2005 Candidate Questionnaire
SECTION I
BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION
1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
|
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?
|
15 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
|
Campaign Name: |
Citizens for Eric Oemig |
|
|
Address: |
|
|
|
City/State/Zip: |
|
|
|
Campaign Phone: |
|
|
|
Campaign Fax: |
|
|
|
Campaign E-mail: |
|
|
|
Campaign Website: |
|
|
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) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
|
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.)
|
I’m running for the Washington State Senate to protect the quality of life we have now and to invest in a brighter future.
Two years ago, I started a television show call Moral Politics, to bring people together to thoughtfully discuss the economic and moral impacts of public policy. I learned so much from my guests and my viewers. Now, I want to do more than just talk about issues. I want to go to Olympia and help solve them.
There are three big problems staring at us: improving public education, increasing access to health care, and fixing traffic.
Education is opportunity – the opportunity for our children to earn their own success in life. We’re failing them today, but we can do better. For example, by investing in early childhood learning programs, we can double the rate of graduation from high school. We can keep children in school and out of jail. For every one dollar we invest in early childhood learning, we save seven dollars in future costs. As a State Senator, I will champion these cost-saving investments in our kids.
For health care, most of us go to the doctor or dentist for regular checkups. We don’t wait for medical problems to get terrible before we go. Unfortunately, many kids in Washington do have to wait. They get their basic treatment in the emergency room. That’s not right. We can save money and keep our kids more healthy by providing basic preventative health care to all children. I will support cost-saving investments in childrens’ health.
Traffic erodes the quality of our life, and its going to take leadership to fix it. We need a transportation system that works for businesses and people, with cars and without. As a State Senator, I will support time-saving and cost-saving investments in our transportation system.
That’s why I’m running for State Senator. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
|
I am a engineer, a money manager, a husband, and a father. As an engineer (specifically a software engineer for Microsoft), I find creative solutions to hard problems. As a money manager, I invest in value. And as a husband of a wonderful woman, Mary, and father of a 1-year old son, Cray, I am deeply concerned about the health and safety of our families and our communities. |
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.
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.
|
I have lived and been active on the Eastside for 15 years – as a member of the Kirkland Library Board, Hopelink Executive Leadership Council, Toastmasters International, and the Gluten Intolerance Group.
I created and hosted a public access television program shown all across King County, called “Moral Politics.” The show brought people together to sensibly discuss the moral and economic impact of issues facing our community.
In 1999, I left Microsoft and started Omega Labs, a firm founded to research and develop foods for people with food allergies. I am gluten intolerant – that is, my body reacts against wheat and other foods that contain gluten – so I am very interested in foods that will make life easier for me and other people with similar allergies.
Now, my wife Mary and I have a 1-year old son, Cray. Every parent knows how a child brings a new perspective on life. Cray has made me even more aware of the need to protect our quality of life and to invest in an even brighter future.
|
- Please describe the duties of the office you seek. Which are the most important duties and why?
|
As a legislator, my task will be to gather the collective wisdom of the citizenry, sift it through your internal moral compass, and use it to create a government that helps people and local communities solve problems. Most importantly, I must work to provide for the basic health, safety, and education of all people. |
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.
|
BS in Computer Science, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1986 |
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.
|
I have lived on the Eastside for 15 years, and been a member of the Kirkland Library Board, Hopelink Executive Leadership Council, and Toastmasters International.
I created and hosted a public access television program called “Moral Politics,” that brought people together to sensibly discuss issues facing our community.
Now, my wife Mary and I have an 11-month old son, Cray. Parenthood has made me even more aware of the need to protect our quality of life and invest in an even brighter future. |
Finished!
If at all possible, send your response to the Municipal League electronically as an attachment, or insert it into an e-mail message (rebecca@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: Rebecca Cooper
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: 425-671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org