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 |
2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
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King County District Court, Judicial Position No. 2, Northeast Electoral District |
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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Nine Years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Citizens for Frank LaSalata |
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Address: |
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City/State/Zip: |
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Campaign Phone: |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
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Campaign Website: |
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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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COMMISSIONER - City of Bellevue Planning Commission
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2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
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Office Title |
Year of Run |
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San Juan County District Court Judge, San Juan Co. Washington
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Centralia School Board, Centralia Washington
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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 have served the people of King County as a judge pro-tempore for the last eight years. In that time I have earned a reputation as being a judge who is honest, knowledgeable, decisive, fair and impartial as well as a judge who communicates effectively (both orally and in writing) to a diverse audience in a tactful, patient, and courteous manner. In those eight years I have gained the respect of the members of the local legal and law enforcement communities as well as the citizens who have appeared in my court.
In the 2005 King County Bar Association District Court Judicial Evaluation Survey I received satisfactory to excellent scores of eighty-four percent in my jucicial decision making, eighty-seven percent in my judicial efficiency, eighty-four percent in my courtroom demeanor, eighty-one percent in my impartiality, and eighty-three percent in my overall judicial performance.
I feel strongly that the courts, in their role as an essential part of our system of government, have a duty and responsibility to follow the rule of law, serve the people and the needs of the community, and promote confidence in our courts through abiding by the Judicial Code of Conduct. If I am elected to the position of King County District Court Judge, I will promote the public confidence in our courts by abiding by the Judicial Code of Conduct. I will ensure that the people of King County are served in a timely, courteous, honest, efficient, and respectful manner, and I will uphold the high standards of professionalism that the people of King County have a right to expect from their District Court Judge. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I like to think that I am a patient individual as well as a good listener. I also feel that I am a decisive person who is not afraid to make a decision when required no matter how difficult that decision may be. I also feel that I am a compasionate person who is not unsympathetic to the fact that we are all human and as such we can, and do, make poor choices which result in mistakes. I also know how to temper my compasion when the interests and/or welfare of the community is at stake.
I believe that these are all essential characteristics for a judge. A judge must be patient and provide all parties with an opportunity to present their case. A judge must listen to what is being said and not ingnore any of the parties before the court. After the judge has heard it all they must make their decision, even when they may wish they had more information to base that decision on, the facts are what they are and as long as each side has had an opportunity to present their respective case, and as long as the judge has listened to what the parties have said to the court, that is the best that the court can hope for and the judge must make his/her decision on what has been presented. Judicial decisions are seldom easy, but they must be made.
A judge must also be compasionate in those situations in which the facts dictate that it would be inequitable to the parties for the judge to do otherwise. A judge must also keep in mind the interest of the community and while compassion is an essential trait in a judge so is understanding the duty a judge has to uphold the law and make rulings that are in the best interests of not only the parties but also in the best interest and/or welfare of the community. |
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 included in the 2005 King County Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Survey as a regularly appearing judge pro-tempore in King County District Court. In that survey I received high marks from my peers in my judicial decision making, my courtroom efficiency, my courtroom demeanor, my judicial impartiality and my overall judicial performance (www.kcba.org).
ALSO SEE RESPONSE TO #4 (below)
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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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For the past three years, I have served as a volunteer judge for the nationally acclaimed King County Kids Court program, a King County Superior Court awareness program that helps child victims of sexual abuse and their families understand the court process in order to help them deal with the difficulties of testifying in court. In that time I have seen the impact that domestic violence and sexual abuse has on our most precious resource, our children, and I have learned how important the court's role is in working towards breaking this cycle of violence and abuse.
For several years, I donated legal services to individuals unable to afford legal service. Over the course of 5 years I would meet with 5 to 7 people one evening per month 8 to 10 months out of each year. I assisted these individuals in navigating legal issues surrounding domestic relations, landlord-tenant, health care directives, and contract issues. Through my volunteer efforts in this program I was able to help members of the community who were less fortunate, and whos lives were so dramatically impacted by what were in most cases very simple legal issues. I became painfully aware of the fact that no matter how simple a legal issue might seem to me as a trained attorney, that issue can represent a major obstacle in the life of the people who find themselves in our courts. As a judge it gives me a greater appreciation of the fact that all court matters no matter how big or small involve people and judges have a duty to treat those people that appear in court with the respect that all the members of our community deserve from their courts.
In my time served on the Bellevue City Planning Commission I developed a sense of how important it is that we balance our desire to maintain our desire for the quality of life that we are fortunate to have here in the Northwest, with our need for growth. Through my work on the Commission I learned how both our desires and our needs can be acieved through the planning process.
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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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A District Court Judge conducts hearings and trials in both the criminal and civil litigation arenas. The District Court is also responsible for conducting traffic infraction, tow and impound, fish and wildlife, and small claims hearings as well as the occassional Corroner's inquest. The duties of a District Court Judge also include management of the resources of the courts they preside in as it relates to staff and material. A District Court Judge is also responsible to the communities in which they sit in that they need to be involved in programs that further the communities understanding of our courts while at the same time not creating a situation in which a conflict of interest might arrise for the court.
I believe that the most important duty of a District Court Judge is to serve the community in every aspect of their role as judge. A judge is duty bound to conduct judicial proceedings in an fair and impartial manner that efficiently utilizes court resources. I also believe that a a District Court Judge has a duty to spend time in the schools through programs like National Law Day and Law Week so that the future leaders of our community, our children, will understand our system of justice and that they will carry on the legacy of our great democratic society based on a rule of law. |
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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University of Puget Sound School of Law, Tacoma, WA, Juris Doctor, December, 1992 Washington State University, Pullman, WA, Master of Science, February, 1982 Washington State University, Pullman, WA, Bachelor of Science, June, 1979. |
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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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.
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Judge Pro-Tempore, King County District Court, East and West Divisions Redmond, Issaquah, Bellevue, Seattle, Seattle Jail, and Shoreline Courthouses, WA - 1998 to Present Duties include presiding over: (1) Criminal and Civil Jury and Bench Trials; (2) Criminal and Civil Motions; (3) Contested and Mitigation Traffic Infraction Hearings; (4) Criminal Arraignments; (5) Pre-Trial Hearings; (6) Tow and Impound Hearings; (7) WA State Fish and Wildlife Violation Hearings; (8) Domestic Violence and Anti-Harassment Protection Order Hearings; (9) In-Custody Bail Hearings; (10) Felony Advisement Hearings; (11) Probation Review Hearings; and (12) Small Claims
Eighty percent of my time on the bench is in the area of criminal litigation, and the remaining twenty percent is presiding over civil litigation matters including small claims, civil contract and other monetary disputes filed in District Court, and infraction matters. |
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.)
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Judge Pro-Tempore, King County District Court, East and West Divisions Redmond, Issaquah, Bellevue, Seattle, Seattle Jail, and Shoreline Courthouses, WA - 1998 to Present Duties include presiding over: (1) Criminal and Civil Jury and Bench Trials; (2) Criminal and Civil Motions; (3) Contested and Mitigation Traffic Infraction Hearings; (4) Criminal Arraignments; (5) Pre-Trial Hearings; (6) Tow and Impound Hearings; (7) WA State Fish and Wildlife Violation Hearings; (8) Domestic Violence and Anti-Harassment Protection Order Hearings; (9) In-Custody Bail Hearings; (10) Felony Advisement Hearings; (11) Probation Review Hearings; and (12) Small Claims.
Domestic Violence Court Judge Pro-Tempore, King County District Court, Redmond, WA - 1999 to 2005 Duties included presiding over domestic violence (DV) criminal Jury and Bench Trials; DV Motions hearings; DV In-Custody Bail Hearings; DV Arraignments; DV Probation Review Hearings and other matters brought before the North Division of King County’s two division Domestic Violence Court.
Judge & Commissioner Pro-Tempore, San Juan Co. Superior Ct, Friday Harbor, WA – 2000 to 2003 Duties included presiding over: (1) Criminal Jury Trials; (2) Criminal and Civil Motions Calendar; (3) Juvenile Criminal Motions Calendar; (4) Criminal Arraignments Adult and Juvenile; (6) Felony Probation Review Hearings; and (6) Felony In-Custody Bail Hearings.
Judge Pro-Tempore, San Juan County District Court, Friday Harbor, WA – 1998 to 2002. Duties included presiding over: (1) Criminal and Civil Jury and Bench Trials; (2) Criminal and Civil Motions Calendar; (3) Contested and Mitigation Traffic Infraction Hearings; (4) Criminal Arraignments; (5) WA State Fisheries Fishing Violation Hearings; (6) Pre-Trial Hearings; (7) Tow and Impound Hearings; (8) Domestic Violence and Anti-Harassment Protection Order Hearings; (9) In-Custody Bail Hearings; (10) Probation Review Hearings; and (11) Small Claims. |
3. If you have been a judge, identify any court committees on which you have served or administrative positions you have held, including dates.
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While not being able to serve on a committee, due to my status as a judge pro-tempore, I have been active in the King County Kid's Court program. |
4. List the approximate percentage of your time over the last five years you have made appearances in:
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50 |
% municipal court |
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50 |
% state district court |
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% superior court |
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% federal district court |
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% 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.
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No, to part one of question number 6
Yes, to part two of question number 6. In 2002 I ran for San Juan County District Court Judge against the incumbent. Approximately one week after I lost that election in November 2002, my opponent’s re-election campaign committee chairman filed a complaint with the WSBA alleging that during my political campaign I, and my election committee, violated the campaign rules and the rules of professional conduct. In 2004, after a thorough investigation of the allegations made in the complaint, the bar discipline committee met and fully exonerated me of any wrongdoing and dismissed the complaint. |
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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Mark Kaiman |
(360) 685-4221 |
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Susan Irwin |
(425) 452-6822 |
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Larry Mitchell |
(425) 556-2115 |
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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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Bill Bowman |
(425) 451 - 1995 |
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Danielle Brown |
(425) 445 - 3917 |
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Andrew Huff |
(206) 729 - 3477 |
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Joseph Schlosser |
(425) 462-7101 |
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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 (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