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The Municipal League of King County810 Third Avenue, Suite 224Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 264-1070 ∙ cec@munileague.org |
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2007 CANDIDATE
QUESTIONNAIRE The Municipal League of King County requests every candidate who participates in the candidate evaluation process to submit background information prior to his/her interview with a candidate evaluation committee. The questionnaire is the basis of the League’s research and interview process. The League’s ratings are non-partisan; they are based on standards of Involvement, Effectiveness, Character, and Knowledge, all of which have been developed and refined over the past 90 years.
A printed version of the questionnaire is available for candidates who prefer to use the traditional format. To obtain a hard copy, please contact the League office. A copy of this questionnaire will be provided to Candidate Evaluation Committee members to help them prepare for your interview. Candidate responses, except the confidential section, will be available to the general public at the League website.
The Municipal League requests the following materials from candidates. Please check to make certain you have sent in your:
Candidate QuestionnaireSent by: XEmail Resume (education, employment, and professional activities)Sent by: Email US Mail Fax Not Sending Check here if you DO NOT want your resume posted on the Municipal League website Campaign MaterialsSent by: Email US Mail Fax Not Sending Constituent Newsletters and other publicationsSent by: Email US Mail Fax Not Sending PhotographSent by: Email US Mail Fax Not Sending
Note: Electronically submitted questionnaires are strongly preferred. All materials can be emailed to cec@munileague.org. They can be processed and made available on-line far more rapidly than handwritten or typed submissions.
For non-electronic submissions, please print clearly and legibly and return the application as soon as possible in order to allow the committee the greatest amount of time to prepare a complete report on your skills and experience. We request that you return the Candidate Questionnaire by June 15, 2007
If you have not yet been contacted to schedule an interview, or if you have questions about the candidate evaluation program, please contact the League office at 206-264-1070.
If you have a disability and require accommodation to participate in the candidate evaluation process, please contact the CEC Coordinator at the League office. |
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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Danaher |
M. |
Dempsey, Jr. |
2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
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Seattle School Board Director pos #6 West Seattle – South park |
3. Are you the incumbent? X No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
5. How long have you resided in King County?
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Same as above |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? X Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Dempsey for School Board |
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Address: |
PO BOX 3903 |
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City/State/Zip: |
Seattle, WA 98124 - 3903 |
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Campaign Phone: |
206-682-6242 |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
Dempsey_dan@yahoo.com |
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Campaign Website: |
www.dempsey4schools.org |
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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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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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After 32 years of teaching I am retiring to run for Seattle School Board. Few Large Urban school districts accomplish much academically today. I testified at all ten school board meetings from Jan 17 thru May 30. I saw how little attention the Board pays to community input and how removed they are from the populace.
The school board and the administration have little interest in public input.
The district budget for 2007-2008 was predicted to be a deficit of 21.9 million when the district advocated for closing schools. Now it is forecast to be in surplus by 5 million for the 2007-2008 school year. This appears to be a manipulation.
The Math Elementary adoption School Board Action meeting of May 30th was not videoed. The Student Assignment meeting was not videoed. Only the regularly scheduled twice a month meetings are videoed – if it is a controversial item there will be a special school board action meeting that is NOT televised or videoed. This must change.
I am an advocate for System Improvement Strategies - W. Edwards Deming has listed the steps necessary.
This schools district proclaims to be interested in closing the achievement gap and yet it never narrows. The planning and curricula can be changed to bring this about.
I’ve submitted several pieces to the administration and the board and fail to get responses.
We live in a community with many resources. I plan to communicate with the constituency in a far more effective manner than is happening currently.
I will work full time as a School Board member doing much of my own research in the first year if elected. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I do lots of homework and read widely. I get along well with people and am a good listener.
I am not a sound bite person. I like to listen and then explore both the problem and the many possible solutions.
This school district needs to develop carefully crafted long term plans that are sustainable. These plans need to examine a lot more research that the current knee-jerk response to concerns so characteristic of Large Urban School Districts with very diverse populations.
I school board member must take an active role in not just design but also making programs sustainable by adequate explanations so that a long term plan can be followed rather than continually revised so that it becomes less effective and often abandoned.
I am a good planner and can help sustain well thought out programs.
Unfortunately currently I think that several programs in use or proposed to be in use are not well thought out.
I am consistent and persistent for academic improvement. I believe that the current policies of D43 D44 & D45 should be applied and that State Law RCW 28A 600.020 should be applied. The district apparently believes in unilateral abandonment of some policies and laws.
If we don’t like it – then public change is in order rather that unilateral non-compliance. |
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’ve brought significant achievement about on several occasions in schools and classrooms when allowed to have a large hand in math curriculum. Komachin MS in Lacey 1992-1993, Royal City HS 2004-2005, Fife HS 2005-2006. Imagination, Concern, Flexibility
I’ve worked as a member of the NAACP in 2007 to bring about better educational conditions in the Seattle Schools. This requires an ability to listen and interact effectively to be a member of a cohesive group.
I served breakfast with companionship to 1200 Street People on Saturday mornings at the Hospitality Kitchen of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker. Lots of team work and dependability in this undertaking. |
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’ve been an advocate for improved math instruction. I am particularly proud of many instances in which I’ve produced innovative programs that brought about measurable improvement. I hope that my work as a State Board of Education Math Panelist and NAACP member will bring about improvements in the future. In 2003-04, I served breakfast with companionship to 1200 Street People on Saturday mornings at the Hospitality Kitchen of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker. Lots of team work and dependability involved in this undertaking.
Raising four sons with my wife of 38 years. Involvement as a core committee member of Faith and Sharing.
Professionally during 2006-2007:
Member of the Transition Math Project Member of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Member of Where the Math? Member of NAACP State Board of Education Math Panelist for State Standards review Member of Professional Development Cubed project at U of W for professional improvement Teaching a GEAR UP class for disadvantaged youth this summer for four hours at U of W. Pathways Math Teacher at West Seattle High School specifically designed to serve 11th grade students who failed the Math WASL at level 1.
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Initiate System Improvement Less than 5% of Large Urban School Districts accomplish much academically. Seattle needs to move from the large 95% group into the improving and accomplishing category. Vision and Research - Vision is the product of collecting relevant information and making intelligent decisions based on the analysis of that information.
To often this district presents information that favors a predetermined direction. The information needs to be collected and analyzed before the direction can be determined.
My job is to develop and sustain intelligent policies that will contribute to effective sustainable programs.
Current policies should be followed or discarded through correct process. Many candidates are mentioning the Low Graduation rate and 9th grade transition problems. The first significant step in turning these around are application of the promotion / non-promotion policies that require effective interventions when necessary skills are not acquired. |
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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Bellarmine H.S.Tacoma University of Notre Dame St. Martin’s University BA Mathematics and Secondary Education, M.Ed. |
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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I am proud of the many instances in which I’ve produced innovative improved programs that brought about measurable Math improvement. Hopefully my work this year as a State Board of Education Math Panelist and an NAACP member will soon bring about improved lives for children and families. In 2003-04, I served breakfast with companionship to 1200 Street People on Saturday mornings at the Los Angeles Catholic Worker’s Hospitality Kitchen, where lots of team work and dependability were needed.
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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