Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 12:00 AM
2 council members want new rural ombudsman
By Natalie Singer
Seattle Times Eastside bureau
Less than a month after King County Executive Ron Sims hired a controversial rural liaison, two Metropolitan King County councilmen, a Republican and a Democrat, have proposed hiring a separate rural ombudsman for the county.
Councilman Bob Ferguson, D-Seattle, and Councilman Reagan Dunn, R-Bellevue, said they hope the new employee would do more than improve relations between the county and its angry rural residents.
They expect the new position to be an independent, impartial resource for rural landowners, something Sims' liaison, an open supporter of the county's strict, new land-use ordinances, is not, Ferguson and Dunn say.
The rural liaison "is a staff person to Ron Sims," Ferguson said yesterday. "This person is independent. We won't hire someone who has been publicly supportive of the [Critical Areas Ordinances]."
The councilmen introduced the proposal yesterday. It will be considered by the county's Growth Management and Unincorporated Areas Committee before going to the full council for a vote.
The rural ombudsman would work within the county's ombudsman office, which manages citizen complaints and investigates reports of improper governmental action. The person would receive complaints from rural residents, and could conduct investigations and make recommendations to the council about laws and policies, Ferguson and Dunn said.
The position would be permanent and pay about $70,000 a year, Dunn said.
The new land-use restrictions have created tension between landowners and the county. Democratic leaders support the laws, saying they are necessary to protect natural resources. But rural residents have become infuriated, saying restrictions on things like clearing and development violate their property rights.
This month, Sims hired rural resident joan burlingame (who does not capitalize her name) for a 10-month job as a rural liaison. The move was criticized by some because they view burlingame as an environmentalist.
Dunn said yesterday that burlingame was essentially a "public-relations person" and "an agent of the executive." The new ombudsman, he said, would be "a rural advocate who stands between the government and the people, with an investigatory function."
Dunn said rural landowners could contact the new ombudsman if, for example, they felt they were being treated unfairly by the Department of Development and Environmental Services, which issues many of the permits landowners need to manage or develop their property. The ombudsman could investigate a landowner's complaint and, if necessary, approach the council for help.
Ferguson said he co-sponsored the proposal because he has heard from many Seattle constituents concerned about the growing rural rage.
"They want to make sure we're treating rural residents fairly," he said.
Natalie Singer: 206-464-2704 or nsinger@seattletimes.com
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