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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Karen |
R. |
Steele |
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2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
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State Senate, 33rd District |
3. Are you the incumbent? Yes No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
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17 years |
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5. How long have you resided in King County?
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23 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
7. If partisan, please indicate party: Republican
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Steele For State Senate |
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Address: |
17837 1st Avenue South #333` |
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Seattle, Washington 98148 |
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Campaign Phone: |
206-242-2902 |
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Campaign Fax: |
206-242-3892 |
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Campaign E-mail: |
Info@SteeleForStateSenate.org |
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Campaign Website: |
www.SteeleForStateSenate.org |
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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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2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
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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 the office of State Senate because I believe that I have the skills to represent the voice of the people in the 33rd District in Olympia. I believe the voters should have a chance to be represented, respected and heard. At present, we have a Senator that has an agenda based on her allegiance to a special interest group.
My skills will allow me to listen to the voices and concerns of all the people in 33rd District because I am not owned by any special interest group. I do not owe any favors and my interests are simply to put the concerns of the people before the Senate and make sure the laws that are passed favorably address the voters and their issues.
I believe that our Seniors are in jeopardy of losing their homes as a result of out-of-control property taxes. Seniors’ inability to stay in their homes will result on a burden to all of us especially when there is really no place for them to go.
Small businesses do not get the consideration of fair regulation and taxation. Small businesses are the largest employer in the United States. In Washington State the largest employer is the government. I think this should change.
We need to make sure that our students are taught how to solve problems and think critically. They will inherit the problems that we can’t solve and teaching them to a test fails to give them the skills needed to survive in the world that we will leave them. We must maintain a high standard but having a strong foundation of fundamentals is essential for them to meet the challenges they will face.
Washington State has an abundance of riches and yet businesses are not encouraged to relocate here or even expand. If we do not stimulate our economy by cutting taxes and regulation, we will not enjoy the shared benefits of stronger communities that naturally follow the creation of new jobs.
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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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It is difficult to arrive at a conclusion without all of the facts and a good understanding of the issue. I can dig deep to make sure that I have a good fundamental understanding of the facts and the way to solve the problem. Only then can I present the whole picture and address the solution.
I am very focused on the issues that I believe will be the winning platform for my campaign. They are at the core of what the voters in my district are concerned about. My ability to see a plan through to its fruition has always been part of my strategy for success at whatever I pursue. Therefore, I have the tenacity to go after the votes I need to win.
I am honest and trustworthy and someone that the voters can depend upon for representing their best interests. I believe the voters deserve a true voice that can speak for them and represent them in a manner that best expresses their concerns and desires.
I am a responsible and effective leader and that is exactly what a Senator needs to be.
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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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The first and greatest accomplishment that I can boast about has to do with the birth of my son. There is no greater reward than bringing a new life into this world. It brings with it a sense of responsibility that is overwhelming but so is the love, that is nurtured along with a new baby.
To teach a new baby about unconditional love is a blessing and an undeniable responsibility that all parents must assume. It is our job to civilize this brand new person so that he/she can go out into society and be accountable. It is a way for them to achieve personal happiness as well as bring success into their lives and the lives of others.
It is a responsibility that I have never taken for granted nor shunned. At times this leads to discomfort, however I knew if we didn’t accept the responsibility, we were shortchanging our child’s opportunity for happiness. This taught me a lot about myself as wife, mother and role model.
The second accomplishment was opening my own business. I was the first and youngest female Oriental rug dealer/appraiser/lecturer in the United States. I learned a lot about dealing with people and about what it meant to be a success. It meant making sure that my customers were informed about their purchase, were happy to do business with me and making enough money to stay in business and support myself.
I learned about finances, win-win situations and about a culture that I loved. It was rewarding, frustrating, successful and very time-consuming. I learned about dedication to purpose, making people happy and being rewarded for going the extra mile to become very successful, by having repeat customers and an excellent reputation.
My third greatest accomplishment was when I opened the only District Headquarters in the State of Washington. It has given us a physical presence in the 33rd District, allowed us to congregate and join forces to further our interests, meet many new and interesting people and strengthen our position Countywide.
As 33rd District Republican Chair, I have been able to learn a lot about the different kinds of people that get involved in politics and their reasons why. I have learned how to harness the energy of volunteers to achieve great things and educate others in areas they were unfamiliar with.
I am proud to be the 33rd District Chair. I have taught my group not only how to get along with all types of people who have one thing in common, but who also bring diverse backgrounds and methodology to the table. I am very proud of my group of PCO’s and volunteers. |
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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I have always been involved with the community because I believe it is our responsibility to make our world a better place to live in.
My family was always involved in events to help those people that needed assistance. I come from humble beginnings so I have always been sensitive to those who struggle to make ends meet.
When I was in college in the 60’s, I became involved in politics when I was part of the campaign to elect Mayor John Lindsay in New York. Later, I was involved on a grass roots level to help elect Ronald Reagan to office.
When I became the Co-Founder of the National Breast Cancer Research Foundation in 1985, I felt strongly that people should not have to suffer from this horrible disease. My own mother passed away from breast cancer and I vowed that her suffering would not be in vain. Our goal was to raise money and fund cutting-edge research that would somehow offer an alternative to slash, burn or poison. I was very proud of this accomplishment. I was able to meet all kinds of interesting people in high stations in life, coordinate individuals who wanted to contribute and volunteer and others who just wanted to be involved to make a difference.
As a citizen in Normandy Park, I became very involved with the community and the PTA. I assisted in school activities as a volunteer and I was a member of a Block Beautification Program. I became involved in many issues that involved galvanizing my community to make sure that our voice was heard before the Normandy Park City Council.
I became Normandy Park Precinct Committee Officer and my constituents looked to me for advice, explanation and direction as to which way to turn. Then I became 33rd District Chair and I now lead the entire constituency to help educate, guide and direct to make the 33rd District a better place in which to live and grow.
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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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The duties of the office that I seek are as diverse as they are challenging. I think one of the most important duties is to listen and learn as much as possible about the issues. The second most important duty is to constantly keep in mind that as a Senator, I would be representing a constituency. It their voice, concerns and issues that I would convey and protect in order to be a good leader for them.
I also think respecting differing points of view and learning from these differences offers a wonderful growth opportunity. Then, and only then, can we find the common thread to make Washington State a better place for all of us. Solving problems, having communication skills and being a good speaker all contribute to the success of being a good public servant.
As Senator of the 33rd District, I would offer Responsible Representation and Effective Leadership.
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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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Brooklyn Community College, New York University, Hunter College, Brooklyn College & Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute
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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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I’ve always been involved with the community because it is our responsibility to make our world a better place. One of my proudest accomplishments was Co-founding the National Breast Cancer Research Foundation with a chance to help all people who suffer from this horrible disease. I have volunteered in a veterans care center of a public hospital and was a member of the PTA. Additionally, I have galvanized the citizens of Normandy Park to make sure that our voice is heard before the City Council.
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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