2003 Candidate Questionnaire

 

SECTION I               

 

BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION

 

1.      Name as it will appear on the ballot

 

First Name

Middle Initial or Nick Name

Last Name

Dan

     

Sherman

 

2.   Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):

 

Des Moines City Council, Position 2

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes             

 

 

4.   How long have you resided in this district/city?

 

28 years

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

28 years

 

6.   Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan?             Nonpartisan         

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:       

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

Campaign Name:

Citizens for Dan Sherman

 

Address:

 

P.O. Box 98720

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Des Moines, WA. 98198-0720

 

Campaign Phone:

 

(206) 824-8587

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

     

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

Campaign2003@dansherman.org

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

     

 

 

POLITICAL BACKGROUND

 

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)

Des Moines City Council

 

Appointed

 

2003 (current)

 

     

 

Des Moines City Council

 

Elective

 

1994-2001

 

     

 

South County Area Transportation Board

 

Appointed

 

1994-2001

 

Chair, 1998

 

 

2.   If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:

 

Office Title

Year of Run

Des Moines City Council

 

2001

 

Des Moines City Council

 

1990

 

     

 

     

 

 

SECTION III

 

In this section, we are seeking responses that reflect the four ratings criteria: involvement, effectiveness, character, and knowledge.  These are defined as follows:

 

  • Involvement: What has the candidate done previously in family, neighborhood, community, volunteer work, employment or public life to suggest readiness to accomplish challenging objectives? How do these activities demonstrate readiness for the challenges unique to the office sought?

 

  • Effectiveness: Has the candidate demonstrated promise of being productive in the office sought?  Has the candidate shown the ability to work with other people?

 

  • Character: Do the candidate's personal traits show the ability to take on the responsibilities of campaigning for and holding the public office she or he is seeking? Is the candidate a leader, participant or observer?  Is the candidate trustworthy, reliable and candid?

 

  • Knowledge: Has the candidate demonstrated the willingness and ability to learn and adapt?  Does the candidate understand the duties and challenges of the office sought?  Does the candidate have a firm grasp of the issues important to his or her constituency and their potential effects?

 

 

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.)

 

I am running for this office in order to restore good government to Des Moines.  The recent scandals in Des Moines have eroded trust in government and sullied the reputation of our city.  I will bring my eight years of prior service on city council along with the integrity, honesty, fairness, and energy for which I am known.  We need to move forward with the important tasks facing our city including provision of essential services, maintenance and improvement of infrastructure, environmental stewardship, and balanced budgets.  We need to modernize our greatest asset, the marina, and get boaters to patronize our downtown.  We need to improve our revenue sources by encouraging new development in the newly rezoned Pacific Ridge area.  We need to remain involved in regional activities such as the South County Area Transportation Board on which I served and had the opportunity to lead as chair in 1998.  We need to foster good relationships with our county, state and federal representatives since important issues such as sales tax reform at state and federal levels have the potential to improve our revenue sources. We need to find ways to partner with Highline Community College and the new Central Washington University center on that campus. We need to advertise our new Underwood Park and playfields and let the region know that Des Moines is a good place to live, play, and do business. 

 

 

2.      Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.

 

I am honest, sincere, and direct.  I like people which is an essential asset to any public officer.  I can work as part of a team, focus on issues,  and move on to the next task with a fresh start.  My "day job" requires decision making, a high level of responsibility, and compassion, all of which I enjoy and can bring to my role in public office.

 

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. 

 

Completing my professional education to become a psychiatrist has to rate as one of my proudest accomplishments. Hard work can bring great reward. That reward is a never ending source of wonder and growth in my every day life.  The connection to individuals and community by anyone in a service career is a special relationship.

 

One of my first important accomplishments as a city council member was during the early years of TVW, the Washington state government interest network.  I recognized the benefit of the public's access to legislative deliberation, Supreme Court hearings, and  committee discussion.  We did not receive this channel in Des Moines but I pursued the matter and was able to get a feed from the Seattle municipal channel to our city.  We were only able to get several hours a day of this service but it was the start of TVW service in our city and I can remember the pride I felt in helping  bring this service to my community.

 

In 1999 I was a member of South County Area Transportation and helped Des Moines get a circulator bus, Route 189.  I can remember hopping on as the first rider and watching with pride as residents used this service over the next year.  Unfortunately, Metro experienced severe budget cuts the following year and the route was history.  Hopefully, this type of service can be revived since it can get people out of their cars if they can get a neighborhood bus to the Park and Ride.

 


 

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.

 

Starting at current:

 

Des Moines City Council (appointed)                          2003 (current)

Des Moines Historical Society, Executive Bd.            2002-current

Des Moines City Council (elected)                               1994-2001

Public Health Seattle/King County, Voting Member  1998-2001

South County Area Transportation Bd.                       1994-2001

               Chair                                                                 1998

SR-509 Executive Committee                                        1994-2001

Planning Agency, Des Moines, WA.                             1990-1993

               Chair                                                                 1992

 

Also, please see my Resume which was faxed to you, especially regarding medical committees I have been on and those I've chaired.

 

 

 

  1. Please describe the duties of the office you seek.  Which are the most important duties and why?

 

 A city council member has the duty to make rules and ordinances affecting the municipality.  This includes assuring that essential services are provided and budgets are balanced.  The most significant action a council member takes is passing the budget which establishes priorities through revenue sources and expenditure allowances.  Comprehensive plans have become more important under the Growth Management Act and outline the intentions and plans behind the laws.  It doesn't seem to be written in any code, but a council member must maintain close communication and rapport with his/her constituents in order to be effective.  Good relationships with other council members and legislators are essential to carry out the duties of office.


EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY

FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT

 

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.

 

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, M.D., 1972

 

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY

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.

 

Des Moines City Council (appointed)                          2003 (current)

Des Moines Historical Society, Executive Bd.            2002-current

Des Moines City Council (elected)                               1994-2001

Public Health Seattle/King County, Voting Member  1998-2001

South County Area Transportation Bd.                       1994-2001             

              Chair                                                                 1998

SR-509 Executive Committee                                       1994-2001

Planning Agency, Des Moines, WA.                            1990-1993             

              Chair                                                                 1992.

 

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.

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION AND GOOD LUCK IN YOUR CAMPAIGN!

 

THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE OF KING COUNTY

 

Candidate Evaluation Coordinator:  Rebecca Cooper

 

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224                  Phone: 206-622-8333                Email: rebecca@munileague.org

Seattle, WA 98104-1614                        Fax: 425-671-0506                        Website: www.munileague.org