The Municipal League of King County

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224

Seattle, WA 98104

 

2006 Board of Trustees

Steve Marshall, Chair

Tami Ritoch, Secretary
Fireside Homes

Albert Israel, Treasurer
Mass Mutual Financial Group

 

Beth Arman, Renton Technical College

Angela Avery, community volunteer

Putnam Barber, Executive Alliance

Dan Berger, municipal attorney

Jill D. Bowman, Stoel Rives LLP

Bill Breitenstein, Financial Executive (ret.)

David Brentlinger, Weyerhaeuser

Bruce Carter, judge pro tem, Seattle Municipal Court

Kevin Carter, Safeco

Paul Demitriades, Medina City Council (ret.)

Sandra Driscoll, City Attorney (ret.)

Mary Gates, consultant

Norma Jean Hanson, Norma Jean Hanson Paralegal Services

Robert Klein, McNaul, Ebel, Nawrot, and Helgren

Jack Jolley

Eric Laschever, Stoel Rives LLP

Eric B. Martin, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Kent McKinney, Keycenter Manager, KeyBank

Ramsey Ramerman, Foster Pepper

R. Todd Slind, CH2MHill

Norman Z. Sigler, Mobile Partners

Will Smith, T-Mobile

John Spady, Dick’s Drive-In

Ara Swanson, community volunteer

Harold Taniguchi, King County Department of Transportation

Rashelle Tanner, CRISTA Ministries

Wes Uhlman, Wes Uhlman & Associates

Jason Van Nort, Puget Sound Energy

Rich White, Boeing

 

2006 CANDIDATE BACKGROUND QUESTIONNAIRE
FOR JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

 

The Municipal League of King County requests every candidate who participates in the candidate evaluation process to submit background information prior to his/her interview with a candidate evaluation committee.  The questionnaire is the basis of the League’s research and interview process.  The League’s ratings are non-partisan; they are based on standards of Involvement, Effectiveness, Character, and Knowledge, all of which have been developed and refined over the past 90 years.

                                                               

A printed version of the questionnaire is available for candidates who prefer to use the traditional format.  To obtain a hard copy, please contact the League office.  A copy of this questionnaire will be provided to Candidate Evaluation Committee members to help them prepare for your interview.  Candidate responses, except the confidential section, will be available to the general public at the League website. 

 

The Municipal League requests the following materials from candidates.  Please check to make certain you have sent in your:

 

    Candidate Questionnaire

        Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

    Resume (education, employment, and professional activities)

        Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

             Check here if you DO NOT want your resume posted on the Municipal

                   League website

    Campaign Materials

        Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

    Constituent Newsletters and other publications

        Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

    Photograph

        Sent by:         Email             US Mail          Fax            Not Sending

 

Note: Electronically submitted questionnaires are strongly preferred. All materials can be emailed to cec@munileague.org.  They can be processed and made available on-line far more rapidly than handwritten or typed submissions.

 

For non-electronic submissions, please print clearly and legibly and return the application as soon as possible in order to allow the committee the greatest amount of time to prepare a complete report on your skills and experience.

 

If you have not yet been contacted to schedule an interview, or if you have questions about the candidate evaluation program, please contact the League office at 206-264-1070.

 

If you have a disability and require accommodation to participate in the candidate evaluation process, please contact Jennifer DiGiacomo at the League office.


SECTION I               

 

BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION

 

1.      Name as it will appear on the ballot

 

First Name

Middle Initial or Nick Name

Last Name

Susan

J.

Owens

 

2.   Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):

 

Supreme Court Position 2

 

3.   Are you the incumbent?                 Yes              No

 

 

4.   How long have you resided in this district/city?

 

N/A

 

5.   How long have you resided in King County?

 

N/A

 

6.   Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan?          Partisan       Nonpartisan         

                                                                                                                       

7.   If partisan, please indicate party:       

 

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

 

 

Campaign Name:

 

People for Justice Susan Owens

 

Address:

 

6963 Littlerock Rd. S.W.

 

City/State/Zip:

 

Tumwater, WA  98512

 

Campaign Phone:

 

(206) 841-9715

 

 

Campaign Fax:

 

     

 

 

Campaign E-mail:

 

     

 

 

Campaign Website:

 

www.JusticeSusanOwens.com

 

 

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)

Supreme Court No. 2

 

Elective

 

1/01-present

 

     

 

Clallam County Dist. Court No. 2

 

Elective

 

7/81-1/01

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

 

2.   If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:

 

Office Title

Year of Run

N/A

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 

     

 


 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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.)

 

For 25 years I have brought a commitment to fairness and unmatched integrity to our judicial system.  For nearly two decades I have servied rural communities in the Clallam County District Court and with tribal courts on the Olympic Peninsula.  Elected to the Supreme Court in 2000, I have continued to serve with honor, earning the respect and endorsement of my colleagues.  With special interestes working to bring big money and politics to our court, it is critical to retain strong, independent voices like mine.

 


 

2.      Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.

 

Patience, perseverance, and strong work ethic.

 

 

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. 

 

1.  My children - Sunny and Owen.

 

2.  Violence Against Women Act Tribal Domestic Violence (1998-1999):  Writing tribal judges' manual and creating a model domestic violence training program.

 

3.  WSBA Leadership Institute (2005-present):  Board of Advisors for WSBA Diversity Leadership Project, which won the 2005 American Bar Association Partnership Award and the 2006 Lexis\Nexis $15,000 award.


 

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.

 

See attached resume.

 

 

  1. Please describe the duties of the office you seek.  Which are the most important duties and why?

 

These are too numerous to list.  See attached resume.


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.

 

     

 

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.

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Judicial Candidate Questionnaire

 

1.   Briefly describe the nature of your current practice/position including types of clients and areas, if any, of specialization.  State what percentage involves civil litigation, criminal litigation, and/or nonlitigation.

 

N/A

 

2.   Identify all your experience as a neutral decision maker (e.g. judge, permanent or pro tem, in any jurisdiction, administrative law judge, hearing officer, arbitrator, etc.)

 

District Court Judge 1981-2000

 

Supreme Court 2001-present

 

Chief Judge Quileute Trial Court 1992-1997

 

Chief Judge Lower Elwha Tribal Court 1993-2000

 

3.   If you have been a judge, identify any court committees on which you have served or administrative positions you have held, including dates.

 

See attached resume.

 


 

4.   List the approximate percentage of your time over the last five years you have made appearances in:

 

    

% municipal court

 

    

% state district court

 

    

% superior court

 

     

% federal district court

 

100

% appellate court

 

    

% administrative tribunals

 

5.   Are you now an officer or director of any business enterprise other than your law practice?  If so, what role do you expect to play if elected?

 

No.

 

6.   Have you ever been disciplined or determined to be in breach of professional conduct by any court, administrative agency, bar association, disciplinary committee, judicial conduct commission, or other professional group?  Have you ever had a formal complaint filed against you with the WSBA?  If so for either or both questions, give the particulars, including the outcome.

 

No - two complaints in the 1980's; both were dismissed summarily.

 

One complaint now pending against 8 current members of the Supreme Court.


 

7.   ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:

 

a)      List the names, daytime and home phone numbers of three recent opposing counsel, including at least two cases that went to trial.

 

Name of Opposing Counsel

Daytime Phone

Home Phone

 

N/A

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

a)      If you have served as a neutral decision maker, list the names, daytime and home phone numbers of the last four attorneys who have appeared before you.

 

Name of Attorney

Daytime Phone

Home Phone

 

See http://www.tvw.org for

 

    

 

    

 

Supreme Court oral arguments

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224                  Phone: 206-264-1070                        Email: cec@munileague.org

Seattle, WA 98104-1614                        Fax: 425-671-0506                       Website: www.munileague.org