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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Since 1956 |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Friends of Tom Rasmussen 2007 |
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Address: |
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Campaign Phone: |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
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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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Seattle City Council, Position 5
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Chair, Housing, Human Services & Health Committee. Vice Chair, Urban Development and Planning Committee, Vice Chair, Seattle/King County Board of Health.
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Mayor's Office for Senior Citizens
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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 sought election four years ago to be a Councilember who would be accessible, responsive and open to new ideas and who can bring people together to solve prolems and issues. During this first term I have focused on meeting that commitment. Because of the reputation my office has developed for responsiveness and effectiveness a Seattle Weekly reporter referred to me as a "one man Citizen's Service Bureau". I am seeking re-election to the City Council to continue this productive public service.
For my second term, my priorities will be to create new strategies to develop a wide range of affordable housing opportunities. I want to ensure that as the city grows we retain the positive qualities and individual unique character of our neighborhoods.
I will continue to work to protect the most vulernable in our community including seniors, people with disabilities, and refugees and immigrants. I will work to improve access to services, strenghten our transportation sytstem and keep water and City Light rates reasonable, and create a tax structure that doesn’t force people to sell their homes and move away.
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2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I am deeply committed to equal rights and fairness for all.
I am passionate about public service and working for the benefit of the community.
I am open and accountable to the public. I listen to various viewpoints and I welcome new ideas. I am accessible and seek to involve people who may be affected by decisions which I make.
I am able to bring people together to solve common issues and to create new ideas and solutions to long standing problems.
I take pride in being a voice for those who need an advocate. I work to ensure that the City funds and operates only the most effective programs. I expect that our City departments will evaluate and measure the results of the programs we fund to make sure that they are effective and getting the results expected.
I have a record of working constructively with other public officials, staff and community volunteers.
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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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I am deeply concerned about increasingly aggressive driving particularly by people who run red lights. I brought my concerns to the Mayor and the City Council and proposed that the City install the automatic ticketing red light cameras used in other cities. The Council and Mayor agreed to implement a pilot program. In order to do so the City needed the state legislature to authorize the camera program. Seattle did receive the authorization and today the cameras are installed at four of our most dangerous intersections and are enthusiastically supported by our police. Other neighborhoods are asking for help and I will continue to work to improve pedestrian and traffic safety.
Prior to my election no city program or service helped people who had received a shut off notice due to failure to pay their water bills. When I was the Deputy Director of Senior Services of Seattle/King County I was told of a senior citizen who was receiving water from her neighbor's garden hose because her water service had been shut off due to inability to pay. At that time I unsuccessfully sought to have an emergency fund created by the city, similar to a City Light emergencty fund to help people who were facing having their water service shut off. When I became a Councilmember my highest priority was to create an emergency fund to help those who had received a notice that their water service would end. I successfully persuaded the City Council and the Mayor to develop an emergency fund to help low-income people keep the water on in times of financial crises. After a one year trial period, the program is now a permanent part of the emergency services and programs provided by the city. |
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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PAST ACTIVITIES
Board Member of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund 1984-1988
Co-founder and a member of the Seattle Municipal Election Committee 1978
Co-founder and first co-chair of the Privacy Fund 1987-1990
Board Member, Fairness Lobby
Board Member of the Queen Anne Community Council 1985-1989 Chaired Parks Committee of this Council
Board Member of the Alki Community Council
Board Member of King County Sexual Assault Resource Center 1995- 1996
Member of King County Elder Abuse Project Team 2002-2003
Volunteer Rainbow Train, focused on health issues for gay/lesbian elders 2002
Volunteer, Housing Levies
Volunteer, numerous campaigns for elected officials
CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Washington State Bar Association
Vice Chair of Seattle/King County Board of Health
Member of the King County Regional Policy Committee
Chair of the Seattle City Council Housing Human Services and Health Committee
Vice Chair of the Seattle City Council Urban Development and Planning Committee
Member of the Seattle City Council Transportation Committee
Member of the Labor Relations Policy Committee
Member of the Labor Management Leadership Committee
Member of the Governing Board of King County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness
Member of Seattle's Domestice Violence Prevention Council
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Propose, review and act on city projects, policies, ordinances and budgets. Provide oversight of City departments. Respond to constituent requests for assistance and information. Advocate for issues important to the people of Seattle. Represent the City on the regional, state and national level. |
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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BA Political Science, Pacific Lutheran University Juris Doctor, Valparaiso University
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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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Past and current activities include: Board Alki Community Council, Board Queen Anne Community Council, Member Senior Services of Washington, Member 34th, 36th, 37th District Democrats, Co-founder & co-chair Privacy Fund, Board Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, Board Fairness Lobby, Board King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, Member of King County Elder Abuse Project Team, Co-founder Seattle Municipal Election Committee, volunteer housing levies. |
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