Driving through White Center this week I saw and felt the jolt of 17 chuckholes on Ambaum Boulevard between the city limits with the county at Roxbury and 116th Avenue Southwest where the highway becomes Burien.

From there to Southwest 152nd Avenue, the main street in downtown Burien, I counted none. Zero, zip. Amazing. I suspect there are some pits but not on that busy highway and hats off to Burien for that.

County Executive Ron Sims has made no secret of his disdain for that North Highline territory. A place he feels someone should annex because he says the county can't afford to govern it. He hints that the county will be forced to cut services like pothole repair and even worse, maybe police and fire protection. Can he do that? I don't think so. I guess it is legal to threaten but beyond that I suspect he is barking in the wind. He has no love for beleaguered White Center because tax revenues are too low and does not care if citizens there vote for someone other than him next election. It doesn't help to moan about his attitude.

Even though millions of dollars have been raised by foundations and federal grants to improve the county housing (now called Greenbridge) and Starbucks has paid for a beautiful small park, the business section needs a complete rebuild and serious law enforcement (drive through and note the barred windows) of public drunkenness.

Seattle officials, despite the Mayor's public declaration that he loves the place, will only make an effort to annex it if the legislature pumps millions in state tax dollars into Seattle coffers.

Too bad the feds are almost bankrupt because the shopping center location has always been strategically great.