WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday he would name a Washington state urban leader as deputy secretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
As HUD's deputy secretary, King County Executive Ron Sims would oversee the department's day-to-day operations, a nearly $39 billion annual operating budget and the agency's 8,500 employees, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a news release.
As the King County's executive, Sims is responsible for the 13th most populous county in the nation, a metropolitan area with 1.8 million residents and 39 cities including the cities of Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond. In addition, King County has 40 percent of the state's jobs and is home to enterprises such as Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon.com, Nordstrom's, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The county government has a workforce of more than 13,000 and an annual budget of $4.9 billion.
"Ron's track record as an innovative leader with an exciting vision for the future of our nation's communities make him the perfect Deputy Secretary candidate as we tackle the nation's housing crisis amidst the biggest economic downturn in decades," Donovan said. "His experience at the helm of a large urban government provides a critical perspective and his collaborative approach to problem-solving has prepared him to effectively lead HUD's operations as the agency charts a new aggressive course."
The U.S. Senate must approve Sim's nomination.
