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King County
Executive Office
Ron Sims, King County Executive 701 Fifth Ave. Suite 3210 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-4040 Fax: 206-296-0194 TTY Relay: 711
Image: King County Exeutive Ron Sims, News Release

Nov. 12, 2006

Sims honored with national Public Official of the Year Award

Executive Sims and his wife Cayan TopacioGoverning Magazine's November issue profiles King County Executive Ron Sims saying Sims ‘produces better results than almost anyone in American local government.' Sims will be given one of Governing's prestigious Public Official of the Year awards in Washington D.C.

Governing calls Sims an ‘across-the-board innovator' who "has racked up a string of accomplishments that include reforming health care, putting his county at the forefront battling global warming, launching an aggressive program of open space preservation and deftly managing the county's budget within the stringent limits set by state law."

Denis Hayes, founder of Earth Day and president of the Bullitt Foundation is quoted in the article saying that ‘he's always looking for common ground, and he operates from a clear set of guiding principals.'

Sims was nominated by Will Rogers, national president of Trust For Public Land and Roger Hoestry, Vice President, Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Director for Trust for Public Land. Sims joins eight other local and state public officials who are 2006 honorees chosen from 150 nominations.

"Ron Sims is very deserving of this prestigious national award," said Hoestry. "He has a deep commitment to the quality of life in King County. He has been a champion of balancing strong economic growth with open space preservation and caring for the environment. He understands what it takes to create vibrant urban centers, provide transportation choices, protect the water quality of Puget Sound, lakes and rivers; and make sure the human and social service network is strong to care for people on their way up.

"It is real challenge for any governmental leader to guide growth and protect the quality of life, Ron Sims should be recognized for his accomplishments and tireless leadership," Hoestry said.

"I can't think of anyone who more deserves this honor," said Denis Hayes, President of the Bullitt Foundation and founder of Earth Day who is quoted in the article. "Ron Sims offers a unique blend of creativity, charisma, and courage. He is a genuine leader with a sound, coherent set of values. In the twelve years that I've worked with Ron, I've never once seen him make a tough decision by holding his finger to the wind."

King County Executive Ron SimsThe nomination from the Trust for Public Land said Sims is hailed as a leader and a risk taker, generating new ideas with national significance." They quoted Washington Post syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne: "Sims' idea reminds Democrats (and the rest of the country) that a commitment to active government is not simply about redistributing wealth. It is also rooted in the historically sound insight that effective government has always been essential to robust economic growth."

The nomination cited Sims' work building one of the nation's first and largest bio-fuel hybrid bus fleets, actions to adapt to global warming, conservation of open space and regional leadership to control health care costs.

Sims and eight other public officials featured in the November Governing Magazine were chosen from 150 nominations from across the nation. Governing Magazine is an independent national magazine devoted to coverage of state and local government with a circulation of 85,000.

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  Updated: Nov. 21, 2006