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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11 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Mychal Schwartz for Renton Municipal Court Judge |
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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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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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I am running to be the Renton Municipal Court Judge because I believe that the citizens of Renton deserve a judge of the highest caliber. Not only have I been rated Exceptionally Well Qualified by both the King County Bar Association and the Asian Bar Association of Washington--the highest ratings that these organizations give, but I am also endorsed by the attorneys and judges who know Renton Municipal Court and know what I will bring to the Court as its judge. After more than ten years of serving the public as a criminal prosecutor and more than four years as a judge pro tempore, I want to use my knowledge and experience to improve the quality and administration of justice as the judge of the Renton Municipal Court. As the judge, I will work diligently to improve the public's understanding of the judicial system and to increase the respect shown to the court and by the court. Renton Municipal Court deserves a judge who is respected by attorneys, witnesses, and defendants who appear in the court. It similarly deserves a judge who shows respect to those same people. The Court should have a judge who will know and follow the law impartially. Both as a prosecutor and as a judge pro tempore, I have demonstrated all of these traits. This election is about choosing a person with exceptional qualifications who will bring respect to the court while also creating a positive atmosphere for those who come to court. For the various participants in the justice system, this has different meanings. For the attorneys who appear before the court, it means a judge who shows them the respect that they have earned. For witnesses and victims of crime, it means a judge who recognizes that their court appearance may be inconvenient and strives to minimize wasted time. For defendants, it means a judge who is fair, impartial, and listens carefully to what they have to say. For staff, it means a judge who acknowledges their ongoing efforts to keep the courthouse running smoothly. I am the candidate best suited to meet the demands of this position. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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My most important personal characteristics are:
Knowledge of the law--While I have prosecuted felony cases and appeals, I am recognized by my colleagues, peers, and opponents for the work that I have done over the past six and a half years in District Court supervising new attorneys and prosecuting the same types of offenses that are heard in Renton Municipal Court. My expertise in the area of DUI prosecution has provided me with the opportunity to regularly lecture to prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys from throughout the state.
Caring/Empatheic--I had the pleasure of serving as the King County Prosecutor’s liaison to King County Drug Court in 1995. While the atmosphere in Drug Court was not traditionally adversarial, the roles of the parties were generally well defined. On one occasion, though our roles shifted. A defendant came to the court who was clearly an Israeli citizen. He was disoriented, in custody, and didn’t really understand everything that was happening to him. With the permission of the defense attorney and the court, I spoke to the defendant directly in Hebrew. (I had done my junior year of college in Israel and hadn’t quite forgotten all of my Hebrew.) I explained to him what was happening, talked with him about why he was in Seattle, asked whether he had any family in the area, and, ultimately got him a contact name, address, and phone number for Jewish Family Services. Having the opportunity to help this person had a profound impact on my perspective as a prosecutor, a lawyer, and as a person. |
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.
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1. Judge Pro Tempore—I have earned the respect of the judges before whom I have practiced to the extent that they have then turned their courts over to me as a judge pro tempore. I take this trust placed in me very seriously. By respecting the parties who appear before me and following the law, I work toward achieving the correct and just results.
2. District Court Supervisor—Over the past six years and a half years, it has been my pleasure to assist in the training and supervision of more than one hundred new attorneys and interns at the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office. Moreover, while assigned to the District Court Unit, I have I had the opportunity to focus my practice on DUI prosecution. I am recognized by my colleagues, my opponents and judges as an expert in the field and have been asked regularly by my supervisors and my peers to give presentations at both local and statewide gatherings of attorneys, judges, and law enforcement officers.
3. Father of two young children—My wife and I have a 3 1/2 year old son and a 16 month old daughter. While this may seem a strange addition to this list, a closer examination shows that many of the skills one must utilize as a parent are directly applicable to the duties of a judge. As a father, I must be a good listener, caring, understanding, and decisive. There are times when I must be stern, and yet at other times, I must be lenient. Finally, at home just like in court, I mediate disputes and mete out punishment when necessary. |
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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I became a member of the City of Renton Rotary Club in February 2001. I became and active member, regularly attending weekly meetings and taking part in various events benefiting our community. When the time came to sign up for committees for the next year, I joined the Community Service Committee.
My increasing involvement in Rotary was interrupted in 2003 when my wife became pregnant with our second child. The pregnancy was deemed "high risk" and I did not have the same amount of time available for outside interests. I ultimately had to suspend my membership in Rotary as I did not even have time to attend the weekly meetings.
Life threw another curve my family's way when my daughter, Ilaina, was born at 27 weeks--13 weeks premature. The ten and a half weeks she spent in the hospital was the most difficult challenge I had ever faced. Through it all, though, the outpouring of support that we received from family, friends, and strangers who had heard of our ordeal reinforced my belief in the importance community involvement and helping others who may not have the same type of support that we had during our trying time.
After Lainie came home and slowly overcame each obstacle that her prematurity had placed in her way, I was able to renew my commitment to my local community and I happily actively rejoined the Rotary Club of Renton. Most recently I was a member of our Student of the Month Committee. As my personal life has stabilized (to the extent possible with two young children), my commitment to my community has been revitalized and I look forward to expanding my involvement in the future.
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The Renton Municipal Court Judge presides over all criminal misdemeanor and civil traffic infraction cases that occur within the city limits of Renton. The judge also works in conjunction with the court administrator to ensure that the Municipal Court runs in a proficient and cost effective manner.
On a day-to-day basis, the role of the Judge is to be an arbiter of disputes. The Judge must rule on legal motions, preside over hearings and trials, impose sentences when guilt is determined, and review the conduct of persons who are on probation with the court.
In the broadest sense, however, the most important duties of the Municipal Court Judge are to uphold the law, administer justice in a fair and impartial manner, and show all persons who come to the court respect. |
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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Juris Doctor, American University, 1994 BA, International Relations, Stanford University, 1990 |
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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Life threw my community involvement a curve when my daughter was born 13 weeks premature. The outpouring of support that we received from family, friends and even strangers during the 10 1/2 weeks she spent in the hospital reinforced my belief in the importance helping others who may not have the same type of support that we had. Our daughter is fine now and my commitment to community has been revitalized. I look forward to renewing and increasing my involvement with the Rotary Club of Renton. |
Supplemental Judicial Candidate Questionnaire
1. Briefly describe the nature of your current practice/position including types of clients and areas, if any, of specialization. State what percentage involves civil litigation, criminal litigation, and/or nonlitigation.
2. Identify all your experience as a neutral decision maker (e.g. judge, permanent or pro tem, in any jurisdiction, administrative law judge, hearing officer, arbitrator, etc.)
3. If you have been a judge, identify any court committees on which you have served or administrative positions you have held, including dates.
4. List the approximate percentage of your time over the last five years you have made appearances in:
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2.5 |
% municipal court |
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96 |
% state district court |
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1.5 |
% superior court |
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% federal district court |
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.5 |
% appellate court |
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% administrative tribunals |
5. Are you now an officer or director of any business enterprise other than your law practice? If so, what role do you expect to play if elected?
6. Have you ever been disciplined or determined to be in breach of professional conduct by any court, administrative agency, bar association, disciplinary committee, judicial conduct commission, or other professional group? Have you ever had a formal complaint filed against you with the WSBA? If so for either or both questions, give the particulars, including the outcome.
7. ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:
a) List the names, daytime and home phone numbers of three recent opposing counsel, including at least two cases that went to trial.
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Name of Opposing Counsel |
Daytime Phone |
Home Phone |
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Edwin Aralica |
(206) 624-8105 |
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Richard Atherton |
(425) 881-7881 |
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Jon Fox |
(425)451-1995 |
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a) If you have served as a neutral decision maker, list the names, daytime and home phone numbers of the last four attorneys who have appeared before you.
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Name of Attorney |
Daytime Phone |
Home Phone |
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Kenneth Harmell |
(253) 859-8840 |
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Julie Stormes |
(253) 856-5770 |
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Norman Scott Stewart |
(253) 859-8840 |
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Tami Perdue |
(253) 856-5776 |
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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