2007 Candidate Questionnaire
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):
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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52 yrs. |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Friends of Darlene Flynn for Kids |
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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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Vice President (2006 - present)
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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 |
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 ran for this office four years ago and I am seeking reelection now because I believe there is a fundamental discrepancy between the American promise and American reality when it comes to equal opportunity for all people. I believe that that discrepancy manifests first in how we educate our children. Our determination to address the challenges of quality and equity for all kids in our schools goes to the heart of who we are as a city and a nation. As a school board member I seek to serve the community by bringing my experience and knowledge to futhering the vision of equity in education.
When I ran four years ago, I promised to provide responsible financial leadership, improvement in system accountability and a focus on academic achievement for all students. We have turned the district around financially; and we now have a new superintendent and chief academic officer with deep experience and a clear vision of the path to systemic reform.
During the last four years, WASL scores in Seattle schools have risen over 50% and are above the State averages. However, “above average” is not good enough, and averages conceal the discrepancies that exist across income and race. 40-50% of Latino, Native American and African American boys drop out of school. We cannot be satisfied with that result.
As I run for school board today, I know that I am more qualified than I was when I was first elected four years ago. Those qualifications were hard won in difficult times and could serve the District well for another four years. If I am not reelected, it is probable that there will be only one member on the new board with more than two years experience. The new superintendent deserves to have a school board composed of at least a majority who had a role in selecting her and who are determined to see her succeed.
This election is an opportunity to sustain and build on the progress we’ve made - an opportunity to support the values of equity and educational excellence; an opportunity to be the first school system in the nation to close the achievement gap. A great school system is within our reach if we stay aligned with the vision we’ve established and if we maintain our focus on building a system that works for all students.
Together, we have worked through many difficulties, and we now have a foundation on which to build a great future for our children. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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• Excellent written/oral communication ability w/ internal, public, individual & group audiences.
• Demonstrated group problem solving and facilitation skills.
• Strength in evaluating, synthesizing and organizing information and ideas.
• Record of successful community involvement and issue advocacy.
• Extensive real world understanding of public policy & fincance issues.
• Organizational change leadership skills.
• Person and professional commitment to social justice
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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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The system improvement during my time on the Seattle School Board; we’ve come from a $30 million deficit to having a $20 million dollar reserve; academic scores have risen over 50 percent in reading, writing and math, this spring our superintendent search came in on time and under budget, and resulted in the hiring of a highly qualified educational leader, we’ve addressed drinking water safety in our schools and cleaned up our capital budget accounting. None of these accomplishments could have been claimed four years ago and I am very proud of my contributions in all these areas.
I am also proud of my current central role in designing and implementing the City of Seattle Race & Social Initiative, including; development, implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs designed to address institutionalized racism and promote multiculturalism. Inequity in educational outcomes is routinely cited in local and national research with regard to the opportunity to advance social justice through education system improvement. My ongoing professional development in this area and effectiveness at the City has deepened my expertise around challenges related to system change in this area.
Finally, the work I did as a City Council Legislative Assistant to Jim Street for eight years, provided the opportunity to: facilitate problem solving and the development of policy options with department staff, act as the liaison with the media, serve on internal and external committees, task forces, and at public meetings, make presentations to City Council Committees, explain Council actions, processes and positions to external organizations, review, evaluate and make recommendations on legislation presented for action, analyze issues and make recommendations regarding complex city budget matters, coordinate and monitor projects, assess related issues and take action or make recommendations to assure successful completion, resolve conflicts and solve problems with and/or on behalf of a diverse range of constituent groups and individuals. This experience and the related accomplishments illustrated my ability to grasp concepts quickly, formulate responses, problem solve and work effectively within a public policy context. |
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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• Project Lead on Seattle Race Conference Organizing Committee (2002-2003)
• Board President of the Sundiata African American Cultural Association - (1993 - 2003t)
• Participated in the Education Summit and on the Summit work group to enhance school/community partnerships as a citizen representative designated by the local summit participants (1990)
• Member of the Block Grant Citizen Advisory Committee (1987)
• Organized with community members to work with the City Council to revise an element of the single family land use code (1986 - 1987)
• President of the Greenwood Community Council (1986 and 1987)
• Board member (1980 - 1985) and Board President (1984) of the Employee Benefits Planning Association
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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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1) Policy making 2) Hiring the Superintendent 3) Planning, goal setting and appraisal 4) Setting & monitoring standards for instruction and academic achievement 5) Budget adoption and financial monitoring 6) Insuring that students have equal opportunity 7) Approving collective bargaining agreements 8) Providing school facilities 9) Communication to and from the community 10) Serve in an adjudication and/or investigatory capacity
I believe the first five areas are foundational and interconnected; without clear policy direction, goals and financial stability, policy for educational effectiveness cannot be implemented; without educational system standards and benchmarks other critical issues will not be addressed with rigor and vision; and the public interest will not be served. |
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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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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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.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION AND GOOD LUCK IN YOUR CAMPAIGN!
THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE OF KING COUNTY
Candidate Evaluation Coordinator: Jason Thibedeau
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: (425) 671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org