Ron Sims
King County Executive
Ron Sims has built his career in public service around the progressive principles of social justice, good government and environmental stewardship. He has a national reputation for boldness and vision, and
is a champion of reforming government processes to better serve the people of the dynamic, forward-thinking Puget Sound region. Sims has taken a leadership role on a range of issues, and has compiled a notable list of accomplishments. During his two terms as County Executive, Sims has
established a strong record of environmental protection. An ardent conservationist, Sims has protected more than 100,000 acres of green space in the County since 1997. He won regional praise and national recognition for his leadership in a three-county effort to restore the runs of the prized Chinook
salmon, declared threatened by the National Marine Fisheries Service earlier in 1999. His leadership is widely credited with turning around a troubled Sound Transit agency that is now on track to providing needed relief to traffic congestion.
At the same time he has protected King County’s financial standing during the recent economic downturn by cutting $135 million from the county’s budget without compromising services. More recently, he has been lauded as a national leader on health care reform for leading a major regional effort to find innovative
approaches to controlling costs while improving quality of care.
Born in Spokane, Washington in 1948, Ron’s parents both worked in government: his father, an ordained Baptist minister, worked for the Washington State Office of Community Development; his mother was the first African-American department head in the history of the City of Spokane. Ron cut his political teeth as a young man marching alongside his parents in the struggle for racial equality, and a passion
for civil rights issues has animated him throughout his political career.
After graduating from Central Washington University, where he was elected student body president, Sims worked on consumer protection issues at the Washington State Attorney General's office and the Federal Trade Commission. Recruited to run the City of Seattle's juvenile offender program, Ron remained head of the program until becoming a legislative aide in the Washington State Senate.
Ron has a long history of community involvement. As a lay minister himself, Sims volunteered for Operation Nightwatch, which serves homeless individuals in the City of Seattle. At other times, Ron's public service career has extended well beyond Washington State. He has served, for instance, as an election observer for
the Carter Center in both Zambia and the Republic of Georgia. It was Ron's service as Board President for South East Effective Development (SEED) - a neighborhood advocacy organization focused on economic development located in southeast Seattle - that created the platform from which he launched
his formal political career.
In 1985, Ron was first elected to the King County Council. While serving in that capacity, Sims developed a reputation as a tireless legislator, working on a diverse palette of issues that led to advances in the areas of the environment, education, county budgeting, public safety and the protection of workers’ rights.
During his first term in office, he led a successful effort to rename King County, which had originally taken its name from a 19th century slaveholding vice-president, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As a reward for his efforts on behalf of his constituents, Ron was twice reelected to his Council position by overwhelming margins.
In 1996 Ron was appointed King County Executive after then-Executive Gary Locke was elected governor. Sims stood for election the following year, winning easily, and was reelected by a wide margin in 2001.
Ron signed the America In Solidarity pledge at our kickoff in 2003.