The former King County executive hasn't said he's running for mayor—rumors just keep swirling that he may jump in the jam-packed race. But let's say he is. Let's say he is and he's telegraphing some of his platform in an interview published Friday in Grist:

Q. If you could push one policy initiative in the next two to four years to make a difference for America’s cities, what would it be?

A. Chronic unemployment — that’s gonna be really important. Dealing with climate change and adaptation from an urban level is gonna be critically important. I’d probably choose those two first. There’s ways to implement both: If a city’s going to adapt, it’s gonna rebuild itself or redesign itself.

These look like challenges that are overwhelming. They’re not. They’re opportunities — opportunities to be smarter than ever. And urban mayors, urban electeds, people living in urban areas, and the business community in those urban areas are gonna have to be out of their silos, talking about common visions and purposes, and driving the change. I think we can do that.

So that's what Mr. Sims thinks American mayors ought to be doing. Interesting.

Still, I don't know that Sims wants to get into this messy election. He's defined himself as something of an elder statesman and social media maven; competing in what's shaping up to be a mayoral mud fight among titans may tarnish his sterling aura. On the other hand, if Sims does jump in, he could cobble together a few natural constituencies. Housing providers, social-service organizations, communities of color, environmentalists, transit advocates, and others may gravitate toward Sims, seeing him as the candidate most likely to fund their work. As the most experienced executive in the race, Sims could also been seen by established money (lawyers, labor, developers, etc.) as a tried-and-true, steady hand for the city tiller. But, for now, Sims isn't saying he's running for mayor. He's just talking about what mayors ought to do.