2004 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

Zack

     

Hudgins

 

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

 

State Representative    11th District    Position 1

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes              No

 

 

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

 

8 Years

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

8 Years

 

6.   Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan?         Partisan      Nonpartisan         

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:  Democratic

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

 

Campaign Name:

 

People for Zack Hudgins

 

Address:

 

4512 S 136th St

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Tukwila,  WA 98168

 

Campaign Phone:

 

206-860-9809

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

     

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

     

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

http://www.zackhudgins.com

 

 

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)

State Representative

 

Elected

 

2002-Present

 

Asst. Majority Whip

 

Precinct Committee Officer

 

Both

 

Appointed 2002

Elected Nov 2003

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 

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

 

Office Title

Year of Run

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 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.)

 

Two years ago I sat in front of the Municipal League and told them I wanted to serve my community with real meaningful work, and I wanted to take my experiences to Olympia to make a difference.  Now, I feel that I have done that , and I know down to my core that I want to continue the work I have started.  Every day I meet people, and learn about issues that affect their everyday lives - and I see how our state government can help or hurt them.   I want to return to Olympia to do my best to make sure we are helping people, that we are ensuring a brighter future, and that things will get better here in Washington with the passing of time.  This work has real meaning, and that keeps me going each day, and gives me energy.  I also have seen my skills and experience benefit my friends and colleagues in Olympia.  I can give a few examples of exactly how my experience is applied in our capital, but simply put we are Representatives of all the people in our state, and we need folks who know what it is like in the 11th District, in the high tech world, who have an understanding of our global role as a trade partner.  I want to continue to work in Olympia, pursuing for good jobs with good benefits, for reasonable transportation solutions, and for affordable health care.

 

 

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

 

Two years ago I said that O thought the three most important characteristics for the Sate Representative were being a good communicator (which includes both listening and advocating), having a strong sense of public good, and a willingness to find compromise (which includes bringing people together and finding common ground.)  During my first term in office I learned a lot about myself (as well as other people, issues, and the process!).  I realized that I had to be able to work long and hard hours.  I had to be able to understand the complex issues and boil them down for others to learn quickly.  I had to work in little sleep while missing meals.  I had to sit in rooms with lots of angry people, or very happy people.  I had to address large crows.  And I loved every minute of it.  I think the biggest characteristic anyone needs in public service is a fundamental belief in people, and the good they can and want to do.  After that, the other things become extras, which help communicate, or advocate, or find common ground, or build effectiveness.

 

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. 

 

I would like to describe three accomplishments from my first term.  Starting small, I got baby changing tables put into the bathrooms of our House Office building, and they should be in the newly renovated Legislative Building.  I had a new mother friend come visit, and she couldn't find a place to change her baby.  I was surprised no one had thought of the tables before.  It is a small thing, but to me it sows that new perspectives can matter, and they can make people's lives better if we are looking for the opportunity to do good.  on the medium side is a bill I pushed to help diversify our energy generation.  The bill would make our state less reliant on foreign oil or natural gas, and less susceptible to drought.  It would encourage windmill construction and jobs in rural areas.  It was very contentions, but we were able to move it of committee for the first time and then out of the appropriations committee.  It took a lot of negotiating, and working with people who did not want to sit at the same table.  I also was able to pass two bills, which concerned a small gap in the statutes around filling vacancies.  One of the bulls changed the statutes, and one bill changed the constitution.  The second then passed the voters of the entire state with 82% if the vote.  These bills were small, but the impact was large, the amount I learned from the process was enormous, and no freshman in recent memory has changed the constitution.

 

 

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.

 

In the past I have been involved in the community at a variety of levels.  I have been an 8th grade baseball coach.  I have volunteered for the Boy Scouts, and I have been a member of neighborhood associations like the Beacon Hill Alliance of Neighbors, the Highlands Community Association and the Jefferson Park Alliance of Neighbors.  Since getting elected, I have changed my role in the community.  I have met thousands of people over the last two years by actively going out into the community.  I go to union meetings, and business gatherings.  I visit small businesses, and meet with community leaders.  I attend school openings, and speak to classes of students.  I reach out to ethnic communities.  It is a new level of involvement I thoroughly enjoy.

 

 

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

 

The duties of the office vary from basic, passing laws and creating the state budget, to being a leader in the community, and reaching out to folks.  I believe reaching out to new communities and opening government is my biggest duty.  I can't run things by myself, but if I bring enough people in, we can accomplish great things.

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.

 

     

 

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.

 

     

 

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