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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Claudia |
Kauffman |
2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
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State Senate – 47th Legislative District |
3. Are you the incumbent? Yes No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
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Since 2001 |
5. How long have you resided in King County?
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I grew up in Seattle |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
7. If partisan, please indicate party: Democrat
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Friends of Claudia Kauffman |
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Address: |
P.O. Box 845 |
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City/State/Zip: |
Kent, WA 98035 |
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Campaign Phone: |
(253) 854-0304 |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
Claudia@claudiaforsenate.com |
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Campaign Website: |
Claudiaforsenate.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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Board of Trustees – The Evergreen State College |
Appointed
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2001 - 2008
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Incoming Vice Chair
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Governor’s Committee on Disabilities & Employment |
Appointed
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1999
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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 was raised with some very basic values: caring for our children, respecting our elders, honoring our veterans, and; serving our community. I have lived my life with these values in everything I do. It is these values that have led to a life of serving our community, through becoming a foster parent, serving on the local school district parent advisory committee, hosting honoring luncheons for our veterans, and caring for our elders.
In my professional life I currently work for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe coordinating their legislative agenda on a state and a federal level. This has provided me the opportunities to learn the state legislative system well, to know the people, and know how the system works.
Given my personal and professional experiences and lessons and commitments, running for the State Senate in my district is the next natural step in my life of serving my community while holding the deeply rooted values of caring for our children, honoring our veterans, respecting our elders and serving my community. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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My characteristics include hard work, knowledge of the system, and a dedication to serving my community. I have been a life-long democrat and have been active in political campaigns since childhood. I have a solid understanding of the needs of the 47th District through my involvement with parent committees in the Kent School District, through my involvement with the coordinating the charitable giving for the Muckleshoot Indian tribe, and through my involvement with politics. In addition, I have been actively doorbelling the district to learn more the public concerns.
My work provides me with opportunities and challenges that involve the legislative system, working on agendas, working on strategies, and working on public affairs. Through these systems, I have gain knowledge and experience that is invaluable to knowing how best to serve my district and the state.
I bring strong, new, energetic leadership qualities that the 47th District needs. I have great experience in seeking meaningful solutions to problems the average citizen faces, such as seeking the best quality education for our children, providing our veterans with the support they need during service and when they return, and seeking quality and accessible health care for our elderly and children. |
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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My first example would be the responsibility of my current employment which is coordinating the state legislative agenda for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. This creates a system in which an examination of the situation, the assessment of the need, and identifying meaningful solutions. I have coordinated the Tribe’s agenda, created a legislative scorecard for the Tribal Council to consider, and have created a manner in which meaningful dialogue can occur when there are requests for support from elected officials and candidates. In addition, I have coordinated the Tribe’s annual Legislative Reception in which we provide elected officials with the Tribe’s position and priorities. This offers and relaxed environment in which interaction can occur, with lively entertainment, and great food.
I also coordinate the Tribe’s Charitable giving program. It is important to the Tribe that their $5,000 grant make a wonderful impact for local non-profit organizations. This requires outreach, education and research, and strong recommendations to the Tribal Council.
In South Dakota I coordinated the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s easement program for their water pipeline construction system. This required coordination between federal agencies, Tribal Council, water districts, Army Corp of Engineers, County records, and landowners. This coordination required detailed information and consideration for each aspect of the pipeline route, archeological considerations, landowners concerns, federal regulations, and construction timelines and requirements. |
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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In the Kent School District I serve as the Chair for the Native American Parent Advisory Committee. In this committee we examine all student graduation rates and their respective racial breakdowns, we examine how we as parents can increase our participation to assist student, and we identify how we can work with the School District to improve parent involvement, community involvement, and District programming.
In serving on the Board of Trustees of the Evergreen State College, I have been actively involved in the higher education system. Helping to shape and strengthen the student enrollment, the state and private funding, and the direction and focus on educational values for this wonderful state institution.
Civic participation is crucial to every citizen. I have worked for several years on voter registration drives, GOTV, and voter education. This has produced a number of active community members, gaining knowledge of the system and the importance of their participation.
I am a member of the Kent Chamber of Commerce as a small business owner and am involved in the Legislative Committee. In addition, I am the contact person of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe for their membership with the Kent Chamber of Commerce.
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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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Our government system is made of representation of the people. This system is designed for checks and balances, separation of powers, and the ability of the elected representatives to work for the citizens of this state.
The state senate is one part of the legislative branch within Washington State. Senators are elected to represent their legislative constituency and the state, on matters that are within the powers of the state senate and state legislature. |
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 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