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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49 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Elect Tom Hodgson |
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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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Year of Run |
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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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Kirkland has a good public process and encourages its citizens to be involved. I have been fortunate to contribute at many levels and feel that I've reached a point where I can be effective as a member of the City Council.
I am highly motivated to find solutions that benefit the greater community. Kirkland has the potential to be a world-class place to live, work, play and visit if we plan our growth carefully with sensitivity to the things that make Kirkland good today. We have a choice to guide growth or be consumed by it. I believe I can help make the decisions that will take Kirkland gracefully into the coming century.
I have lived in Kirkland for almost 30 years and have been involved in city issues for the past 15. I started as a member of my Neighborhood Association and served two terms as chair, as a Park Board member, and currently as a member of the Planning Commission. Over the years I've gained an understanding of the issues facing the city, a range of views of the people who live here and the businesses who serve them.
My background as a Northwest native and longtime resident of Kirkland has given me good perspective on how the region is growing and changing. I understand the need to accomodate growth, yet contain it to areas where the greatest efficiencies can be realized in transportation, housing, employment and recreation.
My experiences on the Kirkland Planning Commission and Park Board have exposed me to citywide issues concerning land use and zoning as they relate to the City Comprehensive Plan and the Growth Management Act. I have worked closely with members of the City Council, presented recommendations at Council meetings and have atttended the City Council retreat at my own expense over the last several years. In addition, I helped with the campaigns of four of the current council members. I feel this has prepared me to run my own campaign successfully.
Many of Kirkland’s issues are related to growth. The decisions being made on these issues will shape the future character of the city. My involvement with members of the community on boards, committees and as chair of the Planning Commision conducting public hearings, has prepared me to make policy decisions that reflect the needs and wishes of the greater community. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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Fairness, objectivity, balance, vision, leadership and the ability to work with people who represent opposing views are my most important traits that I can bring to the office of City Council.
I realize that there is constant pressure from various factions to influence public policy, and those interests must be in balance with the needs of the larger community. It is important to have a sense of the values and goals of the community in order to make decisions that the citizens will respect and support.
My leadership style values decision making by consensus. I believe that there is common ground on every issue and I have worked hard to achieve it on the committees that I have chaired and been associated with. |
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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2001 – Present, Kirkland Planning Commission
I served as chair for one term in 2003. As a City Council-appointed member of the Planning Commission I represented the community interests in land use and zoning regulations and made recommendations to the City Council for policy decisions. Work program items included updating the Comprehensive Plan, conducting public hearings and making recommendations on private amendment requests. The Planning Commission meets twice monthly for 3-4 hours. Commissioners are expected to serve on sub-committees as well. I am currently the chair of the Totem Lake Action Team whose mission is to advise on economic development issues for the Totem Lake neighborhood.
1999-2001 Kirkland Park Board
As a member of the Park Board I consulted on phase II development of Marina Park, the development of a new trail system along Forbes Creek and studied a new regional multi-use trail system along the BNSF railroad right-of-way known as the Cross Kirkland Trail. I was also involved in developing a city/school partnership to share use and maintenance of school playgrounds.
1998-99 North Rose Hill Neighborhood Association Chair
My responsibilities included organizing various committees, writing the requests and reports for the City of Kirkland Neighborhood Grant Program, promoting community outreach programs to boost membership and awareness, preparing the agenda and running the monthly meetings.
During that time I completed the Leadership Institute Redmond program. I gained new skills in working with a diversity of personalities, improved my public speaking technique, studied social issues and completed a community service project with a team of fellow students composed of individuals with mixed work and communication styles.
1990-1998
I was a founding member of the North Rose Hill Neighborhood Association and served as Chair of the Public Safety Committee. I created the Neighborhood Pathways signage program, worked on the information kiosk project that involved building and placing two kiosks in neighborhood parks. I also participated in establishing the neighborhood picnic as a popular annual event that draws hundreds of neighbors every year.
1981- 2003 Owner and operator of an advertising and creative services company. Hodgson Advertising Art. Skills acquired include managing staff, budgets, client relations, business retention and new business development.
2003 to present
WatchGuard Technologies. Creative Director for Marketing Communications. Skills include directing creative programs and staff for in-house creative services department for a multi-national high technology company in the competitive network security market space.
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The City Council represents the people of Kirkland on all policy issues regarding the operation of the city and directs the City Manager and staff to implement that policy. Duties include making policy regarding budget, public services such as fire and police, parks, utilities and all other departments in the city.
The most important duties are to accurately and fairly represent the wishes of the people of the city while balancing financial concerns, comprehensive plan compliance, regional obligations and future planning objectives.
A council member must help define and keep interested parties focused on a shared vision. This is critical because without strong and consistent leadership, public policy will drift in the shifting winds of public opinion. Ultimately, it is the obligation of the city council to provide the leadership that will result in the realization of the shared goals of the community. |
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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Washington State University AAS, Graphic Design/Advertising, Seattle Central Community College Leadership Institute Redmond, Class of 2000 |
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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Kirkland Planning Commission, 2001 to present - served as chair.
Totem Lake Action Team, Chair 2004 to present
Park Bond Committee member, 2002
Kirkland Park Board, 1999-2001, Committee member of Totem Lake Task Force.
Neighborhood Association, Chair 1998 - 1999
School Modernization/Design Committee - Mark Twain Elementary 1997
Curriculum Advisory Board member, Seattle Central Community College, 1992 - 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