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

Fawn

E

Spady

 

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

 

41st Legislative House Seat, Position 2

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes              No

 

 

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

 

2 years

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

24 years

 

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

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:  GOP

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

 

Campaign Name:

 

Elect Fawn Spady

 

Address:

 

PMB 278, 8441 SE 68th St.

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Mercer Island, WA 98040-5235

 

Campaign Phone:

 

206-230-6634

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

206-275-2091

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

fawn@electfawnspady.com

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

www.electfawnspady.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)

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 

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.)

 

As a small-business owner, and after 10 years as a citizen activist working to improve public education in Washington State, I have decided that I need to take the next step and work as a legislator.  I want to use my exerience, my energy and drive to work for the families of the 41st District. I will work to:  

 

Revitalize public schools.

One of my personal missions is to revitalize public education through legislative reforms based on accountability, reducing drop-out rates and the achievement gap, competition and parental choice.

 

Reduce traffic congestion.

Like most of us, I know that our district needs to reduce traffic congestion as quickly and inexpensively as possible. I will work to establish reasonable priorities, fund those priorities, and then make sure our hard-earned tax dollars are used wisely to get the job done.

 

Create new jobs.

As a small-business owner, I know how government red tape can hamper small business and I will work diligently to improve the business climate. I will use my personal experience to help streamline regulations so employers can thrive and create new jobs in a strong, growing economy.

 

Reduce frivolous lawsuits and runaway litigation.

This issue is affecting every aspect of our lives from physicians warning that excessive costs and an unfair legal system are  threatening their ability to practice medicine -- potentially leaving patients without access to needed care -- to non-profit groups unable to obtain insurance to do work in our community. Washington state must adopt reforms that are already working in other states.

 

Support performance Audits.

When legislators ask citizens to pay  taxes we are in essence saying that we can use their money better than they can.  That's a pretty serious statement.  Therefore it is imperative that citizens are confident that state government is efficient and effective.  To accomplish this I am a firm supporter of regular, comprehensive and independent performance audits.

 


 

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

 

I am known for my high energy, enthusiasm, hard work and tenacity.  I also am a bit of a "policy wonk."  I try to skim multiple newspapers every day and watch at least the headlines from the major television news broadcasts.

 

Because of my 10 years of work on charter public schools I’ve learned first hand how this state works and how Olympia works.  I’ve been involved in writing legislation, working with the staff, crafting compromises, talking with the press, going to committee hearings, and working a bill through the session all the way to the final closing minutes.

 

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. 

 

First, all of my hard work and successes would mean nothing without my wonderful family. I met my husband and life partner in college 25 years ago.  We have worked together throughout our lives as parents and colleauges.  Our 18-year-old daughter, Jasmine, is a junior earning her undergraduate degree at Hillsdale College in Michigan. She hopes to attend UW Medical School.  Our 15-year-old son, Saul, just completed his sophomore year at Mercer Island High School.  Both our children are involved in the community and are remarkable young adults.

 

Second,  after 10 years of hard work and compromise we helped to pass charter public school legislation in Washington state.  My husband and I were recently recognized by the Center for Education Reform in Washington DC with the "Persitance will Pay" Award and the Association of Washington Business "Super Heavy Lifter" Award.  To pass this legislation we needed to learn intimately about the legislative process and work to form compromises from both parties and many different organizations.  We worked effectively with the media and other opinion leaders throughout the state and succeeded in passing legislation that will help to improve public schools for low-income and working-class families and children who are not being served well in today's traditional public schools.

 

Third, as Director of Marketing at Dick's Drive-In Restaurants I created and implemented the 40th and 50th Anniversary campaigns.  We solicited memories from custumers and created our Anniversary Memory books.  Our successful campaign captured the attention of the media and our customers.  In addition I concevied of and implemented Dick's "Change for Charity" program which has raised over $75,000 for local charities that serve the homeless.

 


 

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.

 

1.  Co-Chair, Educational Excellence Coalition

 

2.  Co-Chair, Charter School Resource Center

 

3.  Board Member, Institute for Justice

 

3.  President, Alpental Community Association

 

4.  Member, Mercer Island High School Debate Booster Club

 

5.  Member, Mercer Island High School PTA

 

6.  President, Bjorn Lih/Freemont Community School Parent Board

 

7.  Founder, Seattle Homeschool Parent Group

 

8.  Board member, Forum Foundation

 

 

 

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

 

The most important duties of the representative from the 41st District are:

 

1.  Read and be knowledgeable about all the legislation that I will be asked to vote on in the House so I can truly vote based on what is best for the 41st District, and the state of Washington.

 

2.  Listen to the residents of the 41st District and go out into the community from Renton to Bellevue to Mercer Island and everywhere in between.

 

3.  Work hard and create collabrative relationships with legislators from all over the state.

 

4.   Continue to work effectively with the media so that citizens can follow the progress and get involved in the issues that concern them most.


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.

 

BA Marketing & Communications, University of Washington, 1981

 

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.

 

Our family business, Dick's, has donated over $75,000 through our "Change for Charity" program to help the homeless communtiy.  We offer  paid community service to all of our employees and help them go on to college.  For employees who work at least 20 hours a week we cover up to $15,000 towards 2 years of community college and 2 years of university study at the college or trade school of their choice.  Scholarships can also be used towards daycare.  Dick’s regularly donates to charity auctions.

 

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