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Bob Baker

 

The Municipal League of King County

 

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224

 

Seattle, WA 98104

 

(206) 264-1070 ∙ cec@munileague.org

2008 CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
FOR NON-JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

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 Questionnaire

           Sent by:     X                   Email                    US Mail      Fax               Not Sending

   Resume (education, employment, and professional activities)

           Sent by:     X                   Email                    US Mail      Fax               Not Sending

             Check here if you DO NOT want your resume posted on the Municipal

                League website

   Campaign Materials

           Sent by:       Email             US Mail           Fax          X            Not Sending

   Constituent Newsletters and other publications

           Sent by:       Email             US Mail           Fax          X            Not Sending

   Photograph

           Sent by:       Email             US Mail           Fax          X            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 1, 2008

 

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.

2008 Candidate Questionnaire

 

SECTION I               

 

BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION

 

1.      Name as it will appear on the ballot

 

First Name

Middle Initial or Nickname

Last Name

Bob

     

Baker

 

 

 

 

2.   Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):

 

State Senate, 41st Legislative District     

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                  Yes            X  No

 

 

4.   How long have you resided in this district/city?

 

5 ½ Years     

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

5 ½ Years

 

6.   Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan?       X  Partisan    Nonpartisan         

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:  Republican

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

 

Campaign Name:

 

Friends of Bob Baker

 

Address:

7683 SE 27th St., Suite 186

 

City/State/Zip:

Mercer Island, WA  98040

 

Campaign Phone:

206-300-8682

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

     

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

Bobbaker88@hotmail.com

 

 

Campaign Website:

www.voteforbaker.com

 

 

POLITICAL BACKGROUND

 

1.   Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices you have held.  Include positions on appointive boards or commissions.

 

Public Office

Elective or Appointive?

Dates Held

Leadership Role (if any)

PCO

 

Elective

 

2001-2008

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 

2.   If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:

 

Office Title

Year of Run

Mercer Island City Council

 

2005

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 SECTION II

 

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 one 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.)

 

I feel that our country is headed in the wrong direction.  In too many cases, both nationally and in this state, special interest is driving the agenda of government.  Also, government seems to be unresponsive to the needs and direction that they receive from the people. 

I served in the US Navy for 21 years.  Over and over, I saw how fortunate we are in this country.  I was in SE Asia and saw the poverty of the people.  I saw the tyranny that the people live under and have to deal with every day.

I see the size and scope of government completely out of control.  I agree with Ronald Reagan when he said, “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.”

Especially now, our economy is on the verge of disaster.  We need drastic reductions in spending.  Our current state government has taken us from a $2 billion surplus to a $2.5 billion deficit.  This misuse of taxpayer money must stop.  I have taken a pledge to not vote to raise taxes and not for any new taxes.

Our transportation system is in horrible condition.  I need to get to SEATAC quickly for my job.  So many workers rely on a safe and efficient means to get to/from work as well as daily tasks.  This is not possible in the Puget Sound area.  Fixing this is especially important with the high costs of energy.    

 

 

2.      Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.

 

I have been in leadership positions literally since 6th grade when  I was Captain of the Boys’ Patrol.  This continued into Boy Scouts and through my military career and, of course, as a Captain with Alaska Airlines.

Integrity and truthfulness have been important to me my entire life.  My parents taught me this in my youth and it has been confirmed my entire life.  This is especially important for those in public office.

I am a hard worker.  I have been working since 5th grade when I started as a caddy at a private country club in my home town in Indiana.

I try to live by the Boy Scout Oath and Law.

I am organized which is important to any type of management position.

I am an excellent manager.  I was a program manager when in the Navy with multi-million dollar budgets each year.     

 

3.      Please describe, in sufficient detail, one to three accomplishments or contributions of which you are most proud.  These examples should illustrate 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. 

 

     1.  I was a Senior Patrol Leader when in Boy Scouts.  We were on a canoe trip during the summer when we saw/heard a woman screaming on the beach that her son had disappeared under the water.  I lead the troop to the shore, lead the discovery operation, and gave the boy mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.  We received an award for our efforts.

 

2.      I lead several programs while a program manager in the Navy that lead to significant improvement to the F-14 as an operational fighter.  One of the most significant was a flight control system upgrade that involved all four military services as well as personnel from foreign countries to produce the control system itself.  In all 34 organizations took part in the design, integration and flight test of the flight control system.  The new system lead to the significant improvement in the capability and safety record of the F-14.

 

3.      I served as a PTA president for my children’s school.  I am very proud to have served the school and the children in this way.  We had several innovative programs including music teachers for the students as well as NASA sponsored science programs.

 

 

 

4.      Please list or describe 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.

 

21 year career as a Navy F-14 pilot and officer.  TOPGUN graduate.  US Navy Test Pilot School, Graduate with Distinction.  Navy Commendation Medal, three awards.  Navy Contracting Officer school graduate.  Designated Airwing Mission Commander.  Program Manager.

12 year Commercial Pilot/Aircraft Commander (Captain).  CARE team member.  National Union committee chairman.

PTA President (1987/1988).

Crisis Pregnancy Center Counselor (1992-1993)

Developed/Managed Prison Visitation Program (1993-1996)

Big Brother (1997-2000)

Senior Services Volunteer Driver 2007-present)

Blood donor (1994-present)

Member, Conservative Coalition (2004-present)

Board member, Family Policy Institute of Washington (2007-present)

     

 

 

  1. Please describe the duties of the office you seek.  Which are the most important duties and why?

 

I will represent the people of the 41st legislative district in the state senate in Olympia.  I will be responsible for reviewing all legislation proposed before the Senate.  I will also introduce legislation as I see necessary to benefit the people of the state.  I will uphold the federal and state constitutions.  I see every one of these duties as important.     

EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY

FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT

 

The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report is distributed to voters in print and 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.

 

BS, Computer Science, Purdue University.  US Navy Test Pilot School, Graduate with Distinction.  Federal Contacting Officer school graduate.       

 

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY

FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT

 

The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report 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.

 

X  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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