1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
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2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
3. Are you the incumbent? No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
5. How long have you
resided in
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36 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Nonpartisan
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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2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
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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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I am running for
What I have found after learnig a great deal about our Port is that there is a tremendous lack of public education being done by our Port, that is to say, as the Port raise taxes higher and higher and increases the public debt (currently $3 billion before interest) there is also a greater responsibility to inform and educate the public as to why the Port raises taxes and public debt and what burden we are leaving behind for future generations.
I believe we need forward thinking Commissioners who are not just lobbyists for this special interest or that special interest. King County Taxpayers are smart enough to tell the difference and deserve better.
The Port of Seattle was rated the least accountable public agency in the state by the Seattle Weekly. This could not be more true, we all know it. My campaign is about restoring accountability to a public agency that is out of control and accountable to no one.
Let's be honest, higher taxes, fewer jobs and spiraling debt does not equal economic vitatility anway you cut it but that is exactly what the Port has been telling us. If We don't change things, things will stay the same.
I believe that we can have good jobs for everyone and a clean healthy environment if we make this our goal. I believe as Port Commissioner I can work effectively to achieve these goals for our community. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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Perserverance, dedication and ability to see the big picture.
I have spent hundereds of hours reading, writing and edititng the Port Observer newspaper I founded in 2001 in order to provide a platform for peoples voices within our community and to educate others. I have raised all the money for mailing, printing and help with the layout on my own. I am dedicated to keeping this medium in existence as a free tool for the community to use. Now my paper is spreading to California and other West Coast Ports all the Way to Mexico.
As an elected official listening to and educating the public must be at the forefront of good governacne. You can not have transparency with out public education and involvment. You can not have accountability without an informed electorate.
The Port of Seattle Commissioners powers are vested in the citizens of King County but the activities of Port Commissioners affect millions of people beyond the borders of our state. Trade flowing into and out of our port is clearly an important part of our national economy and must be understood and supported by all of the citizens within King County in order to facilitate sustainable growth and opportunity at our Port.
I will be dedicated to building positive relationships with other Port districts to enhance the entire Port system. Incumbent Seattle Port officials have claimed that they are "competing" with other Ports in our region. This has caused strain on these relationships and creates doubt and suspician instead of cooperation and understanding. They have failed to see the big picture.
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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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Over the last several years I have worked with LELO (Labor Employment Law Office) in the Port Profits for Human Needs Campaign. I have worked with the Locked out Kieser aluminum Workers, IBEW Local 46 electricians in their struggle to keep their jobs at the Port. Many of these workers and their jobs are directly or indirectly affected by Port activity. I have listened to them, stood with them and talked with them to understand their needs, desires and circumstances.
I have worked with APEX (Asia Pacific Environmental Exchange) to understand the affects of economic and environmental relationships.
I have worked exstensivley with and have been mentored by Maria Cain, we have been working on Tax structure issues, International Trade and local Governance issues for several years.
I served on the Board of the King County Chapter of the Washington Conservattion Voters for the last year and a half.
I have attended many meetings of C.A.S.E ( Citizens Against Sea - Tac Expansion) I have spoken at many of those meetings and fielded questions.
I have traveled to Olympia and testified on environmental issues.
I have met with members of the House of representitives to discuss environmetnal and trade related issues.
Worked with members of the Bluwater Network, Oceanna, Earth Island Institute and Ocean Advocates to preserve our oceans and Puget Sound and to educate the Public as to the hazards of industrial polution. Our work is ongoing.
Investigated the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group in great detail.
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Duties of the Seattlle Port Commisioners are to make informed decisions regarding Port activity and offer significant input to the budget process and other programs of the Port. Although it is rare in incumbent commissioners I believe it is the responsibility of Commissioners to educate the general Public in order achieve a level of transparency and accountability that is condusive to good governance. If not, the Public would think they had something to hide. I also believe public speaking and listening are important functions of a good Commissioner.
Seattle Port Commissioners also serve on the board of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of the Port of Seattle. The IDC makes tax exempt loans to businesses for facility improvments. Decisions made by the IDC board must be ratified by the Commission of the Port of Seattle.
Commissioners approve their own decisions as IDC board members.
Currently the IDC has loaned out $100 million. |
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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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