2005 Candidate Questionnaire
SECTION I
BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION
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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33 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Suzette Cooke for Mayor |
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Address: |
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City/State/Zip: |
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Campaign Phone: |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
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Campaign Website: |
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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) |
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Chair, Children & Family Services Committee
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state's lead on welfare reform
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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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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:
- Involvement: What has the candidate done previously in family, neighborhood, community, volunteer work, employment or public life to suggest readiness to accomplish challenging objectives? How do these activities demonstrate readiness for the challenges unique to the office sought?
- Effectiveness: Has the candidate demonstrated promise of being productive in the office sought? Has the candidate shown the ability to work with other people?
- Character: Do the candidate's personal traits show the ability to take on the responsibilities of campaigning for and holding the public office she or he is seeking? Is the candidate a leader, participant or observer? Is the candidate trustworthy, reliable and candid?
- Knowledge: Has the candidate demonstrated the willingness and ability to learn and adapt? Does the candidate understand the duties and challenges of the office sought? Does the candidate have a firm grasp of the issues important to his or her constituency and their potential effects?
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 want to be Kent Mayor because I can: • Improve people’s lives; • Guide Kent’s growth as an urban center while maintaining a safe, family-friendly atmosphere - help ensure the next generation can and wants to stay in Kent; • Prioritize city services and projects through citizen input, performance audits and the budget process; • Develop and promote an image makeover with which residents and businesses can positively identify; • Clean up and rejuvenate the city’s commercial areas to attract more shopping choices in goods and quality; • Help secure high wage jobs and national recognition through developing the Center for Advanced Manufacturing; • Tune up the development permit process so it is more predictable and user-friendly for all sizes of projects; • Relate well to people of diverse ethnicity and national origins, especially after having lived and worked for one year under a military regime in Greece; and • Protect and better recognize neighborhoods, and engage the residents in city communications and activities.
Additionally, my husband and I have a vested interest in the city’s future: our commercial printing business is located in the Kent Valley. With 60 employees, we are the third largest family-owned printing business in Puget Sound.
Kent needs a mayor with vision, strong budget and management skills, a working understanding of business and political structures, a passion for community betterment, and an effective communication style. I am a great fit. I have a broad background in leadership and management as a government employee for four cities, a state elected official, chief executive officer for two non-profit organizations and a business owner. I have proved that I can translate listening and learning into action, and now I want Kent to directly benefit from all I have to offer. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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• Honest: the public needs to know that what they hear and see is the truth. This also encourages honesty in return from employees and other elected officials. • Trustworthy & dependable: I follow through with what I say I will do, and I attempt to not make promises I cannot keep. • Approachable: I help people feel at ease in one-on-one communications, group discussions and formal public hearings. (I received many compliments on the way I conducted public hearings in the House Children & Family Services Committee. Even if a person disagreed with my position, I coached them on how to be succinct and helped them clarify their testimony.) • Practical: Does a project, event, policy or regulation add sufficient value for the time and cost to implement it? Does it make sense to the people it affects? Can the city enforce it? • Can-do attitude: After determining there is an interest or need for something, I approach the topic with “how can we make this happen,” not “can we make this happen.” • Respectful of people and their differences: I have socialized and worked with people who have different national origins, religions, ages, physical and mental abilities, and sexual orientation. I sought commonality across political party lines, and encouraged discourse on minority opinions at board meetings. • Interactive listener: I want to ensure I understand not only what is being said – in the speaker’s mind, but how it translates into action. • Tenacious: If something is of value to accomplish, I have the patience to keep at it. Success may come with a different approach or when key parties change. A prime example is welfare reform. For four years Governor Lowry would not consider it; but Gov. Locke was open to changing our state system. • Dignified – as a mayor should be when the occasion calls for it. • Organized: I have regularly developed one- and three-year plans with timelines, action steps, responsible parties and outcomes. • Initiator and collaborator: I am adept at bringing individuals or groups together to develop policies, plan projects and get things done. • Oratory: I like public speaking and informal public forums. |
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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In addition to the following, please refer to my resume and the attachment, “Suzette Cooke: Community Service”
Washington State Representative, District 47, 12/1992 – 1/1999 Chaired several committees, helped write the state budget and pension policies, and led statewide effort to reform welfare
Executive Director, Kent Chamber of Commerce, 4/1981 – 5/1992 • Attended weekly city council meetings and workshops for 11 years, testified at public hearings and lobbied council members about business issues • Appointed to numerous committees and task forces concerning city plans, policies and projects: I gained intimate knowledge of the city budget, comprehensive plans and zoning, water quality and quantity issues, surface water drainage, road projects and transportation plans, traffic mitigation policies and fees, the development permit process and economic development • Established the Kent (Chamber) Community Foundation for privately funding public education and the arts, and initiated the Kent Winterfest Parade • Registered as a state lobbyist and served as a board member on two statewide business organizations
Director, Kent Senior Activity Center, City of Kent Parks Dept., 2/1975 – 4/1981 I wrote 2-year operational budgets, secured federal and state grants, conducted a detailed personnel performance audit, worked with city council members and participated in numerous city committees and projects, such as: • Promotion and hiring assessment centers for police and fire personnel, 1979-1982 • King County organization for senior center directors, organizer, 1976 - 1981 • Committee to establish Kent’s recycling program, staff lead, 1980 • Kent Saturday Market, supervisor, 1979-1980 • King County’s Housing Rehabilitation Advisory Committee, 1979 • Facility planning committee for building the Kent Commons, 1976-1977
Economic development manager, City of Burien, 4/1999 – 5/2001 Implemented rudimentary steps to attract business: • Established and published a city identity marketing packet with website support • Initiated Burien Clean Sweep with over 400 volunteers
President/CEO, Greater Renton Chamber of Commerce, 7/2001 – 9/2004 • Stakeholder in the Renton- Ahead of the Curve” community marketing campaign • Member of the Blue Ribbon Committee, Renton’s think tank for business, government, education and civic leaders
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- Please describe the duties of the office you seek. Which are the most important duties and why?
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There are many parallels between the responsibilities of mayor and the role I played as chief executive officer for two chambers of commerce. In a loose analogy, the Kent mayor serves by the will of the voters as the CEO of an 85,000-member non-profit organization. The city’s elected board of directors, the 7-member city council, represents the citizenry when setting policies, approving services and projects, and enacting ordinances, and city staff implements their decisions. Just as any good CEO, the mayor recommends policies and activities for consideration by the council, works with the council president in setting meeting agendas, and influences council members’ votes through persuasion. Communicating with city council members is one of the most important roles for a mayor to be successful in a strong mayor form of government. Without council support, the mayor’s innovative programs that require council action will never take root.
The mayor’s role as an employer - in hiring, being clear on job expectations, and signing union and service contracts - and is as important as council communications. Unlike the current administration, I will have the department directors report to me. The chief operating officer will still be responsible for managing the details, but I consider department heads as my management team. Their insights into what it will take to implement projects are critical. The city will run more efficiently and effectively when department personnel understand an outcome and feel vested in it. Additionally, the mayor’s appointments of people to commissions, boards and committees will influence the effectiveness of the groups in truly representing constituent interests.
The one duty that can make or break anything a mayor wants to accomplish is the budget. Writing the budget and managing the city’s finances is shared by many parties, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the mayor. In order to keep taxes and fees reasonably low, the budget must be based on realistic estimates for expenditures and revenues, incorporate reserve funds for equipment replacement and economic emergencies, and expose future liabilities. (This will be the first budget I will not have to develop myself.)
The mayor serves as the most visible representative of the city, not only to its residents, businesses and government employees, but also as a regional powerbroker. Kent has much to offer – and to gain – with the mayor’s participation in regional, state and federal legislative and planning bodies. This sets the mayor up as a “lobbyist” for decisions that will benefit Kent. Additionally, Kent will benefit by continuing our collaboration with neighboring cities and King County.
And last but not least, the mayor has a duty as a leader to formulate a vision for Kent, today and 40 years from now, that serves as the parameter for decisions. (Leadership from the mayor is the number one request from city staff.) I am eager to work with the city council and lead the public discussion toward updating Kent’s vision. The result will serve as a springboard to a public image makeover and stronger Kent identity that will benefit citizens and businesses. |
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.
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BA, Recreation Admin, WWSC, 1972; business courses, UPS & San Jose SU, 1978-90; Kent & King Co Citizen Police Academies |
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.
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WA State Representative 3 terms: budget, pensions, chaired Children & Family Services Committee, led state welfare reform; Kent Chamber of Commerce executive director 11 yrs; Kent Senior Center director 6 yrs; Kent Saturday Market supervisor 2 yrs; Kent-Sunrise Rotary Club charter president; established the Kent Community Foundation & Winterfest Parade; Assessment Center member for Kent police & fire personnel decisions; Renton Technical College Foundation president; Kent Schools Futures Club |
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
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: 425-671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org