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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Fifty-four years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
John Chelminiak |
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Address: |
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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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Puget Sound Economic Dev District
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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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Bellevue is a great city to live, work, and raise a family. The city government is committed to excellence, integrity and innovation. The city council sets a standard for that in its approach to public safety, transportation, the environment and sustainable growth management. When I ran for office four years ago, I promised to focus on several important areas and I've met those promises. I am committed to public safety and my support of new paramedics and setting aside funds for a new fire station has earned me endorsement of our firefighters. I serve as the councilmember on the city's Probation Advisory Board. I promised to continue our tradition of a "city in a park." As liaison the the Parks Board and Community Services Board, we've made key open space and parks purchases and are poised to plan four major new parks for the city, including the Meydenbauer Waterfront. We opened the South Bellevue Community Center and Lewis Creek Park and this summer are restoring a section of Kelsey Creek through the park. Good growth management and the enviornment go hand in hand. The city's approach to the critical areas ordinance garnered praise from the Department of Ecology, the business community, and our neighborhoods. The city has a strong commitment to environmental stewardship and I've supported that strongly in areas of water, utilities, and climate change. I've been the council liaison to the Bel-Red Steering Committee planning the future of that important corridor in the city. I also promised that we'd be a "city with a heart," and we have increased funding and accountability in our programs dealing with housing, homelessness, english as a second language, and assiting the special needs populations such as the frail elderly and developmentally disabled. The best human service program is a job and I've served on the Economic Development District Board and the formation and development of the prosperity partnership. My campaign and second-term of office will continue to focus on the issues important to Bellevue; education, environment and the economy. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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One of the most important elements of the job of councilmember is to be a good listener. I'm able to listen to people express opinions, study the issues, then distill that information into a solution that works. This ability has served me well in my professional careers and on my first term as a Bellevue City Councilmember. There were many competing interests as the city considered a new critical areas ordinance. Ultimately, we adopted an ordinance that was endorsed by citizens, environmentalists, and the business community. I listened to what people had to say, then worked to put those perspectives in the final legislation.
I bring the perspective of a father with children in our public school system. My step-daugther is entering her senior year of high school at Bellevue High and my eight-year old will be in thrid grade at Medina Elementary. I know first hand the importance of education and make certain the city government understands a quality education system is integral to our success as a city. In addition, I also understand the importance of strong private schools. I serve as Board Chair at O'Dea High School in Seattle, my alma mater, and know the challenges faced by private schools. |
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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As mentioned above, I think my work and the work of the whole city council, on our critical areas ordinance is a significant accomplishment for the city. And it continues to pay dividends as we work through our environmental stewardship initiative. The council looked at competing interests and found ways to craft an ordinance that provided for continued use of personal property while making strides to improve the environment. By taking a programtic approach, rather than a strict regulatory approach, we avoided many of the complaints faced by King County in its approach to critical areas.
I am proud of my commitment to open space and parks. The first campaigns I worked on were the open space measures in 1988-89. This bond issue provided the opportunity for the county and cities to purchase critical open space, vistas, wetlands, and wildlife buffers I've continued that long-time commitment as a member of the city council. Over the past four years, the city has continued to make key investments in parks and open spaces. We opened a new community center in South Bellevue that serves children, adults, and seniors in a way that brings the community together. The new Lewis Creek Park and community center provides new ball fields, trails, open space, and a gathering point for the Lakemont area. I was a strong advocate for acquiring the Surrey Downs site from King County so the city could plan appropriately for a ten acre park and facility just outside the southern boundary of downtown Bellevue. We acquired almost 30 acres in the eastgate area for a park and a plan to improve the situation of drainage into Phantom Lake. And last budget process, I successfully advocated for the full funding of the Bellevue Challenge Grant that allows community organizations such as Bellevue Youth Theater, the Botanical Gardens, the Mercer Slough Environmental Center and SPLASH to mathcing funds from the city. Earleir this year, we broke ground on the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center that will be the larges hands-on environmental education center in the region. |
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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Deputy Mayor of Bellevue - 2006-2007: Elected by my fellow councilmembers to a leadership postion during my first term of office. Bellevue Planning Commission - 2002-2003: Work on important issues such as wireless facility siting, sexual offender housing, downtown zoning and FAR bonuses, midblock crossings and skybridges. Puget Sound Regional Concil Growth Management Policy Committee - 2004 - 2007: I've been an active participant in the development of the region's growth plan to the year 2040. The plan builds on the Vision 2020 goals and will establish a regional framework for growth in King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties. Puget Sound Economic Development District/Prosperity Partnership: 2001 - 2007 Member of board that developed the first comprehensive economc development strategy for the Puget Sound region. This is now being implemented through the Prosperity Partnership. Boeing 787 TaskForce. Worked with group of elected, business, and union leaders on the proposal to assemble Boeing's next generation airplane at the Paine Field facility. Snohomish County Economic Stimulus Package: Worked with counterparts in the Executive's office to plan and impement a strategy to stimulate the stalled economy in 2001-02 through increased public sector investment Vuecrest Community Association: Member of board of directors for approximately four-years for our homeowners association. Chair of the Good Neighbor Committee that resolved covenant disputes between neighbors. O'Dea High School Board of Directors. Since 2000 I've served on the board at this catholic all-boy's high school in Seattle. I've served the past three years as chairman of the board.
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A councilmember is a steward of the city's resources and must be commited to managing those resources to the benefit of our residents. A councilmember sets the tone for a government that is open and accessible to its citizens. I've attended a large number of community meetings and held many one-on one sessions with consituents. This occurs both formally and informally. The mayor and I have worked hard to open the process of government up to more citizen input. Our budget deliberations this past year saw a record number of participants. And we've held public forums for residents to express their views on a number of important issues including Sound Transit's light rail plans. We listened to almost 100 residents share their opinion on ST's decision to choose light rail as its preferred option for the East Link. In the council-manager form of government, the council acts much like a board of directors of a corporation. It sets the broad vision, goals, and policy for the city, then holds the city manager accountable for carrying out that vision. The council needs to stay out of the day-to-day operation of the city. Bellevue is one of the largest cities in the region. A councilmember must be able to be an effective participant in regional decision making. I've been succcessful in that role as a member of the Puget Sound Economic Development District, the Growth Management Policy Board and in my work with the Regional Transportation Investment District. |
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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Graduate, Washington State University, 1975 - BA in Communications with emphasis on Political Science. Graduate: Rocky Mountain Program, University of Colorado-Denver O'Dea High School and Holy Rosary Grade School, West Seattle |
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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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 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: Jason Thibedeau
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: (425) 671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org