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PI.com: Ron Sims' Mayoral Prospects
Responding to PubliCola's report that former King County Executive Ron Sims may be considering a run for Seattle mayor, as well as an interview on KUOW in which Sims said he was "taking the next year" to decide what his next move will be, the PI.com's Chris Grygiel takes a look
at the pros and cons of a potential Sims run. (Sims, who just got back to King County after a stint at Obama's Department of Housing and Urban Development, is one of several potential 2013 opponents to Mayor Mike McGinn, including state Sen. Ed Murray (D-43) and city council member Tim Burgess.)
Sims' pluses, according to Grygiel: Name recognition (he served three terms as county executive and ran for both governor and US Senate); experience (unlike McGinn, he's "spent a lot of time running things"); and charisma (those bear hugs!) His negatives: He seemed bored and detached during his last years at the county, and left the county in terrible budget shape; he opposed the tunnel even before McGinn did; and people may be sick of him.
Of the positives Grygiel lists, I don't think you can underestimate the man's charisma; he's warm and compelling in a way that's rare for a career politician, and it's hard to find even a Sims opponent (hello, Tim Eyman) who doesn't like and respect him personally. On the negative side, I think "Sims fatigue" goes beyond just feeling "weary" of the former county executive; people began to tire of his consistently far-left (read: Unrealistic) positions on state and local issues, including his consistent support for a state income tax and his opposition to the deep-bore tunnel.
Sims' pluses, according to Grygiel: Name recognition (he served three terms as county executive and ran for both governor and US Senate); experience (unlike McGinn, he's "spent a lot of time running things"); and charisma (those bear hugs!) His negatives: He seemed bored and detached during his last years at the county, and left the county in terrible budget shape; he opposed the tunnel even before McGinn did; and people may be sick of him.
Of the positives Grygiel lists, I don't think you can underestimate the man's charisma; he's warm and compelling in a way that's rare for a career politician, and it's hard to find even a Sims opponent (hello, Tim Eyman) who doesn't like and respect him personally. On the negative side, I think "Sims fatigue" goes beyond just feeling "weary" of the former county executive; people began to tire of his consistently far-left (read: Unrealistic) positions on state and local issues, including his consistent support for a state income tax and his opposition to the deep-bore tunnel.
