Not much of a surprise, but today King County Councilmember Larry Phillips announced that he is running for King County Executive this year. Pledging a “fresh start” for King County, Phillips has not aggressively pointed out differences between himself and fellow Democrat and incumbent King County Executive Ron Sims. Its unusual for someone in the same party challenge an incumbent, so it will be interesting to see how the race develops. The Seattle PI says a big difference between the two is transportation, a hot button for Magnolia, Queen Anne and Ballard residents.
Phillips has been a proponent of Sound Transit and its light rail program, while Sims publicly reversed his long-held advocacy of light rail before the 2007 vote on a rail-and-highway tax package. That package was defeated, but a transit-only measure was approved by voters in Novermber 2008.
A Magnolia resident, Phillips attended Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington.
