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? Yes No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
5. How long have you resided in King County?
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37 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Friends for Joe McDermott |
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Address: |
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Campaign Phone: |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
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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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Vice Chair Education Committee
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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 passionate regarding my community and find State Representative to be a position that allows me to advocate on a wide range of issues for the community where I grew up and continue to live and work. I would very much like a third term in the State House to continue this service to the 34th District, including West Seattle, Burien, and Vashon Island.
Issues I will continue to pursue are education, transportation, the environment, and civil rights. As a former budget analyst for Seattle Public Schools, I know first hand many of the challenges facing education today. I want to insure successful educational reform as we strive to have every student reach standards, increase funding for education, reduce class size, and improve teacher salaries. As a member of the House Education Committee I have the opportunity to continue direct influence this policy area.
Transportation issues loom large for the 34th District as they do for much of the state. The Alaskan Way Viaduct and sea wall project and both auto and passenger only ferry service to Vashon Island require proactive responses that are both farsighted and fiscally responsible.
As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, I have developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for environmental issues throughout the state. The inter-related nature of forest land practices and salmon recovery, for instance, has cost implications throughout the state. Particular to my district, the proposed expansion of gravel mining on Maury Island would have negative environmental impacts on soil, salmon, water, and our communities.
We are experiencing exciting times in the advancement of civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people in Washington and throughout the country. The decision by Superior County Judge Downing this week advances the cause of civil marriage equity, an issue that will soon be before the State Supreme Court. If reelected, I will continue to advance the Civil Rights Bill, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, financial transactions, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation.
I am seeking a third term in the House of Representatives to continue serving my community and state on these issues and advocating sound public policy in all areas that come before the Legislature. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I relish working with people, understanding their needs and bringing various groups together. Coalition building is a strength of mine. I thrive on this aspect of being a State Representative, along with working on constantly emerging new issues.
As a legislator I am to represent the interests of the 34th District and the people of the state as a whole in the Legislature and within state government. This is not limited to advocating and opposing specific legislation, but includes building relationships and coalitions that will make me more effective for my district. Coupled with this is knowing the needs of my constituents -- gathered from people who contact me as a Representative, my work throughout the community, and from my personal experience. |
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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Flemming Fellow, Center for Policy Alternatives 1/04-present Member, Partnership for High Point’s Future 3/02-present West Seattle Helpline President 6/04 - present Treasurer 1/99 - 06/04 Board Member 7/98 - present Board Member, Fairness Lobby 4/00 – 8/00 34th District Democrats Chair 1/98 – 8/00 State Committeeman 1/91 – 1/98 Trustee, Alki Community Council 5/92 - 5/93 Finisher, Portland Marathon 1993 Member, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce 1/92 - 1/93; 1/03 - present
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The most important duties of the office of State Representative are committee work, establishing priorities, and maintaining guiding principles. Legislation is referred to committee for consideration. Once a bill reaches the House floor, considerable weight is put on the recommendation of the committees that considered the bill, as no member has the ability during session to completely comprehend and consider every aspect of each proposal. As soon as this is realized, a member further dedicates themselves to the work before their own committees. I find that my committee assignments are well suited to my interests and knowledge, thus increasing my effectiveness.
Much of the work of a Representative requires setting priorities. Time, money, and workforce are all limited resources, so priorities must be established. This is equally true of how many bills may be considered in one session, how much revenue is expected and thus how expenditures should be prioritized, and what can be expected of the state's caseworkers, corrections officers, and nurses. The Masters of Public Administration I earned at the University of Washington and my experience as a grant administrator and budget analyst trained me effectively for setting such priorities.
Also essential to service as a Representative is a set of guiding principles. Having a framework with which to make consistent decisions on both inter-related and independent issues provides strength of purpose and well-founded conviction. Public office can have a reputation of being thick with deceit, thus for both public perception and good public policy goals that can be articulated consistently, I believe a moral compass or guiding principles are important. Having core principles has proved invaluable to me during my service as I experienced the duties and responsibilities of being an elected official.
Intense committee work, setting priorities, and a secure set of guiding principles are all important duties and abilities of this office, with guiding principles being the most essential. |
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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Master of Public Administration, University of Washington 1997 B.A., History & Political Science, Gonzaga University 1989 |
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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Flemming Fellow, Center for Policy Alternatives, 1/04-present Member, Partnership for High Point’s Future, 3/02-present West Seattle Helpline President, 6/04 - present Treasurer, 1/99 - 06/04 Board Member, 7/98 - present Board Member, Fairness Lobby, 4/00 – 8/00 34th District Democrats Chair, 1/98 – 8/00 State Committeeman, 1/91 – 1/98 Trustee, Alki Community Council, 5/92 - 5/93 Finisher, Portland Marathon, 1993 Member, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, 1/92 - 1/93; 1/03 - present |
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