Free Republic

If you need a shining example of the utter disingenuousness of Barack Obama's commitment to government transparency, I have two words for you: Ron Sims. This lifelong political hack is to transparency what sunlight is to Dracula, what salt is to a slug, what kryptonite is to Superman, what "The View" is to intelligent debate. That is: lethal. In its press release announcing the nomination of the Seattle-area county executive to the No. 2 post at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the White House described Sims as a "visionary urban leader." The White House also touted Sims'...

Republican members of the Metropolitan King County Council today requested a federal investigation of last November's election, and Democrats on the council proposed an outside audit of the Records and Elections Division. Those proposals were part of the council's reaction to news that election workers found 93 valid absentee ballots that weren't counted in the tight governor's race. The ballots were found during a weeklong search through more than half a million boxes containing the envelopes of absentee ballots and provisional ballots that had been counted. Councilmen Reagan Dunn, R-Bellevue, and Steve Hammond, R-Enumclaw, also called on Elections Director Dean...

SEATTLE - There's a new flap over vote counting in King County. Three county election workers were suspended Tuesday evening after another mail ballot snafu -- this one involving the upcoming April 26 hospital levy election. Last week, the three workers were transferred from the mail processing headquarters to the elections office downtown after they failed to completely process 93 absentee votes in the Nov. 2 election. The 93 ballots had been signature-checked, but the ballots were left inside secrecy envelopes and never processed. King County Executive Ron Sims called that incident "extremely upsetting" and two Republican members of the...

CAO opponents crash meeting - Democrats had hoped to keep county executive's appearance to themselves 2005-02-17 by Jamie Swift Journal Reporter ISSAQUAH -- Fifth District Democrats, fearing a mob of rural property owners angry over the recently passed Critical Areas Ordinance, chose not to publicly advertise a Wednesday night meeting fearing opponents would crash the event. And crash they did. About 30 protesters -- who feel their rights to do what they wish with their property have been infringed -- surrounded King County Executive Ron Sims as he arrived at the meeting at the King County Library Service Center on...

KING COUNTY, Wash. — Residents of King County, Wash., will only be able to build on 10 percent of their land, according to a new law being considered by the county government, which, if enacted, will be the most restrictive land use law in the nation. Known as the 65-10 Rule (search), it calls for landowners to set aside 65 percent of their property and keep it in its natural, vegetative state. According to the rule, nothing can be built on this land, and if a tree is cut down, for example, it must be replanted. Building anything is out...

A few weeks ago I opened my mail to find a letter from King County. It turns out that since two of my boys participate in Little League they are eligible to apply for a King County Sports/Academics Award. My interest turned to dismay when I saw for whom the Award was named, Paul Robeson. Paul Robeson was without a question a talented athlete, an incredible singer and a civil rights visionary, well ahead of his time. He was a brilliant law student who overcame formidable obstacles. But amongst students of history, Paul Robeson is as well known for these...

<p>OLYMPIA -- Former state Sen. Dino Rossi and Attorney General Christine Gregoire each raised more than $300,000 in December toward their runs for governor, their campaigns said Tuesday.</p> <p>That still leaves Rossi, a Republican, well behind Gregoire, a Democrat. But Rossi can continue to raise money through the winter, while Gregoire is subject to a freeze on raising money.</p>