Ron Sims In Another Election
After a failed run for governor last year (or perhaps he won, we're still going through old voting rolls) Ron Sims will be seeking his third term as King County Executive this fall.
In 2001 he easily defeated Kirkland City Councilman Santos Contreras, however this year the GOP thinks that they can reclaim the position that was last held by a Republican in 1993.
They feel that Sims is vulnerable because of the problems he has had overseeing the county the last few years. There is also anger stemming from his policies on rural land use, the battle over a Tent City on the Eastside, campaigning in favor of a state income tax and gay marriage while running for governor, not to mention that whole letting dead convicts vote twice thing.
Most people in Seattle aren't bothered by his stances, but they ruffle feathers in the rest of the county, which has a slightly redder hue. Last November those protesting his land use policies circled the county courthouse with trucks and horse trailers. In February he was heckled at an Issaquah Democratic Party meeting and his house has been the target of bussed-in protesters.
So far the only declared Republican candidate is David Irons Jr., a King County councilman from the soon to be eliminated twelfth district that includes Issaquah, Maple Valley, and Black Diamond (which is coal, right?). State Senate Minority Leader Bill Finkbeiner is also considering a run.
Running as Republican in itself may be a problem in a county where Seattle's Democrat leanings are a force in county politics. This is prompting some to wonder if running as an independent would give them a better chance. However, any candidate who tries this would lose Republican donations that they would desperately need to compete with Sims.
Sims is focusing on what has gone right and like any good politician claims that he is doing, "just fine." He has raised over two-hundred thousand dollars so far, has a strong base of Democratic voters, and works well with local businesses.
Vulnerable or not with seemingly no mayor's race for another four to eight years, the King County Executive may the battle to watch.
