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

John

     

Resha

 

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

 

City of Redmond, City Council, Seat 03

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                                No

 

 

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

 

5+ years

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

5+ years

 

6.   Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan?         Nonpartisan         

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:       

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

Campaign Name:

Resha Election Committee

 

Address:

 

10219 161st Ave NE

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Redmond/WA/98052

 

Campaign Phone:

 

425.881.9616

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

     

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

john.resha@comcast.net

 

 

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)

Representative, Business Tax for Transportation Imporvements Advisory Committee (City of Redmond)

 

Appointed

 

2001-current

 

Chair

 

Member, Citizens Advisory Committee I-405 Corridor Study

 

Appointed

 

2000-current

 

     

 

Member, Regional Advisory Committee TransLake Washington Study

 

Appointed

 

2001-current

 

     

 

 

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

 

Office Title

Year of Run

NONE

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 


 


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.)

 

When my family and I came to Washington, I was excited about Redmond.  I saw Redmond as a community that was redefining itself through actions and vision.  I saw a community that was willing to define its character and enable that vision to happen.  And I wanted to be part of it. Since my earliest days in this community I have been involved in helping shape that vision through my public participation in various committees and activities, as well as my professional involvement in a local non-profit dedicated to developing and implementing transportation solutions for Redmond.

 

As a natural progression, I find myself looking to the future of Redmond with the knowledge that I would like to help guide and shape the vision of Redmond and its implementation.

 

There are three key areas that are most important to me, and I believe to the vitality of our community:

 

1. Transportation - Work to fix immediate congestion problems while expanding transportation choices for all users.  Plan for and represent Redmond's vision in Regional Transportation Investment District (RTID) Plans

 

2. Growth Management - Seek "smart growth" solutions based on eastside-wide partnerships that maintain the character of our Redmond community without over-managing.

 

3. Community Synergy -Develop partnerships between government, community and business that strengthen Redmond's vitality.

 


 

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

 

Character- I believe that I am a person of good character with a history of sound decisions that reflect the greater needs of a community. This quality is a foundation for success in any role

 

Honesty and Integrity - To be true and forthright in my actions and my deliberations. These traits go hand in hand with the trust placed in an elected official at any level.

 

Open Minded – To bring one’s character and integrity to the table is one thing, to then be open to different ideas is another.  As a Council Member, it is imperative that I remain open to the array of options and opportunities related to a subject.  When the time comes, be prepared to make the best decision for the community regardless of its origin.

 

Leadership – There has been much talk of leadership in the Puget Sound, and even discussion of a lack of leadership.  I believe leadership is a sometimes intangible characteristic that relates to defining and managing actions.  From above and below, I have demonstrated leadership in my personal and professional life, as a Council Member, I would use my Leadership to guide and implement the vision of our community.

 

Visionary – A person who sees the greater vision for the community and always weighs decisions against the implications to that vision.  As a Council Member, visionary must be at the core of my being.  While there is a time to deliberate on the implications of a single word in a stack of code, when it comes time for decisions, the visionary must always be present.

 

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. 

 

In the early 1990’s I had the opportunity to lead Portland Community College (PCC) in the implementation of parking and transportation programs.  While the achievement of goals (sustainable 20% reduction in vehicle trips for staff and students of commuter college) within three years was a great accomplishment in and of itself, there was an even greater accomplishment.  PCC is a multi-site campus spanning the entire Portland Metropolitan area.  PCC got into managing transportation as mitigation to its continued growth.  In the Portland area, Community Planning Organizations (CPO’s) are elected bodies with political authority.  While the at least 5 CPO’s surrounding and adjacent to the PCC campuses agreed to mitigation, none were particularly happy with PCC as a neighbor for reasons of traffic, parking, and an infusion of individuals with no real ownership in the community.  During my tenure, I worked continuously to hear and address the concerns of the CPO’s through all avenues.  The relationship grew from strained to a favorable relationship, where the Dean’s of the Campuses were able to interact about solutions for the future, not problems of the past and present.  This an example of finding ways to address challenges of the community while identifying opportunities for the future.

 

When I accepted my current  role at GRTMA, I inherited a Public-Private partnership project implementing a Bellevue Redmond Overlake Transportation Study (BROTS) 2-year demonstration project mid-way through the timeline.  The project was in trouble due to a variety of factors.  Through my efforts and leadership, the project was able to deliver on all of its goals, come in significantly under budget, and maintain the integrity of the City Councils of Bellevue and Redmond for their commitments to achieving program goals.


 

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.

 

• Member, Citizens Advisory Committee I-405 Corridor Study (2000-current)

• Member, Regional Advisory Committee TransLake Washington Study (2001-current)

• Chair and Resident Representative, Redmond Business Tax for Transportation Improvements Advisory Committee (2001-2005)

• Member, Government Affairs Committee and Transportation Issue Leader, Redmond Chamber of Commerce (2000-current)

• President, Board of Directors, Greater Redmond Transportation Management Association (2000, 2001)

• President, Board of Directors, University District Parking Associates (2001)

• Chair, Bothell Transportation Partnership (2000, 2001)

• Vice Chair, Government Affairs Committee, Redmond Chamber of Commerce (2001)

• Trustee, Eastside Business Alliance and Chair, Redmond Roundtable (2000-2001)

• Delegate, East King County Chambers of Commerce Legislative Coalition (2002-2003)

• Member, Puget Sound Regional Council, Regional Transportation Demand Management Roundtable (2002-2003)

• Member, Redmond Blue Ribbon Commission for Wildlife Habitat (2000)

• Cub Scout Den Leader (2002-current)

• Assistant Coach (parent volunteer), RWLL (2001-current)

• Coach, LWYSA Soccer (2001-current)

 

 

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

 

The duties of a City Council Member are to set policy and vision for the City.  The duties are those of visionary to interpreter, representative to champion, and guide to director.

 

As visionary to interpreter, a council member has the responsibility of seeing the big picture view of the City and everthing that it stands for (its goals and objectives).  Then that vision must be translated or interpreted within the confines of policy and code.  It is the challenge of macro to micro views that is important to a successful council member

 

As representative to champion, a council member has the privilege of hearing the needs of the community; representing those needs and views to fellow council members for dialogue; and championing solutions that meet the community needs that align with the community vision. It is important to be  mindful that not every member of the community has the ability to be present at council meetings and hearings, and it is the responsisbility of an elected official to represent and champion solutions and issue that important to (and for) the community.

 

As guide to director, a council member also has the responsibility to guide the Administration of the City, though not take on its management, and provide the specific poilicy direction that enables the Adminstration to clearly make the vision of the community a reality.


 

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.

 

American Intercontinental University, Business Administration

 

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.

 

* Member, Citizens Advisory Committee I-405 Corridor Study (2000-current)

* Member, Regional Advisory Committee TransLake Washington Study (2001-current)

* Chair and Resident Representative, Redmond Business Tax for Transportation Improvements (BT/TI) Advisory Committee (2001-2005)

* Transportation Issue Leader, Redmond Chamber of Commerce (2000-current)

* Member, Redmond Blue Ribbon Commission for Wildlife Habitat (2000)

* Member, Puget Sound Regional Council, Regional Transportation Demand Management Roundtable (2002-2003)

* Cub Scout Den Leader (2002-current)

 

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