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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45 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Friends of Dow Constantine |
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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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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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Chair, Capital Budget Comm., Chair, 2007 Annual Budget Comm., Chair, Operating Budget Comm., Chair, Growth Management and Unincorporated Areas Comm., Chair, Labor, Operations and Technology Comm.
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Vice-Chair, Senate Ways and Means Comm, Vice-Chair, Senate Judiciary Comm.
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Co-Chair, House Judiciary Comm
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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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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 the same reason I did the first time: To leave this place better than I found it.
When I ran for the State House of Representatives in 1996 I did so out of a life-long belief that I could make things better, and that I had an obligation to do so. After a decade in office - five years in the legislature and five on the council - I can look back with satisfaction on many accomplishments.
In Olympia I defended civil liberties in a time of great political drama, as a member of the minority caucus in the House. Later, during the 49-49 split in the House (1999-2000), I brought together warring factions to create better child custody laws and introduced the state's first climate change legislation.
At the County Council I led my colleagues through adoption of the most difficult land use legislation of the past decade, saved downtown Seattle's last historic church from the wrecking ball, and crafted King County's $4.2 billion 2007 budget.
I have learned that, even with all this experience in office, and having spent my entire life an active participant in this community, I am just now becoming familiar with many of the people, institutions, and processes that determine the direction of our region - enough so now that I am able to move issues along both inside and outside the courthouse. So it is an exciting time: I can solve problems using not just the charter-defined powers of the council, but also calling upon my relationships and reputation in the larger community.
The challenges of stewarding our natural and built environment, and our democratic institutions, are greater than they were a decade ago. And yet, I am better prepared each day to meet those challenges. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I have a strong internal compass - a sense of who I am and why I am here. I have observed that people in politics who lack conviction tend to be tossed about by the constant pressures and changing tides.
I am diligent in my pursuit of goals I care about. It can take a long time to get something done. Keeping one's eye on the ball over months and years is critical to ultimate success.
I allow others to take credit, even when they are taking credit for my work and ideas. This, I have learned, is key to accomplishing my goals. |
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 led the County Council through the arduous process of complying with the State Growth Management Act mandate to protect environmentally critical areas. Beginning with a flawed proposal from the Executive and through a year's worth of often heated public hearings, work sessions and negotiations, my committee produced a set of regulations and incentives that have withstood all challenges and been a model for other jurisdictions.
Recently, I took on what was considered to be a lost cause - saving Seattle's century-old First United Methodist Church. The building was slated for the wrecking ball, but I rallied the mayor, county executive, private development community and church to produce a solution that saved the building and provided a new home for the congregation.
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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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Many of my volunteer activities are listed in the civic involvement section, below.
In addition, I practiced law for many years, building my own firm and providing volunteer assistance to a number of clients.
During this time I co-founded the West Seattle High School Site Council and began a continuing involvement with our local schools.
One of my proudest moments came when, in the late 1980s, my brother and I joined with our neighbor Charlie Chong to save our local green space: The College Street Ravine. This led to more work for open space preservation and eventual appointment to the City of Seattle's Open Space Oversight Committee.
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My most important duty is exercising my independent judgment in the interests of the citizens, present and future, as a fiscal, environmental, and institutional steward of King County.
A secondary but still important duty is as an advocate for individuals within this vast government. |
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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1992 Master of Urban Planning, University of Washington 1989 Juris Doctorate, University of Washington School of Law 1985 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 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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West Seattle High School Foundation, Co-Founder and Vice-President, 2000-present Stone Soup Foundation, Board Member, Former President, 2000-present Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, Board Member, 1998-2005 ArtsWest, Board Member, 2002-2004 West Seattle High School Alumni Association, President, 1996-2001 West Seattle HelpLine, Board Member, 1995-1998 Allied Arts of Seattle, Trustee, 1992-1998 |
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