1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
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First Name |
Middle Initial or Nick Name |
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2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
3. Are you the incumbent? Yes
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
5. How long have you resided in King County?
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47 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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1. Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices which you have held. Include positions on appointive Boards or Commissions.
Public Office |
Elective or Appointive? |
Dates Held |
Leadership Role (if any) |
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Washington State Association of County Assessors Legislative Committee
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Assessor Member, Advisory Group
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2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
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Office Title |
Year of Run |
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In this section, we are seeking responses that reflect the four ratings criteria: involvement, effectiveness, character, and knowledge. These are defined as follows:
1. In a page or less, why are you running for this office? (Note: the interview committee will be given a copy of this statement before your interview; at the beginning of your interview you will have the opportunity to expand on this statement in any way you wish.)
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As Assessor, I will build upon our success in creating a FAIR, PROFESSIONAL, AND ACCOUNTABLE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE. Our international recognition -- earning the 1999 Distinguished Assessment Jurisdiction Award for North America and the 2002 Distinguished International Research and Development Award -- will be further enhanced by fully integrating the Geographic Information System and sales comparables application into our database and internet information. SUCCESSFUL MAJOR REFORMS WILL CONTINUE * improving citizen access to more property data * enhancing productivity in the assessment process * pursuing a regional and state role as an information provider, including governance structure fragmentation issues and * continued advocacy in Olympia for fair and equitable legislation. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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PROVEN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGERIAL EXPERIENCE in demanding executive positions (Navy and civilian) have enhanced my public service performance. I am committed to leadership through INTEGRITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. A sense of FAIRNESS AND COURAGE guide my tough decision-making to uphold my oath of office, leading the opposition to and challenging two popularly approved ballot measures at the State Supreme Court. The unanimous ruling in each case rejected the measures as unfair and unconstitutional, saving homeowners, senior citizens, and small business from $200 million annually in unfair tax shifts/increases. COMPETENT WITH "BIG PICTURE" JUDGEMENT, implementing standards and making more information available to the public, including my personal initiative on governance structure fragmentation issues. CANDID WITH HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, advocating improvements to our taxation policies as the long-time Chair of the Assessors Assn Legislative Committee and Member of the Gates Commission Advisory Group. OPEN AND HONEST, providing unprecedented public access to comprehensive information about the assessment process of the King County Assessor's Office, contributing to informed decision-making. |
3. Please describe in sufficient detail, one to three accomplishments or contributions of which you are most proud. These examples should illustrate effective skills and capabilities you think apply to the office you are seeking. These accomplishments may have occurred at any time in your personal, professional, or public life.
4. Please list or describe your current and past activities in the community in which you have acquired skills that relate to the office you seek. Include your role in the activity and the year(s) in which you were involved. Involvement consists of many areas such as family, neighborhood, community, employment, or public life.
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King County Assessor, 1992-present; Chair, Washington State Assn of County Assessors Legislative Committee, 1997-present; Member, Advisory Group, Gates Commission, 2001-2003; U. S. Naval Officer, Vietnam Veteran, Desert Storm support, Retired Captain USNR, 1968-1998; Chair, United Way King County Charitable Campaign, 1996; Member -- Municipal League of King County, UW Alumni Assn, Seattle Art Museum, American Legion, Naval Reserve Assn, 1992-present.
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Appraise over 650,000 properties annually for tax purposes. Fairly and equitably distribute property taxes set by taxing districts and as approved by voters. Determine at least 263 different total property tax rates per thousand dollars of assessed value for 654 tax code areas (each code being a distinct combination of taxing districts) of 165 separate taxing districts in King County. The total tax base of King County is over $225 billion in assessed value to which approximately $2.4 billion in district and voter-approved levies is distributed. The primary duty (mission) of the Assessor's Office is "serving the citizens of King County by providing fair, equitable, and understandable property valuations, forming the basis for funding public services". In this regard, noteworthy is a recent 2002 King County performance audit which concluded we do "such a good job overall in meeting standards" we should tell more people about it. |
EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY
The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report is distributed to voters in print and/or on our website. It includes a summary of the candidate’s education. Please summarize your education in 120 characters (letters, punctuation, and space all combined). The League will delete material that exceeds the space limit by beginning with the last entry. Suggested order is (degree) (subject) (school) (year, if desired).
Note: If this question is left blank the League will not include education information in your candidate profile.
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B. A., Business Administration, University of Washington. Diploma, Queen Anne High School, Seattle. |
FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT
The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report also includes a summary of each candidate’s civic involvement. Please summarize your civic involvement in the space below. We will make every attempt to include the information in the Candidate Evaluation Report as submitted. Due to space restrictions in the Report, your response is limited to 500 characters (letters, punctuation, and spaces all combined). It is important that you list your involvement beginning with the most important and ending with the least important. If you exceed the length of response permitted, or if the League should find it necessary to shorten responses for publication purposes, deletions will be made beginning with the last item listed.
Note: This information will appear verbatim on the League’s Candidate Evaluation Report. If this question is left blank, the Municipal League will not include information on your civic involvement in the Report.
Check here if you would like the Municipal League to copy the first 500 characters from Question 4 to paste into this section.
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Finished!
If at all possible, send your response to the Municipal League electronically as an attachment, or insert it into an e-mail message (rebecca@munileague.org). Mail and fax numbers are listed below. If the League has not contacted you to schedule an interview, please call the League office at your earliest convenience.
Don’t forget to send the following to the Municipal League: a resume, a photo, campaign literature, and, if you are an incumbent, constituent newsletters and other materials. Please use the check-off list on the cover sheet of this packet to indicate which items you have sent.
Candidate Evaluation Coordinator: Rebecca Cooper
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: 425-671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org