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

Greg

     

Nickels

 

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

 

Mayor,City of Seattle

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes              No

 

 

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

 

44 years

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

44 years

 

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

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:       

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

 

Campaign Name:

 

Neighbors for Nickels

 

Address:

 

3413 38th Ave SW

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Seattle, WA  98126

 

Campaign Phone:

 

206-340-4399

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

     

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

info@gregnickels.com

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

www.gregnickels.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)

Mayor, City of Seattle

 

Elective

 

Jan 2002-present

 

     

 

Councilmember, King County Council

 

Elective

 

January 1987-December 2002

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 

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

 

Office Title

Year of Run

Seattle School Board

 

1983

 

Mayor of Seattle

 

1997

 

King County Executive

 

1993

 


 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.)

 

I hope to earn a second term to build on the accomplishments from my first term.  In 2002, Seattle had lost its way.  The City faced a daunting $63 million budget deficit, the region lost nearly 90,000 jobs because of the national recession, dot-com bubble burst and the effect the 9/11 attacks had on our largest employer, Boeing and tourism.  WTO damaged our civic pride and the tragic death of a young man during Mardi Gras made us question the safety of our streets.  In the 3 1/2 years since taking office, I have worked to restore the public's confidence in local government by focusing on the basics and my four priorities:  Getting Seattle moving, keeping our neighborhoods safe, creating economic opportunity for all and building strong families and healthy communities.  I am very proud of Seattle's accomplishments and would like the opportunity to finish the work we've started.

 

I focused my attention on a handful of basic, essential services and committed to Seattle citizens that City Hall was listening to them.  I made sure that when someone called the City with a problem that a real, live human being answered the phone to respond to their need.  Potholes are being filled within 48 hours, a rate we haven't seen in years.

 

Citizens can now gather in our streets and excercise their constitutional rights of free expression without fear.  I added more officers to protect our neighborhoods and modernized or rebuilt every firestation in our city as part of my work to make Seattle the best-prepared City in the nation---ready to respond to any emergency.

 

We closed the budget gap by cutting costs, learning to live within our means, and setting four clear priorities for the City's investments in its future.  Our economy is growing again bringing 60,000 new jobs and unprecedented opportunities like the growing biotech industry in South Lake Union.

 

We’ve finally moved beyond years of endless discussion about how bad our transportation is to actually doing something about it.  We’re building light rail.  We’ve focused local, state and national attention on the crumbling Alaskan Way Viaduct.  As a result, the state has dedicated an unprecedented $2 billion and Congress has recently committed $231 million.

 

Several long-neglected neighborhoods are receiving new investments, such as Northgate, Broadway, the U-District and Southeast Seattle.  My Center City Strategy will encourage more housing and jobs in and around the City's downtown heart and increased home ownership and affordable housing opportunities throughout the City.

 

Seattle is a world environmental leader -- restoring our waters, protecting our air, and creating livable neighborhoods to prevent urban sprawl.  Recently, I issued a challenge to Mayors across America to meet the letter and spirit of the Kyoto Protocol to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  I am pleased to say that over 170 Mayors have agreed to meet my challenge.

 

I look forward to asking the voters of Seattle for another term to finish the work we started, build on our accomplishments and ultimately make a difference in people's lives.

 


 

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

 

I got involved in politics at age 16 and local government at 19. I have a life long passion for using politics and public service as a way to create positive change. My record clearly demonstrates my leadership.  It is based on setting clear priorities, listening to diverse perspectives and ideas, but then taking decisive leadership to deliver results. 

 

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. 

 

I believe the accomplishments I am most proud of from my first term reflect my four priorities, transportation, public safety, the economy and vibrant neighborhoods. 

 

As Mayor, I’ve led a coalition to replace the viaduct, securing unprecedented state funding and now am working on getting the rest of the necessary funding.  After years of inaction and talk, we are making appropriate investments in mass transit with the construction of light rail to offer transportation choices. I have worked to make Seattle America's most prepared city with the passage of the 2003 fire facilities levy and the recent addition of 25 more officers to help keep our neighborhoods safe.  I have worked to break the beuracratic logjam preventing investment in key business districts like South Lake Union, Northgate, Southeast and the U-District that will create jobs and revitalize these areas.  I led the renewing of the 2002 Housing Levy  to create more affordable housing in our city.  I reshaped the 2004 Families and Education Levy to ensure all children in our city can succeed academically.  My Race and Social Justice Initiative has made significant progress in changing the culture in the City to recognize the role we have in ensuring access for all people of color to employment, working conditions where they are treated fairly, and most importantly, access to culturally relevent services and programs.

 

Finally, I believe my focus on making sure the City does the basics well has restored public confidence and resulted in benefits to the City.  For example, repairing potholes quickly decreases the payments the City makes to citizens for damages to cars caused by potholes.


 

 

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.

 

I have nearly 30 years of experience in bringing people together to get things done. I began my career in public service at the age of 18, when I  interned for United States Senator Warren G. Magnuson in Washington, DC.

 

I began working for the City of Seattle in its purchasing and community development departments. I joined the office of Seattle City Councilmember Norm Rice as his Legislative Assistant in 1979 to 1987, when I campaigned for and won election to the King County Council as the youngest member ever elected to the 9 member council.  As a King County Councilmember for fourteen years, I represented the communities of West Seattle, White Center, Burien, and Vashon Island.

 

I served as chair of the Seattle/King County Board of Health from 1996-2001.  I took on the tobacco industry advertising aimed at kids and had the Marlboro Man banned from the Kingdome.  I succeeded in removing graphically violent video games from Seattle Center.

 

I have been a passionate advocate of creating a mass transit system and improving bus transit for our region.

 

Since I was elected Seattle's 51st Mayor in 2001, I focused the City on getting back to basics and restoring Seattle citizens trust in City Hall. 

 

 

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

 

I have had a relentless focus on re-connecting the City to its people, earning their trust and spending their tax dollars wisely.  This means delivering excellence in basic services, being a steward of the City's financial health in good times and preparing for lean times, and leading toward a vision for Seattle's future---listening to diverse voices and perspectives, and then delivering results.

 

 


 

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.

 

Seattle Prepatory School

University of Washington

 

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