1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
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First Name |
Middle Initial or Nick Name |
Last Name |
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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King County Boundary Review Board
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Appointed by the Mayors of King County
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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 have a passion for government service stemming from a belief that we can deliver public projects to support thriving communities. I envision that our transportation infrastrucure can be developed to offer new choices for mobiity, business activity, and healthy living.
Rebuilding public trust in government is an essential
goal for all public entities. Frankly, the
I am running for Commissioner,
I will use the economic development power of the |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I have a unique combination of experience as a city council member, combined with 18 years of experience in transportation engineering. I have been managing major transportation projects for the past 10 years.
While a Newcastle City Council Member, I prepared and adopted ordinances to reflect the first Comprehensive Plan, with improved environmental protections and community enhancements. We prepared and adopted the Central Business Corridor Plan, a map for economic and community development in downtown Newcastle.
We adopted the Comprehensive Stormwater Plan and also adopted Stormwater fees to implement the plan. We adopted the May Creek Basin Plan, with interlocal agreement and ensured funding.
I had direct participation in the revised street standards to ensure that arterial and neighborhood streets are designed appropriately for pedestrians and bicycles. I took a strong leadership role in the design and funding of the Coal Creek Parkway project. The project includes an esplanade between the Parkway and Lake Boren.
As a council, we prepared a staff salary schedule with cost of living and merit increases. We prepared progressive personnel policies to enable flexible schedules and non-monetary rewards, such as merit and executive leave, to recognize outstanding staff efforts. This minimized staff turnover.
I was elected Deputy Mayor by unanimous vote of the council after two years of service. This reflects on the confidence that my fellow council members had in me.
Every transportation project or study that I have managed has been completed on time and within budget. This is due to my ability to plan and think strategically in advance of each task, provide leadership and mentoring to the project team. I look for community and environmental enhancements that add value to every project.
I lead with enthusiasm and commitment to each project with a focus on the benefit that each project provides for the community.
I work hard to move projects, plans, and initiatives forward, so that public dollars are used efficiently and cost effectively. I understand how to work with councils and commissions to provide the critical information for decision-making. I will make recommendations whenever appropriate to provide leadership in 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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In high school I was the school leader for one of the first Earth Day celebrations, about 1974. I was also the school leader to organize participants in the March of Dimes fundraising walk, in 1974 and 1975. It was a 20 mile walk in Seattle.
During my time at the University of Washington I took time off of school to do volunteer work during the summers of 1976, 1977, and 1978, in Paraguay, Honduras, and Bolivia. (I worked other periods of the year to make up for the lack of a summer job.) This was a lifetime experience, that taught me to appreciate and be comfortable with other cultures. I am fluent in Spanish.
In 1987 and 1988, while working for the WSDOT in Olympia, I volunteered for Safeplace, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. I often took the night shift and stayed overnight with the guests in the house. Later I did some informational speaking on behalf Safeplace to other organizations. Speaking is a skill that I work on.
Our family stays involved in one role or another, with our Newport Woods Community Club where we have lived for 10 years. This year I am the hospitality chair. The turnover in these forty-year-old homes has increased, and I am delivering numerous welcome gifts as well as baby gifts for the new families. Our membership has dropped, and so our board made a concerted effort to solicit memberships. We went from 30% members, by distributing flyers, to 85% members by contacting our neighbors. The skill that this activity demonstrates is my comfort level with people and the ability to bring them together.
For the Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS) I served as Membership Chair in 1994 and 1995 and served as Program Chair in 1996. I Served as Vice-President in 1998 and President in 1999. WTS is an organization of approximately 160 members that provides networking opportunities and speakers on a wide variety of transportation subjects, from legislative issues to policy and project issues. These roles demonstrate organizational and leadership skills.
I served on the Steering Committee for the FHWA Value Pricing Conference, held in Seattle in May 2003. The conference focus was to educate elected officials on the subject of pricing and advanced "tolling" mechanisms for our transportation system, such as the "HOT Lanes" concept. I was uniquely suitable to this committee as a transportation engineer and elected official. My primary role was to bring sponsorships (at no cost) and elected officials to the conference.
For the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) I served as Legislative Chair in 2002 and 2003. Primarily, I prepared columns for our newsletter, and provided mentoring to engineers on how to become engaged with their elected officials. In 2002 and 2003 I have served as Marketing Chair for the International Conference in Seattle. I have presented technical papers at the International Conference in Chicago, and for the upcoming conference in Seattle, August 2003. This year's paper is entitled: "HOV Direct Access; A Design for Regional and Community Benefit". These roles and activities demonstrate a commitment to my fellow professionals and the advancement of our profession.
I serve on the Board of the Lake Heights Family YMCA. I am anticipating the day when we can begin a capital campaign to build a full service YMCA in Newcastle. In the meantime, as board members we are leaders in the Partners with Youth Campaign. This was my first experience with very organized fund-raising. I chose to focus on bringing in new donors, from the City of Newcastle, to prepare us for the capital campaign.
My service on Newcastle City Council taught me leadership skills as applied to decisions that address the needs of the community from its local government. I learned to evaluate and modify the city budget, contract for police and fire, and make decisions with seven elected council members. I learned a lot about myself, and learned to be passionate and committed without negative emotions.
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The Port of Seattle is a municipal corporation with unique authority to operate the International Airport and Sea Port in King County. It is the commissioners' responsibility to provide budget and policy direction to the Port of Seattle staff. The Commissioners serve as the decision-making authority for activities at the Port of Seattle.
The Port of Seattle's primary mission is to be a leader in providing services and facilities to accommodate the transportation of cargo and passengers by air, water and land; to provide a home for the fishing industry; and to foster regional economic vitality and a quality life for King County citizens. The commissioners are in charge of this mission.
The Port Commissioners are responsible for the implementation of their adopted strategies and objectives. They are:
Ensure Airport and Seaport Vitality Develop New Economic Opportunities for the Region and the Port Enhance Public Understanding and Support of the Port's Role in the Region Be a Catalyst for Regional Transportation Solutions Be a Leader in Transportation Security Exhibit Environmental Stewardship through our Actions Be a High-performance Organization
In addition, the current commission has identified that they will perform these duties with the following values:
Invest in QUALITY services and facilities for our customers and community Act with INTEGRITY and OPENNESS Take RESPONSIBILITY and make the hard choices Treat each other with TRUST AND RESPECT Embrace DIVERSITY in our workforce and partnerships Promote CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT in our organization and in ourselves
The most important duties are those that are reflected by today's political and economic environment. Openness and trust are required so that we can rebuild the public's trust in government at large, and rebuild trust with communities near the airport. Fiscal resonsibility is essential, and this is achieved through a real-world understanding of project implementation combined with positive leadership that goes beyond the board room. The assurance of the public's safety is reaching the highest expectations possible. And finally, with authority to tax for economic development in King County, the Port must work to maintain and develop family wage jobs, while protecting our quality of life. |
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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M.S. Civil Engineering, 1985, University of Wyoming B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 1980, University of Washington |
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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Ms. Hirschey served as a Newcastle City Council member from 1998 to 2001 She served as a suburban cities representative on the King County Metro Regional Transit Committee. In 2000 she was appointed to the Lake Heights Family YMCA and participates in the Partners with Youth Campaign, providing tuition scholarships for day-care and youth sports. In January 2001 she received a mayoral appointment to the King County Boundary Review Board. Ms. Hirschey is very active in her profession, serving as president of the Women's Transportation Seminar and currently as Marketing Chair for the Institute of Transportation Engineers International Conference, in Seattle, August 2003. |
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