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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Larry |
Springer |
2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
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State Representative, 45th District, Position 2 |
3. Are you the incumbent? Yes No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
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Over 20 years |
5. How long have you resided in King County?
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Over 50 years |
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 Larry Springer |
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Address: |
700 20th Ave West |
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City/State/Zip: |
Kirkland, WA 98033 |
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Campaign Phone: |
425-822-2907 |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
larry@larryspringer.org |
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Campaign Website: |
www.larryspringer.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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State Representative, 45th LD Pos 2 |
Elected
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Vice-Chair of Housing Committee, Assistant Floor Whip |
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Kirkland City Councilmember |
Elected
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1993 - 2005 |
Mayor from 2000 - 2004 |
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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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Kirkland City Counci |
1991
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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 have thoroughly enjoyed my first term as a State Representative, and would like to continue my work for the people of the State of Washington. There is unfinished work in education funding, transportation solutions, access to healthcare, housing affordability and many other areas of concern. I am eager to further the progress we made in the 2005 and 2006 legislative sessions. I went to Olympia after promising to listen to all sides of a debate, look for the root causes to issues, deal with causes of problems - not just solutions for the symptoms. I was able to establish relationships with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that will serve me and the state of Washigton well in years to come |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I reviewed my response to this question in the 2004 questionnaire. I believe it still accurately reflects what I think, so here it is again:
I seldom ever worry who or what gets credit for a job well done. I recognize compromise is the life blood of a democracy and always strive to fully understand both sides of a debate. I consistently look for the root cause of the issue and seek to deal first with the cause of a problem, rather than focusing just on the symptoms. I listen first, research second, and decide third. I have never been concerned with who or what someone represents, only the point of view and position as that should be the only basis for our political discussion |
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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Worked with counties, the Association of Washington Cities, Realtors, Low Income Housing Alliance, and the Building Industry Association of Washington to pass a bill to enable inclusionary zoning techniques as a way to address the high cost of housing. This diverse group rarely agrees on anything but by continuing to only focus on the goal (housing affordability) I was able to get the bill passed and signed into law. I received a number of accolades from colleagues who did not think such a coalition could be held together.
Organized and chaired the Kirkland Community Summit in 1993 in response to a very divisive city council campaign the year before. It was an all day summit sponsored by Puget Power and the Wash State Depart of Community Economic Development. Over 150 people participated, discussed and reached agreement on actions plans in the areas of governance, economic development, arts, youth issues, and transportation. The event is still talked about today and is heralded as the first major step at creating a city-wide vision.
I am proud to have created the first ever Washington “intra-state sister city program” between Kirkland and Walla Walla. It is an attempt to cooperate in marketing and tourism as well as promote cultural and economic exchange programs. We held several meetings in our respective cities, and the relationship was formalized soon after my election to the Legislature. Due to the commitment of the city councils in both cities the cross-state relationship has blossomed, and the City of Walla Walla approved a proclamation signifying a particular day in May as "Larry Springer" day. This unique partnership is infectious, and provides a good model for other cooperative efforts across the Cascade Curtain.
Prime Sponsored and passed a bill that will provide $20-25 million dollars for affordable housing, help clear the Housing Trust Fund backlog, help provide farmworker housing during harvest, and much more. This bill did not raise taxes, but will be key to helping many families afford housing, and go a long way to ensure our farmer's are able to provide safe, adequate housing for their staff |
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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Board Member of Kirkland Dowtown Assocation (2005 - Current) Kirkland City Council (1994-2005) Mayor, City of Kirkland (2000-2003) President, Suburban Cities Associations (2002-2003) Recipient of the National Distinguised Leader Award (2002) President, Leadership Institute (2001) Member, 520 Bridge/Corridor Study (1998-1999) Chaired Chamber of Commerce Community Services Committee (1995) Chaired the Kirkland Community Summit (1993) Board of Directors, Kirkland Performance Center (1992-1994) Board of Directors of the Kirkland Art Center (1990 -1992)
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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 legislature adopts a state wide budget every two years which is the true policy statement of priorities the legislature believes are in the best interests of the citizens of Washington. The adoption of the budget is in many ways the seminal event of the legislature's session.
In order to accomplish this task there are many other "duties" which must be performed if the budget is to be a true reflection of the interests of Washingtonians. Chief amoung them is an ability to listen to constituents and really hear what they say and many times what they do not say.
After that, every legislator has the responsibility to make a judgement about what must be done to address the issues raised by his/her constituents. A central duty (OK, skill!) is to work with diverse interest groups all of whom have a stake in the proposed solution to the issue identified by the legislator's constituents.
So, the most important duties are establishing relationships, recognizing who needs to be part of the conversation as a solution is crafted, steadfastly adhering to the agreed upon outcome (as opposed to techniques to get there,) and an ability to represent your point of view with your colleagues and the general public.
Lastly, every legislator must recognize his/her duty to represent the home district while knowing that the health of the entire state is paramount to the future of Wasington. |
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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Diploma Bellevue High School 1965 BA Western Wash State College 1969 MS University of Oregon 1974 |
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