| The celebration also included a presentation to former County Executive Ron Sims. King County Councilmember Larry Gossett presented the Humanitarian Award, granted annually to selected county workers who "demonstrate an exceptional commitment to improving the human condition in the workplace and community." The award recognizes Sims' years of service to King County as a member of the County Council and as County Executive, and was accepted by Sims' son, Daniel Sims.
Gossett said that it was Sims, now the Deputy Secretary of the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), "who just two or three years ago said we need a paradigm shift in our government. We the government should be judged by what we do for the least, the last, the lost, the most marginalized of our citizens." Gossett observed that "Ron Sims epitomizes a life of service dedicated to creating 'the Beloved Community.' I can think of no one more deserving of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. County Humanitarian Award." |
