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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31 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Friends of Ed Murray |
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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.
2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
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Year of Run |
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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 believe that the future of this state and that of our political institutions, based on representative democracy, are at a turning point in their history, and the coming years will be determinative on both counts. I am running for reelection to the State House of Representatives because I care deeply about that future.
My father is the last surviving member of a Grays Harbor pioneer family that made incredible sacrifices to settle and build the state we live in today. If leaders like me are not willing to take similar risks and make our own sacrifices, we can not hope to leave behind - to future generations - the same rich contributions our ancestors left to us.
I am running for reelection because of the issues I care about. Those issues have been, and continue to be, transportation, civil rights, and providing for those who are most in need. Because I have seen the progress that can be made in these areas by working collaboratively with other legislators, together, making compromises, I am now running to carry these issues to their next levels.
By engaging other elected officials in the, sometimes, contentious debates that represent the varied interests and opinions of our constituencies, I have been able to broach the necessary compromises that our political institutions require.
I am running for reelection because I believe that my work in the legislature has shown that I can both advance the issues I care about and strengthen the institution of representative democracy. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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Being a legislator requires that one be a decision-maker. The ability to understand the complex issues that come before you as a legislator and make decisions that balance the best interests of the state, as well as the interests of those in one's district, is vital.
The legislative process requires that a person have the ability to work collaboratively with others. Strong interpersonal skills are extremely beneficial; working well with others on contentious issues further one's legislative agenda.
The ability to communicate and communicate in a variety of mediums. Whether it is communicating through bill language, e-mail, newsletter, or direct contact with constituents, fellow members or representatives of the media, the ability to be understood enhances a legislator's ability to pull diverse interests together in order to generate support for the decisions that legislator has made. |
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.
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For the past 13 years, the state legislature has been unable to reach agreement on a new transportation revenue package.
Last year, in my first year as Chair of the House Transportation Committee, I led the House in the successful negotiations that finally broke the legislative gridlock of our transportation system. In our last session, we passed new revenue that: funds projects such as congestion relief on I-405; begins to address safety issues including the Viaduct; builds four new ferrys to replace those built in the 1920's; funds local transit; funds air pollution relief; and funds Commute Trip reduction programs; among many others.
I believe this successful effort reflects on my ability to negotiate by consistently staying at the table, not forcing topics off the table, while working with and keeping communication open with often diverse and contentious interest groups.
Finally, I brought the ability to stand and disagree with my own supporters and constituent groups when it was necessary for the good of the whole 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.
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Continued from Section I, Political Background: - Public Defense Advisory Board - Appointive - 2000 - Governor's Blue Ribbon - Appointive - 2000 Commission on Transportation Financing - WSDOT Trans-Lake Washington Project - Appointive - 2000 to Present Executive Committee - Puget Sound Regional Council, - Appointive - 2000 to Present Transportation Policy Board - City of Seattle Commission for Lesbians - Appointive - Past Co-Chair and Gays
Activities in the Community: - Greater Seattle Business Association - Plymouth Housing Capital Campaign - Downtown Seattle YMCA, Board Member 2001-02 - Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce - Privacy Board, Past President, five years
Awards include: - Washington State Good Roads and Transportation Association, Certificate of Appreciation, September 2003 - Washington Association of Vehicle Subagents, Leadership Award 2003 - Washington State Transit Association, Legislative Achievement Award for 2003 - Pathfinder Award, Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), October 2002 - Equality Award, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), October 2002 - Recognition Award, WA State Transit Association, 2001 - Housing Hero Award, Washington Low-Income Housing Congress, 1999 and 2001 - Outstanding Elected Official, Washington Conservation Voters, 2001 - Abolitionist Award, WA Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
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The most important duties associated with being a State Representative include:
a.) Serving my District. Understanding fullly the concerns and interests of my constituents and the ability, using my own judgement, to represent those interests and concerns to the legislature, the Governor and state agencies;
b.) Participating in the parliamentary process. To further the interests and concerns of my constituents, I must fully understand how the legislative process works and how to move a bill from introduction, through committee onto the floors of both Houses and to the Governor's desk, and;
c.) When in the majority, governing well and taking the difficult votes that are necessary to ensure the proper function of government is imperative. When in the minority, offering constructive challenges to the majority party is, similarly, imperative. |
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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- B.A. in Sociology, University of Portland, 1980; - St. Thomas Roman Catholic Seminary, attended 1976-1977. |
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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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