"Ron Sims sworn in today as deputy HUD secretary"

Ron Sims being sworn in as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Deputy Secretary by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan in Washington DC at the HUD Headquarters Building May 8,2009
Seattle Times:

Longtime King County Executive Ron Sims began a new job this morning.

He joined the Obama administration when he was sworn in as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan administered the oath, with Sims' wife, Cayan Topacio, holding the Bible on which her husband placed his hand.

In a resignation letter dated Thursday but delivered to the Metropolitan King County Council this morning, Sims wrote that his more than 20 years of service as a county councilmember and then as executive "has been one of the greatest honors and privileges of my life... Although I am shifting my office to the other Washington, my home — my heart — will always be in the Northwest, and I look forward to following the progress of this great region as it tackles the 21st century challenges."

Sims' chief of staff, Kurt Triplett, assumed duties upon his boss's resignation. The County Council will soon appoint an interim executive who will serve until voters choose a replacement in November.

Triplett, who is a candidate for the interim position, has been Sims' top assistant since 2003. A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, he has also served as the county's deputy director of natural resources and parks and as senior aide to former Councilmember Cynthia Sullivan.

Sims, who was appointed county executive in 1996 and was elected to three subsequent terms, will be in charge of day-to-day operations at HUD, a $39-billion agency. He said in a news release issued by HUD that the agency is expected to "step up to unprecedented levels of leadership in America's national recovery. I am ready to help Secretary Donovan to bring transformational change to HUD."

Donovan said in the same release, "The drive and vision Ron brings is critical to our efforts to not only transform the agency but to help the nation's communities recover and to better position them for the future."

Candidates for the interim county executive position are Triplett, former Seattle Mayor Charles Royer and former County Councilmembers Steve Hammond and Louise Miller. A blue-ribbon panel appointed by the County Council will interview the candidates next Wednesday, and the council may vote on the interim appointment as early as May 18.

A tough battle is underway for the nonpartisan November election. Declared candidates are County Councilmembers Dow Constantine and Larry Phillips, state Rep. Ross Hunter, former KIRO-TV news anchor Susan Hutchison, state Sen. Fred Jarrett, and former consultant and project manager Alan Lobdell.