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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33 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Judy Woods for Mayor |
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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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Elected 5 times
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Council President, Committee Chair
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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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I am running for Mayor because I have a vision for Kent's future and I will bring unique qualifications to the position.
I know that Kent's current challenges will only be effectively tackled by someone with my skills and insight. Having served for twenty-one years on the Kent City Council, including nearly ten years as council president, I have an intimate knowledge of the community. My past and current volunteer work has been in Kent and the region; it has given me a well rounded view of the challenges that Kent currently faces. My commitment is service to the citizens of Kent; I have no other political aspirations.
I see three major challenges that the next Mayor of Kent will encounter. I have worked hard on the City Council to lay the groundwork for these challenges, but the city must increase its efforts in order to meet the needs of its residents.
As Mayor, I will emphasize economic development: growing the economy in order to pay for increased costs of providing high level of services. I will encourage mixed use development in the downtown core, where by the end of 2005, the Kent Station project will bring 100,000 new people a month into downtown. I played a large role in securing the property for Kent Station, knowing that it was up to the City Council to determine the direction of Kent's future. While this decision was not universally popular, we have already seen many people come around to the idea of higher density and a vibrant downtown. I also want to encourage similar development along Pacific Highway and the Benson Corridor where infrastructure exists and where there are currently areas that could be developed to a higher and better use. I will also encourage that the permit center become more efficient, predictable, and accountable.
Second, we must acknowledge the special needs of neighborhoods and develop plans to address them. While doorbelling, I've heard frequently that people want more traffic calming devices and better code enforcement. We could use our Block Watch organizations as action groups to help focus on these issues. The more involved people are at the grassroots level, the better the overall quality of life. I have worked with citizens on various projects to secure land for city parks and gathering places. Recently, the city dedicated a new park that will be a place for children to play sports and explore the natural environment. I had a significant role in turning that property into a park.
Third, we must address the need for more after school programs. Our youth face many challenges and many are at risk during the hours of 2-6pm. We can do more in cooperation with the school district to provide positive, safe havens with a variety of programs during this time of day. During my time on the city council, I supported the strong relationship with the school district.
To accomplish these things, it is essential that we develop and articulate a vision that the community understands. To do that, we must communicate better. We may want to hire an ombudsman at least on a part time basis. In addition, we may examine a return of a quarterly city newsletter that goes to all city households. Bottom line, as Mayor, I will frequently visit neighborhoods, homeowners associations, and community groups to help develop stronger connections between city government and its citizens. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I am a consensus builder. I welcome input, am tolerant of and encourage other points of view, and am non-confrontational. I see myself as a uniter, leading in a constructive direction. This approach is critically needed with the current City Council because it is an inexperienced group and there could be three new council members in 2006. I frequently put forth ideas knowing full well that they may not be the final decision of a group. However, I feel that a conversation must begin with many ideas in order to later produce the most practical and reasonable plan. My decision-making style is inclusive, empowering, and collaborative. Communities need that in a leader.
My life has been one of service, as a teacher and community volunteer. I taught for over thirty years at the community college level, working with an increasingly diverse student population that is reflective of the demographic changes in Kent. As a teacher, I gained the important quality of understanding others. I know how to adapt my personal style to best match that of others, while still sticking to my beliefs. This trait is valuable in a Mayor who must work with diverse groups with different traditions, backgrounds, and styles. I feel as comfortable talking with immigrant groups as I do with the legal profession.
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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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Green River Community College teacher: 1973-2001
Kent City Council, 1982-2003 Council President: 10 years Parks Committee Chair: 15 years
Kent Downtown Partnership Board Member, 2004-2006
Kent Parks Foundation, 2003 Chair, 2005-2006
Kent Youth and Family Services Board, 2003-
Kent Soroptimist, 1984-
King County Ethics Board
Suburban Cities Association, President
Woodland Park Zoo Bond Committee
Ex Officio member: Kent Human Services Commission Kent Arts Commission Kent Library Board Drinking Driving Task Force
Completed: CERT (Citizen Emergency Response Training): Fire Department Citizens Academy: Police Department
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By statute, the Mayor directs city operations. He/she executes council policy. Kent is a full service city. The Mayor is responsible for the work of over seven hundred employees who provide services in areas from police, fire, public works, parks and recreation, to the municipal court.
A strong Mayor provides stability in time of change. Kent is a city of 85,000 people; within 10 years the population will reach 120,000. This job requires extraordinary skills in these times when the challenge is balancing concerns between those who favor development and those who oppose it.
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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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BA Education, BA and MA History: Western Washington University PhD History: University of Washington |
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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Green River Community College teacher: 1973-2001
Kent City Council, 1982-2003 Council President: 10 years Parks Committee Chair: 15 years
Kent Downtown Partnership Board Member, 2004-2006
Kent Parks Foundation, 2003 Chair, 2005-2006
Kent Youth and Family Services Board, 2003-
Kent Soroptimist, 1984-
King County Ethics Board
Suburban Cities Association, President
Ex Officio member: Kent Human Services Commission Kent Arts Commission Kent Library Board Drinking Driving Task Force |
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