2006 Candidate Questionnaire
SECTION I
BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION
1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
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First Name |
Middle Initial or Nick Name |
Last Name |
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Erik |
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Fretheim |
2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
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State Representative, District 41, Pos #2 |
3. Are you the incumbent? Yes No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
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3 years |
5. How long have you resided in King County?
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34 years - 1970-1977, 1977-1993 (active Army), 1997-Present |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
7. If partisan, please indicate party: Republican
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Friends of Erik Fretheim – GOP |
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Address: |
12819 SE 38th ST #468 |
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City/State/Zip: |
Bellevue, WA 98006 |
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Campaign Phone: |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
info@erikfretheim.com |
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Campaign Website: |
www.erikfretheim.com |
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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) |
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2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
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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.)
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I am concerned about the inaction and lack of responsiveness to the public in our state. Although I had always considered becoming politically involved, I had never found the time due to commitments to family, scouting, and other areas. However, when in Iraq, another Lieutenant Colonel and I were discussing the risks politicians in Iraq took. They risked their lives and family. We both decided our reasons were insignificant, and that when we returned, we would find time to get involved.
Now is a very important time for involvement in our state. There have been multiple initiatives by the people that the legislature has simply ignored. Our transportation infrastructure has been ignored, or had the focus on grand schemes that cost billions and deliver little in congestion relief to the public. Education planning has consisted of spending ever increasing amounts, while increasing the reach of the state bureaucracy.
The legislature has lost control of the budget, with a 17% increase coming, and it is looking for new taxes. The budget needs to be brought back under control. The proposed real estate excise tax is one of the worse proposed taxes as it is based on the full value of the house, and therefore cuts significantly into the equity. The tax is especially bad because when people sell their houses is when they need the money the most. Whether they are planning to buy another house, or retire, they may find their plans destroyed by this tax.
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2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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My personal characteristics have been shaped by the Boy Scouts – Duty to God and Country, Duty to one’s self, and Duty to others – by West Point – Duty, Honor, Country – and by my faith in God. These values define who I am, and what I do.
I believe in taking action to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and with consideration. This means providing the means for people to excel and providing encouragement. It does not mean doing everything for everyone. People need to be able to make their own choices. This is the same way our government should work. It should provide opportunity for all, but not a bunch of handouts. It should provide the minimum people need in terms of guidance, and then allow people to make it one their own terms.
I also like working with people to find solutions to problems. This means that when in office I will work with all people to find solutions to the problems facing the state.
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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.
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I was in Iraq designing the communications and control systems for the new Iraqi government. This was a highly complex system that included the National Command Center (Ministry of the Interior), the National Joint Operations Center, and the Prime Minister’s situation room. Connecting to these were communications to the police stations, border patrol, and highway patrol bases, as well as, mobile and handheld communications (50,000+ radios) and computer support. While the system was a challenge, the most important thing was working with the Iraqi government officials to ensure that the system was built to work with their culture and ways of doing business rather than simply imposing a western approach on this as many would rather have done.
When I returned from Iraq, I started a girl scout troop. There were several girls interested, but none of the parents had the time, or inclination to start a troop. My wife supported my effort and we began the Daisy troop with 8 girls. Last year we moved up to Brownies and had 12 girls. We have given the girls an opportunity to learn things, get into the outdoors, and have experiences that they otherwise wouldn’t have.
I came into a company as a consultant on a 6 month contract. Hit the ground running and quickly developed an organizational plan. With that implemented, developed controls and systems to improve project management and quality processes. Through steady efforts at improvements, including a strong emphasis on taking control of the budget, the company was able to obtain an ISO9001 certification for the facility, improve it’s on time delivery, and create a product with fewer errors. |
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 have been an active leader in the Girl Scouts for 10 years. This has included being a Troop Co-leader for two years, and Assistant leader for another 3. I have also been a Camp Dad, providing support for girls camping in several places across the country, as well as in England. I have also provided other volunteer support.
I have been an active leader in Boy Scouts for 20 years. In this time I have been a Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, and Den Leader. I have served troops in the Northwest, as well as Georgia, Texas, New York and England.
I am in my second year as a Board Member for the Newport Band Parents Association.
I am a frequent school volunteer and am presently a member of the PTA at Newport, Tyee and Puesta Del Sol. I have also been an active PTA member at other schools.
I am a member of the VFW, American Legion
I have been a member of the IEEE since 1980, in 1991-3 I was the chapter secretary in New York.
I have been a long time member of the North West Entrepreneur Network, including serving on it’s Web Committee, and in 2000 to 2001 provided support as the Web Site host.
I have been a member of the US Army Reserves since leaving active duty in 1993. Currently I am a Lieutenant Colonel. My reserve position is as an Assistant Professor, USMA. I also spent time in Iraq.
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- Please describe the duties of the office you seek. Which are the most important duties and why?
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The state House of Representatives is an assembly responsible to the people for setting the budgets and making the laws of the State of Washington, together with the Senate. The individual representatives represent the interests and opinions of their constituents in pursuing legislation. |
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.
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PHD – Elect Eng – Air Force Inst Technology MBA – Intl Bus – LIU MSEE – AFIT BS – EE, CS – United States Military Academy |
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.
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Girl Scouts - Troop Co-leader, Assistant leader, Camp Dad, Volunteer (10 years) Boy Scouts - Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Den Leader, Volunteer (20 years) Newport Band Parents Association - Board Member (2 years) VFW, American Legion, IEEE (former chapter leader) PTA (Newport HS, Tyee MS, Puesta Del Sol), Frequent School Volunteer NWEN – Web Committee, Web Site host US Army Reserves – Lieutenant Colonel – Assistant Professor, USMA (13 years) |
Finished!
If at all possible, send your response to the Municipal League electronically as an attachment, or insert it into an e-mail message (cec@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 newsletter 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: Jennifer DiGiacomo
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: 425-671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org