Excerpt from Ron Sims June 17 speech - major accomplishments
Our goal is simple. Let us make King County the best place to live, work, raise a family and enjoy in our retirement.
We’ve created an infrastructure in King County that is second to none. Over the next four years, we must realize the true measure of the foundation we’ve established in county government. We must set an example to future administrations, to the rest of the nation and, indeed the world.
But before we talk about the challenges that confront us, I want you all to ask yourselves this question:
Are we as a County, better off since I was re-elected as County Executive in 2005?
The answer is -- We are! The quality of life for King County residents has improved and even flourished.
Let’s take stock of our major accomplishments. Since I’ve been in office, King County has:
•Launched a nationally recognized employee health reform initiative
that is now a model for employers across the county
• Recognized by Seattle Business as the only government employer to be
rated as among the 100 best places to work
• Created the Puget Sound Health Alliance that is doing groundbreaking
work to deliver better healthcare for the dollar for 1.7 million
residents in the Central Puget Sound.
• Won the National Committee for Quality Assurance Award -- the Emmy
award of healthcare achievement
• Prepared one of the world’s first plans to protect people from Global
Warming
• Expanded our wastewater system to protect citizens health, our
environment, and economy
• Created the first countywide flood protection plan to avoid Katrina
type catastrophes
• Instituted and maintained financial practices that earned King County
AAA bond ratings for the first time in history
• Protected more than 135,000 acres of land including 90,000 acres of
the Hancock forest
• Created one of the greenest transit systems in the nation. Metro is
the fastest growing transit system in North America with 15 consecutive
months of record growth.
• Currently adding thousands of hours of new bus service and hundreds of
new buses to our transit system
• Protected our future water supply by building a system to reclaim 26
million gallons of water each day.
• Protected our people, businesses and infrastructure from disaster with
a model regional emergency preparedness plan
• Provided leadership to end homelessness
• Protected endangered salmon and began the clean up of the Puget Sound
• Created programs that reduced juvenile detention rates
• Created and sustained successful alternatives to adult detention
---the only major metropolitan area to reduce its jail population and
lower its crime rate
• Worked with builders, environmental groups, and cities to protect our
rural areas while focusing growth in the cities – 96% of all growth is
now in the cities
• Expanded regional trails to 175 miles and counting
• Worked collaboratively with the Governor and Mayor to both move on the
viaduct and reclaim our waterfront
• Integrated health, land use, and transportation planning to create
walkable communities that provide healthy lifestyles
Because of our tireless work, the quality of life for King County residents is getting better everyday as we continue to work with all aspects of our communities.
Moreover, King County citizens have such faith and trust in King County government that they overwhelmingly renewed our parks levy, which included trail expansion, open space acquisition, and the Woodland Park Zoo, our AFIS levy, our MedicOne levy, and Transit Now. And with the support and partnership of the County Council, secured voter support of a levy to provide veteran services as well as the adoption of a tenth of a percent sales tax for the support of programs for the mentally ill.
The bottom line is: I have delivered on my promises.
I will continue to deliver results to the people of King County over the next four years!