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

Eileen

L

Cody

 

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

 

Representative 34th District Position 1

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes              No

 

 

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

 

26 years

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

26 years

 

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

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:  Democrat

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

 

Campaign Name:

 

Committee to Elect Eileen Cody

 

Address:

 

5209 36th Ave SW

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Seattle, WA   98126

 

Campaign Phone:

 

206-935-9176

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

206-937-0071

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

eileenlcody@comcast.net

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

www.eileencody.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)

Representative 34th District

 

elected

 

2002-present

 

Chair, house health care committee

 

Representative 11th District

 

elected

 

1994-2002

 

Chair, house health care committee

 

PCO

 

elected

 

1984, 1988, 2002-present

 

     

 

 

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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 runnig for re-election to continue working for health care reform that will ensure affordable, quality health care is available and accessable to all Washington residents.  Our safety net has been stretched to thin and we are entering yet another budget with a deficit.  We will face many tough decisions in the next biennium and I want to return to Olympia to defend the programs needed to keep  our citizens safe and healthy, our economy vibrant, and our children prepared to lead us into the future.

 


 

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

 

I believe that some of the important characteristics that I have that enable me to be an effective legislator are the ability to be an engaged listener, the ability to make a decision, and persistence.

The abillity to be an engaged listener is crucial.  In the House with it's many members there are many opinions and views.  By being a good listener I am able to hear all sides of an issue.  When listening to opposing views it is important to  listen if you are to  identify shared values that each side has in order to be able to move each side towards compromise.

During the course of a session there are many difficult decisions that must be made and many of these must be made quickly.  Effective decision making doeesn't mean that one doesn't consider all the options, it means that the individual realizes that there are many issues to be discussed and decisive action is required.  Without effective decision making the legislature would never be able to make effective policy for the State of Washington.

During my years as a legislator, and in my life in general, I have learned that persistence is the key to accomplishing one's goals.   Legislation can sometimes be quite complex.  The study of an issue, the education of one's colleagues and the building of coalitions can often take years. Persistence is key.

 

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. 

 

Legislatively, I am proud of the passage of SB 6088, the bill that pooled our states prescription drug purchasing  so that we would be buying drugs that are the most effective at the lowest price and which helps provide that price to low income seniors.  I worked hard with Senators Alex Deccio and Senator Pat Thibaudeau and a large coalition of consumer and senior advocates  for the passage of that bill over the opposition of the drug companies. 

     I am also proud of the role I played in the passage of Medicaid buy-in for the disabled.  The bill allows disabled individuals to return to work and maintain their medicaid coverage by paying for it on a sliding scale.  It is my hope that this will assist many disabled individuals return to a productive life without fear of losing health care that is so essential to their lives.  I worked in the house and the senate with a wide variety of advocates to ensure the bill's passage.  This occurred during the 2001 session when the house was in a tie and we faced severe budget shortfalls.  I managed to keep pushing for it's passage and it's inclusion in the budget which we finally achieved in the third special session.

    I am also very proud of the role I played in organizing the nurses at Group Health into 1199NW/SEIU.  In 1983 I was one of the nurses on the original organizing committee.  We built a grass roots movement for  change in our organization that has helped move the nursing profession forward not only at Group Health, but throughout the state.


 

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.

 

 Duwamish Coalition Steering Committee-Member                              1994-1996

Coalition of Labor Union Women                                                           1991-present

11th District Democratic State Committeewoman                                 1992-1996

Women's Political Caucus-Member                                                       1994-present

Association of Rehabilitation Nurses-Member                                     1980-present

                                                               -State president                         1982-1983

Washington State Nurses Association-Member                                   1990-present

International Organization of MS Nurses- Member                              1998-present

National Multiple Sclerosis Society Volunteer Speaker                       1990-present

West Seattle Helpline Executive Board                                                 1995-2003

Multiple Sclerosis Association- Executive Board                                1999-2003

District 1199NW/SEIU- Treasurer                                                           1983-1994

                                        Member                                                             1983-present

Group Health Cooperative Ethics Committee-member                        1986-1989

                                                                              chair                             1988-1989

 

 

 

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

 

 The duties of a Washington state Representative are varied and many.  As a member of the legislature my responsibilities include working with constituents and  representing their issues  in the legislature.  My responsibilities also include being a member of the democratic caucus  and helping set the legislative agenda for the caucus.  As Chair of the House Health Care  Committee my duties extend beyond that of some other legislators.  As Chair I am viewed as a leader.  I am responsible for setting health care policy, for working with state agencies and the Governor, to assist in developing the State's health care budget and deciding what health care legislation will move forward.   The role of the chair is crucial as it sets the working tone of the legislature, assists new members, and encourages active communication and working relations with colleagues on both sides of the aisle.                                                  


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.

 

Associate Degree in Nursing                  College of St Mary,                             1976

BAchelors Degree in Nursing                 Creighton University                          1977

 

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