1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
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First Name |
Middle Initial or Nick Name |
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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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23 years (27 years excluding college and travel) |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Walker for Legislature |
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Campaign Website: |
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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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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'm running for this office because the Libertarian Party convinced me (after much persuasion) to do so. Normally, I would not consider running for public office. However, I do not believe that common-sense Libertarian thinking is well represented in the Legislature.
Libertarians believe in limited government. We believe in a government that strikes the appropriate balance between freedom and security. We believe in free enterprise, and argue that a competitive marketplace is more effective than government regulation and corporate welfare. We stongly support the Bill of Rights, and are concerned about the continual erosion of these fundamental American freedoms (particularly by the Patriot Act).
I am especially concerned by the recent trend of state government (particularly the executive branch) to outright ignore the will of the people it is elected to serve. The most recent example is the Montana-style ballot we are using in the current election, rather than the "Cajun primary" favored by voters. Unfortunately, legislation ranging from the Boeing corporate welfare package to sports stadiums has followed this odious trend, and I want to see it stopped. State government has no business ignoring the will of the people whom it is elected to serve.
I had to be persuaded to run for this office, and I certainly don't plan to make a career out of politics if elected. Ultimately, though, I think I'll do a better job than many politicians, because I'm not for sale. I believe that taxpayers of the 48th District deserve a state representative who will faithfully represent their interests, even if those interests conflict with large and powerful campaign contributors. They deserve a representative who isn't afraid to ask tough questions, or to ignore conventional political wisdom. And ultimately, I think the Legislature needs a safety valve--a legislator who isn't afraid to say "The emperor wears no clothes," even if there is a political cost. A Libertarian legislator, after all, is free to vote his conscience without fear of reprisal from party leadership. With a campaign such as mine, I owe only one constituency if elected--the voters who elected me to office. I take that responsibility very seriously, and will be faithful in its execution. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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1. It's trendy lately for politicians to say that they aren't politicians, but I'm actually not a politician. This is advantageous because I'm an ordinary person with common sense that is occasionally absent from the rarefied air of the Capitol. 2. Technology is both my hobby and my profession. My technical expertise would be a valuable resource to the Legislature, since most technology legislation is (at least initially) written by industry lobbyists. It's important that technology laws appropriately represent the interest of both industry and the citizens of Washington. 3. Politicians like to say that they're not for sale, usually on their way to the bank. I'm actually not for sale. I refuse to accept any campaign contributions because they never come without strings attached. It's a sad commentary on the state of government affairs that it's a virtue to shun influence-peddling, but I can't ignore reality. 4. At Evergreen, I learned that to really understand an issue, you need to consider it from multiple dimensions. Unfortunately, the recent tone of political debate isn't conducive to this way of thinking. Every issue boils down into extremes; 30-second opposing sound bites tailor-made for television. Issues are usually complicated, and deserve the thoughtful consideration I promise to give them--even if this complexity can't be neatly packaged for the evening news. 5. I'm old enough to have acquired a healthy dose of cynicism, but I'm not too old to have lost touch with the concerns of youth. I'll be a strong advocate for educational choice, sanity in our justice system, and other issues of importance to young people. 6. I refuse to wear a tie. Dismiss me as a crackpot if you must, but I consider this a virtue. |
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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I have lived in Bellevue for most of my life, and have served as a Precinct Committee Officer for the Libertarian Party since the last election. Other than that, like any technology professional, I serve as the de-facto tech support helpdesk for my extended family, their friends, and probably half the state (if you work in the business, you will undoubtedly relate).
This list seems bare, but I work a full-time job and don't like to spread myself too thin. When comparing my qualifications to other politicians, bear in mind that most of them are in politics full-time.
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I believe that the duty of a state legislator is to, within the bounds of the Washington state constitution, faithfully represent the interests of his constituents.
OK, so that's a canned answer. What this means in my case is as follows:
- Always question spending. "How much does all of this cost" and "Is this working" should be standard questions in any legislator's repertoire.
- Always question government intrusion into private affairs. If there is no compelling reason for government involvement, I don't believe the government should be involved.
- Ensure that spending is aligned with legislative priorities and the state Constitution. It's patently obscene (and probably unconstitutional) that there isn't money to deliver safe drinking water to elementary school students, but we found room in the budget for multi-billion dollar Boeing tax breaks.
- This sounds obvious, but in practice rarely happens: When the priorities of campaign contributors conflict with those of the voters, never slight the voters. |
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., The Evergreen State College, 1999 |
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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I have lived in Bellevue for most of my life, and have served as a Precinct Committee Officer for the Libertarian Party since the last election. Other than that, like any technology professional, I serve as the de-facto tech support helpdesk for my extended family, their friends, and probably half the state (if you work in the business, you will undoubtedly relate).
This list seems bare, but I work a full-time job and don't like to spread myself too thin. When comparing my qualifications to other politicians, bear in mind that most of them are in politics full-time. |
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