President Barack Obama this week said he will nominate Ron Sims, county executive of King County, Wash., to be deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The nomination comes on the heels of Shaun Donovan’s confirmation as HUD secretary.
As deputy secretary, Sims will manage the department’s day-to-day operations, a $39 billion operating budget, and the agency’s 8,500 employees.
His appointment requires confirmation by the Senate.
As county executive, Sims, 60, oversees the 13th largest county in the nation. He has held the post for 12 years, stepping into the office in 1996 to fill a vacancy left by Gary Locke when he became governor. Sims then won election the following year and was easily re-elected in 2001 and 2005. He has lost in his bids for a U.S. Senate seat and for governor.
Sims confirmed Monday that he will be leaving his post to join HUD.
“He is the perfect person to help HUD return to national leadership on metropolitan planning,” said Donovan in a statement. “Together, we will work with President Obama to ensure HUD is doing all it can to help the nation’s communities recover from today’s economic realities and to better position them for the future.”
If confirmed, Sims will bring his experience in running a large urban government and metropolitan planning to HUD. He is a board member for Reconnecting America Center for Transit-Oriented Development and King County’s Committee to End Homelessness.
