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 Judge -- Northeast Electoral District -- Position 2 |
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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Most of 33 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Committee to Retain Judge Mary Ann Ottinger |
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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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King County District Court Judge
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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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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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After nearly 15 years in this position, I still find that every day presents an opportunity to have a positive impact on someone's life. I focus on helping people move their lives in a more positive direction, while holding them accountable for the foreseeable consequences of their actions. Success stories are a source of great joy. Others remain an ongoing challenge. However, every day presents me with unfinished business. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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The work of a District Court judge demands the ability to see each person who comes before the court as an individual with unique problems and circumstances. A "cookie cutter" approach does a disservice to that person and ultimately to the community. I have the ability to focus on the underlying problems in people's lives that lead to criminal behavior and to fashion a plan unique to that individual, balancing accountability with positive lifestyle changes. |
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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In 1997, I was awarded the Judge-of-the-Year Award by the Misdemeanant Corrections Association (probation officers). While I received a similar award from the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, this award was particularly meaningful to me. It largely was an acknowledgment of a program I developed to allow incarcerated individuals to access long-term drug and alcohol treatment, which previously had been unavailable to them due to their status in jail.
In 1988, while practicing law, I settled a medical negligence case on behalf of a young woman who had suffered serious and permanent injury as a result of several misread PAP smears. As a result of that litigation, federal standards were adopted to regulate and improve the manner in which labs handle PAP smears.
In 1999, I was instrumental in bringing to the community of Issaquah a new courthouse, which had been long overdue. For many years, the communities of Issaquah, Sammamish, Snoqualmie and North Bend had been served by a small space in a converted office building, which was ill-equipped to serve as a courthouse. The project was one of the County's first public/private partnerships. The new facility, which took years to negotiate, design and build, is considered a national model for courts of limited jurisdiction and a source of pride for the community.
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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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I have been actively involved in community service organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce and the schools. I have attempted to integrate the work of the court with the schools through the development and supervison of Student Traffic Courts in four high schools, implementation of a Saferides program for teen safety and work with high school students on gaining college admission. I currently serve on an advisory committee for a criminal justice class taught in a local high school.
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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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District Court judges preside over criminal misdemeanors, civil matters, small claims, traffic infractions and a variety of miscellaneous legal concerns. Most of these involve people who have never been to court before. Perhaps the most important duty of a District Court judge is in the sentencing and probation arena. It is there that we must carefully balance the interests of public safety and accountability with a desire to help the individual find a more positive life direction. |
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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BA -- Drake University -- 1970 JD -- Drake University -- 1973 |
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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I am a King County District Court Judge. Over 90% of my current caseload involves criminal misdemeanor litigation,. |
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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Prior to my appointment to the bench in 1992, I had served as a pro tem judge, arbitrator, and hearing examiner. |
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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District and Municipal Court Judges Association: Liaison to State's Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Legislative Committee -- Vice Chair Judicial Resources Task Force
King County District Court: Executive Committee -- 1992-2002 Facilities Committee Chair -- 1992-98
King County District Court Districting Committee -- 1992-2002 Chair -- 1993-98 |
4. List the approximate percentage of your time over the last five years you have made appearances in:
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% municipal court |
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100 |
% 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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Yes. A Judicial Conduct Commission complaint was resolved by way of stipulation in 2004 and another by way of hearing in 2006. Both dealt with procedural errors which were corrected by me in 2005. The Commission found that the errors I made were consistent with the practices of other judges and further found that I now run a "model court" with practices that should be emulated by other judges. |
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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None -- I have been a judge for almost 15 years. |
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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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William Kirk |
425-822-1220 |
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Chris Matson |
206-632-2922 |
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Lynn Moberly |
425-313-5767 |
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Sandra Meadowcroft |
425-392-7090 |
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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