surrounding Puget Sound. It is a forum for cities, towns, counties, transit agencies, port districts, Native American tribes, and state agencies to address regional issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tukwila station</span> Amtrak and commuter train station in Tukwila, Washington

Tukwila station is a train station in Tukwila, Washington, United States. The station was built by Sound Transit to serve its Sounder commuter rail service on the S Line, as well as Amtrak's intercity Cascades line. It includes 390 parking spaces and a bus platform served by King County Metro's RapidRide F Line and other routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Link light rail</span>

Link light rail in the Seattle metropolitan area of Washington is a light rail system managed by Sound Transit since its inception in 1996. As of 2024, it consists of the 1 Line and T Line; the 2 Line is under construction and other lines are in planning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Creek</span> Stream in Shoreline, United States

Boeing Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington, located in the city of Shoreline, just north of Seattle. It is about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long and empties into Puget Sound. The creek is heavily modified along its course, and in many places has been diverted into culverts. The watershed of Boeing Creek is about 11.2 square miles (29 km2) in size, with two main tributaries aside from the mainstem. The creek takes its name from William Boeing, who built a mansion along the creek in 1913. Despite the river modifications and stormwater pollution, the creek supports a variety of riparian habitats, native animals and fishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastside Rail Corridor</span> Rail trail in Washington state

The Eastside Rail Corridor, officially Eastrail, is a rail right of way where a rail trail has been under development in the Eastside suburbs of Seattle, Washington. The corridor follows the path of the former Woodinville Subdivision from Renton to the City of Snohomish at Snohomish Junction. As of 2017, the northern portion was still in operation by Eastside Freight Railroad.

References

  1. ↑ "(HUD No. 09-055) "Ron Sims Sworn In As HUD's Deputy Secretary"" (Press release). United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-06-08. Ron Sims was sworn in today as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
  2. ↑ Brunner, Jim (June 14, 2011). "Sims leaving HUD, says he's not running for governor". The Seattle Times . Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Metro-King County motion". Archived from the original on March 6, 2000. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  4. ↑ Washington State bill information
  5. ↑ HUD news release
  6. ↑ Brunner, Jim (June 14, 2011). "Ron Sims to leave Obama administration, return to Seattle". The Seattle Times.
  7. ↑ "MyNorthwest.com - AudioClip".
  8. ↑ "Obama admin political appointee takes heat for trips home on taxpayers' dime". 28 June 2011.
  9. ↑ Seattle Post-Intelligencer: 'Critical areas ordinance' provokes bitter 'rural vs. urban' dispute
  10. ↑ Seattle Times: Critical-areas ordinances challenged
  11. ↑ Seattle Times: Justices reject local vote on critical-areas rules
  12. ↑ Seattle Times: King County's rural-land restrictions go too far, court rules
  13. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20060520050747/http://dnr.metrokc.gov/dnrp/pa/bnsf/fact-sheet.htm Facts on King County’s Efforts to Save the BNSF Eastside Rail Corridor
  14. ↑ Seattle BizJournals: County, port and railroad sign preliminary land-exchange deal
  15. ↑ Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Southwest's $130 million plan for Boeing Field
  16. ↑ Seattle Times: Lawmakers against Southwest's proposal
  17. ↑ Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Plan won't fly: Sims kills Southwest's Boeing Field hopes
  18. ↑ Seattle Times: Right to know, Part 1: a county's negligence
  19. ↑ The Olympian: Large fine may deter records withholding
Ron Sims
Ron Sims official portrait.jpg
7th United States Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office
May 8, 2009 –July 31, 2011
Political offices
Preceded by Member of the King County Council
from the 5th district
1986–1997		Succeeded by
Preceded by Executive of King County
1997–2009		Succeeded by
Kurt Triplett
Acting
Preceded by United States Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
2009–2011		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Washington
(Class 1)
1994 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.