2006 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 |
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Bret |
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Olson |
2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
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Washington State House of Representatives, District 48, Position 2 |
3. Are you the incumbent? Yes x No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
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24 years, in the 48th District, 30 years in Kirkland/ Bellevue |
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5. How long have you resided in King County?
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30 years, 9 months (my entire life) |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? X Partisan Nonpartisan
7. If partisan, please indicate party: Republican
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Friends of Bret Olson |
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Address: |
PO Box 874 |
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City/State/Zip: |
Bellevue, WA 98009-00874 |
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Campaign Phone: |
425-749-7263 |
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Campaign Fax: |
425-605-0790 |
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Campaign E-mail: |
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Campaign Website: |
www.bretolson.com |
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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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PCO
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Appointed
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2005-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 |
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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 am running for State Representative to make the 48th district a better place to live. I love my community, I grew up here and want to ensure that my son and the other children in the district will have the same opportunities and quality of life that I have enjoyed. I am running to improve traffic congestion, improve education, improve the business climate and ensure that our neighborhoods are a safe place to raise a family. I believe a good Representative should be accessible to his/her constituents and have a personal stake in the future of his/her district’s prosperity. I want my son to live and thrive in the very place I have lived and thrived, so I am running for the current and future prosperity of my district. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I am a problem solver. During my time working for Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, I helped constituents deal with federal agencies to solve problems, which effected their lives. I worked with state and local law enforcement agencies to bring real solutions to problems like methamphetamine use and manufacturing and national security. As a volunteer supervisor at a local food bank, I worked to give others an opportunity to serve their fellow citizens. I worked to create partnerships between local governments, businesses and other non-profit organizations to provide food and nourishment to over 18,000 families per week. As a commercial real estate broker, I have learned how to bring two opposing parties to the table and come to agreement. I believe all these experiences will be valuable when representing the 48th district in the House of Representatives. I believe in bringing people together. I believe that I have the ability to inspire and direct people to come to agreement and get things done. I have a track record of negotiating win-win solutions and I will continue that record when I am in Olympia. |
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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A constituent wished to visit his family in Germany. He was unable to travel there because of his visa status (he was legal, but could not travel outside the US). I was able to work with the Department of State and INS to grant him a visa to visit a dying relative. He attended my kickoff breakfast a few weeks ago and told me that I am one of his heroes. I accomplished this in my capacity with Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, but four years later, this man still considers me a friend and someone who worked hard for what was so important to him.
While working for Jennifer Dunn, I had the honor to award a posthumous Navy Cross to a Corpsman hero who died in Vietnam saving the lives of the Marines he served. The Navy Cross is one of the highest honors a member of the Navy can receive. It was my pleasure to honor this hero’s 80 year old mother with what was due her son. With the help of many of the men this man served with and saved, I was honored to present his mother with her son’s well deserved Navy Cross. The tears in her eyes and pride she exuded brought me to tears. I was so pleased and so proud to have had the opportunity to be a part of something so special.
While volunteering as a water ski instructor with a local summer camp, I was able to teach children with disabilities to learn to water ski. I had several campers, who have Down’s Syndrome. None of them ever expected to be able to get up on water skis. I taught them how, with patience and determination, not only on my part but theirs, I was able to see the look of accomplishment they exuded when they did what was previously impossible.
I am also proud of the fact that I am the top producing real estate broker at Wallace Properties. I have been able to represent my clients, often in a dual-agent relationship to come to a consensus. I am able to bring two opposing sides together and reach agreement. In nearly all of the deals I have done in my professional commercial real estate career, I have had the skills necessary to negotiate with both clients. I look forward to using these skills in negotiating with those who hold other points of view in the House of Representatives.
I look forward to employing my compassion for those that don’t always have a voice. I want to be their voice in Olympia. I look forward to using my skills as a problem solver to solve the problems that face the 48th District and our state in order to make my community a better place to live and have a higher quality of life.
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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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1999 Volunteer Supervisor for a local food bank Worked to create partnerships with local governments, businesses and other non-profit organizations to provide food to less fortunate members of my community.
2000 Worked as Sen. Dan McDonald’s Deputy Fundraising Director for his Congressional Campaign. I learned how to raise money for a campaign. I was integrally involved with decisions regarding fundraising and grass-roots efforts. As a staff member to a Congressional campaign, I learned what it takes to run for office.
2001 I worked for Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn as a Congressional Aide. I handled many issues, including representing constituents to federal agencies. I know how to work with government agencies to get things done. 2002 I worked with Congresswoman Dunn on issues of National Security, including border enforcement, integration with local law enforcement and intelligence. 2003 Member of Bellevue’s Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs Committee. 2004 Volunteer Coach for Bellevue Parks and Recreation Department. Teaching sportsmanship and basic athletic skills. 2005-2006 Continued working at Wallace Properties as a member of the Realtor organization and the Chamber of Commerce. Continued volunteering as a coach for Bellevue Parks and Recreation.
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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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A member of the House of Representatives works to establish laws and policies to protect and uphold rights and freedoms of the citizens of Washington State. The paramount responsibility of the State and the House of Representatives according to our state constitution is to provide a quality education. Representatives are also entrusted with ensuring that other essential services are provided. Representatives are to facilitate economic growth and preserve and improve the quality of life for the citizens of Washington State as well as future citizens.
According to the State Constitution, providing a quality education is the paramount duty of the state. I agree with the constitution. Besides family, education is foundational in nurturing and training our children and college students to be effective members of our society and contributors to our community, culture and economy.
I also believe that Representatives have a duty to be good stewards of the resources in which they have authority, including taxes and budget, environment, and following through with promises made to the citizens of this state. |
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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BA, Communication, Seattle Pacific University, 1999
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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.
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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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 newsletter 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: Jennifer DiGiacomo
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: 425-671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org