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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Nineteen years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
People for Barbara de Michele |
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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 am running for this office because it is time to change the 5th District's representation in Olympia. We need a hard-working, passionate advocate in tune with the values of this growing and dynamic area.
The three largest school districts in the 5th District -- Issaquah, Tahoma and Snoqualmie Valley -- are all among the ten "most underfunded" districts in Washington State, according to a recent Washington State PTA study. As a two-term member of the Issaquah School Board, I am well aware of the challenges facing these high-cost, high-growth districts. Retention of outstanding teachers and the provision of enriched programming are both constant struggles. The state school funding formula is a patchwork of inequities for taxpayers, teachers and students. People move to the 5th District for the good schools and are strongly in favor of fully funding these community assets for this and future generations. I will work hard to improve educational opportunities and taxpayer equity.
Roads and transit are woefully inadequate for the growth that has occurred in the 5th District. As a Community Relations planner for King County Department of Transportation, I have spent the last ten years talking to Eastside residents about transportation solutions. I believe my positions reflect those ten years of listening. My constituents favor maintaining and preserving the roads infrastructure as a top priority, including targeted road widening and enhancement. They also strongly favor a deeper investment in public transit, which is delivered in the 5th District most efficiently through bus service. I would be a strong advocate for improved roadways, enhanced bus service, commute trip reduction strategies (such as carpool and vanpools), and innovative and environmentally-friendly traffic solutions.
Finally, I would be a strong advocate for improved health care solutions across a broad range of needs, including mental health services, support for the young and the aging and support for the developmentally disabled. As a long-time volunteer activist in social service delivery agencies, I favor a universal health care system for all. It is time to relieve employers of this burden and recognize that all human beings suffer from illness, accident and aging. Improving the health care system, including cost containment, is a top priority for 5th District residents. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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Personal characteristics that would make me a good state representative are:
I am hard working -- I have a long record of accomplishment on behalf of my community and my school district; I do my homework -- I am known for researching and learning all sides of an issue before making a decision; I am an effective advocate for the causes I espouse -- I have a strong record of persuasion in my community and organizations throughout the region and Washington State; I bring people together -- I have many examples in my background of bridging gaps between groups of people and individuals for the benefit of all; I listen and respond -- people tell me I'm a good listener and that I am often the only one who has responded to their complaint or concern; I see the "big picture" -- I try to educate others and myself about the long-range consequences of actions and their impact on the community as a whole; and . . . I understand that decisions made by elected officials impact real peoples' lives. Politics is not a game between Democrats and Republicans or other factions. Our legislators should be in the business of finding solutions to very difficult problems facing their constituents, and that should be their ONLY focus. |
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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1986 - 1992 -- Director of Communications for the Issaquah School District -- developed skills in communications, working with community organizations, understanding school issues, and leading school levy and bond election campaigns, and developed a wide network of community contacts; 1986 - 1993 -- Board of Directors, Issaquah Chamber of Commerce -- developed understanding of business issues, developed skills in running my own small business, worked to develop understanding between Chamber and schools, Chamber and city of Issaquah; 1994 - present -- Community Relations Planner, King County DOT -- developed understanding of road and transit issues from a regional perspective; worked with numerous citizen advisory groups across the Eastside on road, bridge and transit projects, developed skills in organizing and facilitating meetings, developed models for including citizens in government decisions; 1997 - present -- member, Issaquah Arts Commission -- developed an understanding of the role of arts in economic and community development; worked to developed relations between the Commission and the Issaquah School District; participated in numerous art-related projects locally and regionally; 1990 - 1995 -- member, President, Community Enterprises of Issaquah board of directors -- developed an understanding of challenges facing developmentally disabled adults and caretakers; provided leadership with regard to board issues, including budget and fundraising activities; 1995 - 2003 -- member, President (twice) Issaquah School District board of directors -- developed community leadership skills through eight years of turbulent growth for the ISD; oversaw budgets, personnel, resource allocation, curriculum decisions; placed one successful bond and three successful levies on the ballot; saved taxpayers several millions of dollars through wise management of resources; served actively in the Washington State School Directors Association, making contacts with other school board members throughout Washington State, developed understanding of legislative process and successfully proposed school legislation to state representatives.
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A Representative to the State Legislature is responsible for representing the citizens and constituents of the 5th District in the State Legislature during the process of making laws and passing budgets. The most important duties are: 1) developing a good understanding of the top priorities of my constituents, in order to represent their interests; 2) developing a strong knowledge about state government and the way it works, in order to connect my constituents to needed services; 3) continually educating myself on issues of concern in order to propose effective legislation or provide effective representation; 4) developing strong relations among other elected officials in order to effectively move legislation forward; 5) developing into a leader within my own caucus and within the House, in order to better represent my constituents; 6) communicating with constituents on a regular basis, in order to fully engage citizens in their state government and the decisions that are being made. |
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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Graduated 1966 with a BA in English/Education from Washington State University Graduated 1972 with a MS in English/Education from Eastern Connecticut University |
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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1995 - 2003 -- member, President (twice) Issaquah School District board of directors -- developed community leadership skills through eight years of turbulent growth for the ISD; oversaw budgets, personnel, resource allocation, curriculum decisions; placed one successful bond and three successful levies on the ballot; saved taxpayers several millions of dollars through wise management of resources; served actively in the Washington State School Directors Association, making contacts with other school board members throughout Washington State, developed understanding of legislative process and successfully proposed school legislation to state representatives. 1994 - present -- Community Relations Planner, King County DOT -- developed understanding of road and transit issues from a regional perspective; worked with numerous citizen advisory groups across the Eastside on road, bridge and transit projects, developed skills in organizing and facilitating meetings, developed models for including citizens in government decisions. Other involvements include: Issaquah Chamber of Commerce board (1986 - 1993), Issaquah Arts Commission (1997 to present), Community Enterprises of Issaquah (At Work) board of directors (1990 - 1995), Issaquah Valley Kiwanis (1996 to present), Greater Issaquah Youth and Family Network (2002 to 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