Sims says "turnaround team" wouldn't have election control

King County Executive Ron Sims wants to bring in a "turnaround team" within 30 days to revamp the county's troubled election office, but instead of giving it management authority — as recommended by Sims' own blue-ribbon panel — plans to leave Director Dean Logan in charge at least through the fall elections.

"The operations of elections must be done by the elections professionals," Sims' chief of staff, Kurt Triplett, told the Metropolitan King County Council yesterday.

Triplett said Logan would run the September and November elections while the turnaround team writes a reorganization plan. Funding for the team is subject to approval of the council.

Triplett delivered the message after the chairwoman of the Independent Task Force on Elections argued strongly for transferring power to a turnaround team with the power to hire and fire.

Typically, when such a team is brought in by an organization, "they run it," said Cheryl Scott, the former Group Health president and CEO who chaired the task force.

"It would be a tragedy," Scott said, "to lose that talent in an advisory role. I think it would be very confusing to have two bosses. It would create additional chaos."

Although Logan can't single-handedly reverse years of poor management and low morale, Scott said, he is "an extraordinary individual" who should keep his job. "We have some good people, and Dean is one you would not want to lose."

Scott said two things surprised her about King County Elections: how complex its task is, and "the depth of disenfranchisement" of the demoralized staff.

The elections task force, which was appointed by Sims to find out why things went wrong in the November 2004 governor's election, recommended that the county hire an outside team to spend up to a year and a half rebuilding the elections office.

Under a task-force recommendation, the turnaround team would have 90 days to produce a three-year plan for correcting the kinds of mistakes that plagued last November's election.

County Councilman David Irons, Republican candidate for county executive, blasted Sims for tinkering with the task-force recommendations.

"The commission was very succinct," Irons said. "They wanted them to have the power to supersede Dean Logan's authority. They wanted them as a management team — not another consultant."

Triplett said Sims wants to hire a turnaround team, with experts in both organizational change and elections, in time for them to observe the Sept. 20 primary.

Sims last week asked the County Council for $500,000 to hire the turnaround team and said he had hired the elections task force's chief of staff, Jim Reid, to conduct a national search for a turnaround team.

Whether Logan remains in charge after November depends on how well the fall elections are run, Triplett said.

Logan, former state elections director, was hired by Sims in 2003 to oversee records, elections and licensing services after problems with the mailing of absentee ballots.

Scott rejected Irons' earlier suggestion that the secretary of state supply the turnaround team. Not only does the Secretary of State's Office have limited staffing, she said, task-force members thought it would be good to have "fresh eyes" look at King County's election problems.

Further, Scott said, "Our assessment is that this is a general management issue; it is not per se an election-specific issue."

Secretary of State Sam Reed said last week that his office couldn't "go in and run an election" for King County, as suggested earlier this month by the six Republicans on the County Council.

However, Reed said he could send a senior staff member to assist the county.

Triplett said yesterday the county doesn't need Reed's help in running the fall elections.

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com