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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20 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Carolyn Edmonds for King County Council |
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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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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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The residents of my district need a voice on regional issues that affect their daily lives. For four years I have been that voice. The region needs a leader that belives in partnerships. I have been that kind of leader.
When I took office four years ago, Brightwater was of major concern. I have worked with the neighborhoods and the cities affected by the building of Brightwater and the Wastewater Treatment Department to develop strong mitigation agreements for each of the cities through which the conveyance pipes will be built. In addition to other agreements, in Shoreline, a pump station in Richmond Beach will open as a neighborhood park. In Lake Forest Park, an aquifer has been protected. Oversight of the completion of the Brightwater project is my regional role as Chair of the Natural Resources and Utilities Committee. I want to see that project through to completion.
Another regional role is oversight of the county parks and trail system. In my first year the county faced a sever budget crises. We were faced with closure of parks, pools and trails. My job that year was to find a way to keep the county in the parks business. I led the effort to develop a business plan that has been very successful. My district role as Chair of NRU was open space. My district is an urban district, with few opportunities for purchase of open space. I have secured funds for each of the cities in my district to purchase open space.
One of the most pressing health issues in our county is obesity. Chairing the King County Board of Health, I made this a priority issue. I began this initiative with an Obesity Prevention Summit, held last September. I brought together health professionals, land use planners, transportation planners, recreation professionals, school nutritionists and others to discuss this health crises. Working groups were formed that are currently developing policy initiatives. The next summit will be in September to report on the progress of the working groups.
I believe that government cannot be effective without continual communication and partnerships among civic, business, faith leaders and residents. I carry out that philosophy as an elected official. The Economic Development Summitt for North County, the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market, tent city legislation, the salmon recovery plan for the Snoqualimie Watershed are just a few examples of my ability to create partnerships that benefit residents. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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Elected office requires an array of personal characteristics that one can translate into leadership. Listening to diverse viewpoints, translating those viewpoints, articulating common goals, problem solving, building consensus and sharing the credit are important characteristics that I have demonstrated time and again. These skills resulted in the passage of parks department reforms, tent city legislation, salmon recovery plans and legislative changes that benefit our county.
Representation requires understanding the environment and choosing which role will get the best results for my constituents. Sometimes my role is simply to be there. My presence in a controversial situation can encourage people to be on their best behavior. Sometimes it can be the lightning rod that allows people to vent so they can then get down to work.
Sometimes my role is to work in the background, giving others an opportunity to provide leadership on an issue. I provide the "back-up" by giving access to resources and credibility to the emerging leaders.
Sometimes my role is to be the vocal advocate and spokesperson. This is the "bully pulpit" side of elected office. I use this role often as Chair of the Board of Health.
Lastly, I am teachable. I learn from my mentors, my colleagues, my staff, my constituents and my critics. |
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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Member, Advisory Board, Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council Board Member, Shoreline Community College Foundation, 2003-present Member, Shoreline, Lake City, Greater Bothell and Woodinville Chambers of Commerce Steering Committee Member, Northshore Senior Center Capital Campaign, 2001 Board Member, Senior Services of Seattle/King County, 2000-2002 Board Member, Lutheran Alliance to Create Housing, 1999-2002 Member: Shoreline Rotary, 1996-Present Vice-Chair, Shoreline Planning Commission, 1996-98 Board President, Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Senior Center, 1995-97 Board President, Shoreline Historical Museum, 1995-96 Fundraising Co-Chair, Citizens for Shoreline Schools, 1995-96 Campaign Manager/Chair, Shoreline Incorporation Campaign, 1994 Co-President, Sunset Elementary School PTA, 1996-97 Legislative Chair, Sunset Elementary School PTA, 1994-96
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I consider my job to have 3 roles: district representative, regional leader and legislative liaison.
I represent Northeast Seattle and 4 suburban cities. 95% of my constituents have a local city government to address most of their issues. Therefore, my primary responsibility is to vote for my district on regional issues. In addition, I have a responsibility to insure that projects and issues in which the county is a partner with a city progress smoothly. I meet monthly with each mayor and city manager in my district to facilitate communication and a good working relationship. These regular meetings allow problems to be solved before they become crises. They also allow us to suggest ideas that can develop into great community projects. The Lake Forest Park farmers market is one example. I also have a responsibility to provide constituent service. This involves addressing individual problems as well as neighborhood concerns. These issues are as diverse as speeding on 19th Ave NE in Kingsgate to bus service to public art at the 1st Northeast Transfer Station to funding for the Lake City food bank
Regional leadership requires consensus and partnership building with very diverse interests. Often, cities within King County, and other counties, look to us to set the "bar" on policy. Tent City legislation is a good example. The cities in King County, especially the eastside, were struggling with this issue. My legislation became the model, or at least the benchmark, for the rest of the county. Salmon recovery plans are another example. I participated on the Snoqualmie Watershed Form (WRIA 7). This was an interjurisdictional group that was the first to complete their plan. The King County Board of Health is a federated board that requires regional leadership.
King County is the largest county in the state, and therefore we are an important presence in the legislative process. As Chair of the Legislative Steering Committee, I aggressively pursue policy changes and funding at the state level that will benefit our residents. Recent examples include $10 million for public health funding, $10 million in funding for mental health, changes in court administration that will increase revenue $3-4 million and a change in conservation funding that will benefit our salmon recovery efforts.
I have taken this leadership role farther by actively participating in the Washington Association of Counties. I feel it is important to see the issues through the "viewfinder" of the smaller, rural counties. It is also important that county commissioners view King County as an ally and not the enemy. Last September I was elected Secretary-Treasurer. This is the first time in over 20 years that a member of the King County Council has been elected an officer of WASC.
Given this complex array of responsibilities, the most important is always voting my district.
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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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Masters of Public Administration, University of Washington, 1999 BS, Business Administration, San Jose State University, 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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Member, Advisory Board, Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council Board Member, Shorleline Community College Foundation, 2003-Present Member, Shoreline, Lake City, Greater Bothell and Woodinville Chambers of Commerce Steering Committee Member, Northshore Senior Center Capital Campaign, 2001 Board Member, Senior Services of Seattle/King County, 2000-2002 Board Member, Lutheran Alliance to Create Housing, 1999-2002 Member, Shoreline Rotary, 1996-Present Vice-Chair, Shoreline Planning Commission, 1996-98 |
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