Times/News Correspondent

King County Executive Ron Sims said at an Oct. 13 candidates' forum in Des Moines that his mother's illness prompted him to work for health care reform.

Speaking at the Huntington Park West Homes Clubhouse, the two-term Democrat said "trying to deal with her medication and reduce her reliance on the health care system" showed him "there needed to be great change."

Sims said this prompted him to convene the Puget Sound Health Alliance, a private/public partnership that includes corporations representing 725,000 people covered by health insurance in Snohomish, King, Pierce and Kitsap counties.

But his challenger, Republican County Councilman David Irons, criticized Sims' overall leadership.

"It's been too long that [King County has] been at the top of the lists in the nation. We [are rated] the third worst traffic congestion and the third worst elections for last November in the nation," Irons noted.

He said King County "should have an elected auditor that would be head of elections just like every other county in the state of Washington has."

Then if election mistakes were made, the voters would have the ability to hold someone accountable.

Sims, on the other hand, expressed confidence in the county's ability to respond to a major disaster.

"Whether it's the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] or Homeland Security, because our county works so collaboratively with Des Moines and other places, we have the best response," he added.

"Nobody in the country responds to any act of terrorism or [natural disasters] as well as this county."

Sheriff Sue Rahr told the audience that her top priority if elected would be to combat methamphetamine.

"This is a terrible problem in all of King County," Rahr observed.

"I'm on the statewide taskforce to stop the spread of meth and the associated crimes of auto theft, identity theft and fraud."

Noting her experience as supervisor of the assault unit, patrol officer and narcotics detective, Rahr said she knows law enforcement "from the ground up."

"I also have a unique range of experience as an administrator that makes me uniquely qualified to continue as your sheriff."

Seattle Police Lt. Greg Schmidt, who is opposing Rahr, cited his 20 years of service on the force.

"Most police agencies around the country, when they bring in a new leader, they're looking for someone to come from outside that department [who] brings a new perspective," said Schmidt.

He added that his field experience would pay off in a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

"You want a commander who has experience ... I've been in the field during the World Trade Organization [riots] commanding troops with a gas mask on and during the Mardi Gras riots."

King Council Councilwoman Julia Patterson, who is running in newly created Council District 5, said that early in her first term she was told there was not enough bus service to the suburbs, and that service was poor and too infrequent.

"As a result, I provided the pivotal vote on the council that changed the long-standing policy that was putting the majority of the bus hours ... into Seattle," the SeaTac Democrat said.

"The new policy is now that 80 percent of all new bus hours will go to the suburbs."

Orin Wells, the Kent Republican challenging Patterson, said the county council "is not doing the right thing and many issues are being ignored."

Wells singled out last year's election fiasco and the King County Critical Areas Ordinance, which the council passed in 2004.

Wells wants to change that ordinance, which reduces available property for building homes in rural areas.