The Municipal League of King County

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224

Seattle, WA 98104

 

2005 Board of Trustees

 

Rita Brogan, Chair

Mark Troxel, Vice Chair

Beth M. Arman, Secretary

Harold Taniguchi, Treasurer

 

Putnam Barber, Executive Alliance

Vaughnetta J. Barton, community volunteer

Jill D. Bowman, Stoel Rives

Patricia Bowman, human resources manager (ret.)

Bruce Carter, judge pro tem, Seattle Municipal Court

Kevin Carter, Safeco

Stephanie Cirkovich, Pike Place Market PDA

Peter Coates, Building and Construction Trades Council

Chris Cooper, CHHIP

Paul Demitriades, Medina City Council (ret.)

Sandra Driscoll, City Attorney (ret)

Deborah Eddy, Consultant

Keven Franklin, King County

Mary Gates, Consultant

Norma Jean Hanson, Norma Jean Hanson Paralegal Services

Robert Klein, McNaul, Ebel, Nawrot, and Helgren

Eric Laschever, Stoel Rives

Steve Marshall, Snohomish PUD

Rob Neate, Puget Sound Energy

Jennifer Piccolo, citizen activist

Charles Redell, Reporter

Tami Ritoch, Fireside Homes Real Estate Associate

R. Todd Slind, CH2MHill

Lucy Steers, public participation consultant

Harold Taniguchi, King County Department of Transportation

Rashelle Tanner, CRISTA Ministries

David Tarshes, Davis Wright Tremaine

Kate Tate, Weyerhauser

Philip Thompson, Perkins Coie

Mark Troxel, City of Seattle

Wes Uhlman, Wes Uhlman & Associates

Rich White, Boeing

2005 CANDIDATE BACKGROUND QUESTIONNAIRE
FOR NON-JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

 

The Municipal League of King County requests every candidate who participates in the candidate evaluation process to submit background information prior to his/her interview with a candidate evaluation committee.  The questionnaire is the basis of the League’s research and interview process.  The League’s ratings are non-partisan; they are based on standards of Involvement, Effectiveness, Character, and Knowledge, all of which have been developed and refined over the past 90 years.

 

A printed version of the questionnaire is available for candidates who prefer to use the traditional format.  To obtain a hard copy, please contact the League office.  A copy of this questionnaire will be provided to Candidate Evaluation Committee members to help them prepare for your interview.  Candidate responses, except the confidential section, will be available to the general public at the League website. 

 

The Municipal League requests the following materials from candidates.  Please check to make certain you have sent in your:

 

      Candidate Questionnaire

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

      Resume (education, employment, and professional activities)

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

               Check here if you DO NOT want your resume posted on the Municipal

                   League website

      Campaign Materials

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

      Constituent Newsletters and other publications

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

      Photograph

          Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

 

Note: Electronically submitted questionnaires are strongly preferred. All materials can be emailed to rebecca@munileague.org.  They can be processed and made available on-line far more rapidly than handwritten or typed submissions.

 

For non-electronic submissions, please print clearly and legibly and return the application as soon as possible in order to allow the committee the greatest amount of time to prepare a complete report on your skills and experience.

 

If you have not yet been contacted to schedule an interview, or if you have questions about the candidate evaluation program, please contact the League office at 206-264-1070.

 

If you have a disability and require accommodation to participate in the candidate evaluation process, please contact Rebecca Cooper at the League office.

2005 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

Steve

     

Denmark

 

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

 

Burien City Council

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes              No

 

 

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

 

1975

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

1975

 

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

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:       

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

 

Campaign Name:

 

Citizens to Elect Steve Denmark

 

Address:

 

126 SW 148th St. Bldg C100-258

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Burien WA 98166-1984

 

Campaign Phone:

 

206-679-4980

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

206-248-9715

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

sd@steve4burien.com

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

www.steve4burien.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)

Highline School Board

 

elected

 

2001-2005

 

Vice president

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 

2.   If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:

 

Office Title

Year of Run

n/a

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 


 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.)

 

The simple answer is that I want to make a difference.

 

I want to build the kind of concensus that will take Burien into the future while still retaining those values which have made us the unique community that we are. Preserving the old, while building the new. Improving our streets, safe neighborhoods and infrastructure.

 

Burien was established as a city in 1993 and the concept of revitalizing our city core was proposed then.

 

Now, 2005, 12 years later, we are close to establishing a dream shared by thousands. We want to reinvent our city center and do it with a modern park, affordable housing and retail shops.

 

I want to be part of this dream.

 

Since 2002, I have extensive experience with the building of six new schools as a member of the Highline School Board District 401(2001-current) and believe that I can offer my experience to the Council.

I also want to bring a new understanding to the Council on how they can best work with HSD. Something that is not in place at this time.

 


 

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

 

Integrity

I believe that this office is designated to be non-partisan by the State Legislature for a reason. Special interests need to placed in the context of what is good for all of the people, not just a select few. Their role and their obligation to the community should be first and foremost in the minds of the members of Council. By proclaiming to be a member and supporter of a particular party undermines this committment to the greater good of all of the people.

 

Communication skills

Only by listening to each side and understanding their point of view and hearing them with respect, can any progress be made on difficult issues. Compromise is not necessarily giving in! Compromise can be progress. We should first negotiate, not legislate.

 

Research,

The ability to learn about new subjects and then be able to make informed votes that benefit the people.

 

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. 

 

Neighborhood Improvement- Marine Ridge

In 1991, we were being plagued by petty thefts and vandalism in our community. My answer was to organize a construction committee to erect a professional red cedar sandblasted sign with a cedar shake roof and concrete columns all with neighbors pitching in…that reestablished the long lost name of our community…Marine Ridge. From that first block party, we then built new mailbox centers, published an emergency map that later may have saved a life by a neighbor being able to direct an aide unit to a heart attack victim! Our thefts stopped. I was elected honorary mayor.

 

Elected member of the Highline School Board.

 

My four years of service have seen incredible improvement in the infrastruture of our Burien area schools with six new facilities open, on plan, on time and on budget, the first Aviation High School, new Microsoft grants and the new Small Schools.

 

Volunteer teacher at Highline High School. 1999-2001.

 

I always wanted to have my own classroom and be a teacher. This was a realization of that dream!


 

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.

 

Family, married for 25 years and we have two children, 19 & 18. My wife and I were always supporters of PTA, Ice Cream and Safeco Field Fundraisers for Track, Gymnastics, Bear Cats Drill, Swim Team, Dive team, Glee club, chaparones for dances, field trips and sporting events. Proms, construction projects and long distance child hauling. I was also an official Cheer Dad.

 

Community service includes, American Cancer Society, Diabetes and Heart Fund, Blind Industries, Seattle Metro Run for Life 10k, Burien Parade, Seafair and Children's parade. Discover Burien Executive Council, Farmer's Market and Swim Club Vice president.

 

Burien was established as a city in 1993. The concept of revitalizing our city core was first proposed then. Now, 2005, 12 years after we are close to establishing a dream shared by thousands. We want to reinvent our city center and remove the 10 acres of asphalt that is currently there and replace it with a park, affordable housing and retail shops.

I want to be part of this dream.

I have extensive experience with the building of six new schools as a member fo the Highline District School Board 2001-current and believe that I can offer my experience to the Council.

I also want to bring a new understanding to the Council on how they can best work with HSD. Something that is not in place at this time.

 

 

 

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

 

In my opinion,

To be an effective member of the city council requires a close, effective relationship with the other electeds  and the City Manager.

 

Communication & Maintaining Trust,

Good will and candor are necessary to keep the citizens informed and a viable source of support.

 

As a legally designated governing body, the council is the final authority within the city. The council has authority expressly required and implied by state law (and other policies and statutes).

 

The City Manager is the council's professional advisor to whom the council delegates executive responsibility to manage the city in a manner consistent with council policy, long and short-range plans and all governing laws.

 

Comprehensive Plan-

Developed with the City manager and his staff to move the city into the future and maintain the quality of life.

 

Involvement-

With a broad base of constituents to have a better understanding of community needs.

 

Adopting policies-

Needed to support city initiatives

 

Allocating funding and other financial resources-

Needed to advance the quality of life for all of the citizens of Burien.

 

Monitoring progress- 

Make certain that goals are met on plan, on time and on budget.

 

Advocate for Community Support-

In conjunction with other public officials, parents, media, various groups, business and community leaders.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE?

 

A GOOD CITY COUNCIL DOES NOT RUN THE CITY;  RATHER, IT INSURES THAT

THE CITY IS WELL RUN.


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.

 

     

 

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.

 

     

 

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: 206-264-1070                Email: rebecca@munileague.org

Seattle, WA 98104-1614                        Fax: 425-671-0506                        Website: www.munileague.org