Darcy Burner lost one of the closest Congressional races in the country by a mere 3,000 votes.as she tried to upset the incumbent in Washington's 8th District. Let's hope in 2008 she wins and can represent us all in Congress.
Darcy promises to be a strong advocate for working families by fighting for affordable health care, protecting our retirement and standing up to big business.
To quote her positions on some key issues:
Darcy signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2006. We hope to see her on another ballot in 2008.
Throughout her career, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell has remained true to the values and tradition of public service she learned from her family. The second of five children, she was raised in a modest home in a working class Irish neighborhood. She developed a love of public service and community involvement at an early age; a love passed down to her by her parents and grandparents. Maria worked to pay her way through college, and was the first in her family to earn a college degree.
She previously served in the Washington State Legislature and in 1992, she ran for Congress and was elected a U.S. Representative for Washington's First District, north of Seattle. As a member of Congress, Maria supported landmark legislation such as the Family and Medical Leave Act and the 1993 deficit reduction plan.
Maria signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2006.
Adam is one of our inaugural pledge signers, joining the AIS family in 2003 at our kickoff and has been a good friend ever since. In January he accepted our invitation to hold a town hall forum about the occupation in Iraq and in May he spoke at our thrid annual May Day Celebration.
Congressman Adam Smith is serving his 5th term in the United States House of Representatives. Since 1997 he has represented the 9th Congressional District of which he is a life-long resident. Bordering the Puget Sound , the 9th District includes parts of King, Pierce and Thurston Counties.
Adam currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House International Relations Committee where he has the opportunity address vital issues affecting military personnel, national security and global development. Joining members of the House Armed Services Committee, Adam traveled to Iraq this last November where he visited with troops, military leaders and Iraqi government officials. This was his second trip to the region.
http://www.electadamsmith.com/
Beginning his fourth term in Congress, Brian Baird represents Washngton's 3rd District. He signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2004.
Brian has been a steadfast advocate of working families, and is continually fighting for no-nonsense legislation like his new proposal to give House members adequate time to review prposed bills prior to voting on them (imagine what the Patriot Act would have been like had members had a chance to review it?). He has also been a strong advocate of the Buy American program.
Ron Sims
King County Executive
Ron Sims has built his career in public service around the progressive principles of social justice, good government and environmental stewardship. He has a national reputation for boldness and vision, and
is a champion of reforming government processes to better serve the people of the dynamic, forward-thinking Puget Sound region. Sims has taken a leadership role on a range of issues, and has compiled a notable list of accomplishments. During his two terms as County Executive, Sims has
established a strong record of environmental protection. An ardent conservationist, Sims has protected more than 100,000 acres of green space in the County since 1997. He won regional praise and national recognition for his leadership in a three-county effort to restore the runs of the prized Chinook
salmon, declared threatened by the National Marine Fisheries Service earlier in 1999. His leadership is widely credited with turning around a troubled Sound Transit agency that is now on track to providing needed relief to traffic congestion.
At the same time he has protected King County’s financial standing during the recent economic downturn by cutting $135 million from the county’s budget without compromising services. More recently, he has been lauded as a national leader on health care reform for leading a major regional effort to find innovative
approaches to controlling costs while improving quality of care.
Born in Spokane, Washington in 1948, Ron’s parents both worked in government: his father, an ordained Baptist minister, worked for the Washington State Office of Community Development; his mother was the first African-American department head in the history of the City of Spokane. Ron cut his political teeth as a young man marching alongside his parents in the struggle for racial equality, and a passion
for civil rights issues has animated him throughout his political career.
After graduating from Central Washington University, where he was elected student body president, Sims worked on consumer protection issues at the Washington State Attorney General's office and the Federal Trade Commission. Recruited to run the City of Seattle's juvenile offender program, Ron remained head of the program until becoming a legislative aide in the Washington State Senate.
Ron has a long history of community involvement. As a lay minister himself, Sims volunteered for Operation Nightwatch, which serves homeless individuals in the City of Seattle. At other times, Ron's public service career has extended well beyond Washington State. He has served, for instance, as an election observer for
the Carter Center in both Zambia and the Republic of Georgia. It was Ron's service as Board President for South East Effective Development (SEED) - a neighborhood advocacy organization focused on economic development located in southeast Seattle - that created the platform from which he launched
his formal political career.
In 1985, Ron was first elected to the King County Council. While serving in that capacity, Sims developed a reputation as a tireless legislator, working on a diverse palette of issues that led to advances in the areas of the environment, education, county budgeting, public safety and the protection of workers’ rights.
During his first term in office, he led a successful effort to rename King County, which had originally taken its name from a 19th century slaveholding vice-president, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As a reward for his efforts on behalf of his constituents, Ron was twice reelected to his Council position by overwhelming margins.
In 1996 Ron was appointed King County Executive after then-Executive Gary Locke was elected governor. Sims stood for election the following year, winning easily, and was reelected by a wide margin in 2001.
Ron signed the America In Solidarity pledge at our kickoff in 2003.
Calvin Goings, Pierce County Council
Candidate for Pierce County Executive
Calvin Goings, a life-long resident of Puyallup, was elected to the
Pierce County Council in 2000 and re-elected in 2004. Councilmember
Goings represents the communities of Browns Point-Dash Point, East
Tacoma, Fife, Northeast Tacoma, Puyallup, Summit View, Summit-Waller,
and the Tideflats. Prior to being elected to the County Council, he
served as a Fire District Commissioner from 1991 to 1997, and as a
State Senator from 1995 to 2000. Goings is a graduate of Pierce College
and Pacific Lutheran University. Councilmember Goings' priorities
include growth management, public safety, and government efficiency.
As an active resident of the community, Councilmember Goings is a member of numerous organizations, including the Puyallup Chamber of Commerce, Ezra Meeker Historical Society, Puyallup Main Street Association, Fife Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Pierce County Library, Summit-Waller Community Association, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, and the Tacoma Urban League. Calvin, his wife Amy, and their son William, live in Puyallup.
Calvin signed our pledge in 2004 and has been one of the strongest advocates of working families in Pierce County. America In Solidarity is proud to support him (eight AIS volunteers to the right walked with Calvin at the Gig Harbor Maritime Parade on June 2nd)..
Tacoma's Metro Parks Commissioner
Ryan Mello ran several campaigns that America in Solidarity assisted in. When he put his hat into the electortal ring, AIS was happy to help him defeat the incumbent for Metro Parks Commissioner. Ryan (in picture with AIS's Holly Hulscher at a Tacoma rally in November) lives in Tacoma and also works for the Nature Conservancy.
Tim Farrell
Pierce County Council Position #4
Pierce County Councilmember Tim Farrell (center) signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2004 when he beat out two other candidates in an agonizingly close primary. His district mostly represents the City of Tacoma.
Tacoma City Council Position #8
Bill Evans is now serving his second term on the City Council and served as Deputy Mayor in 2004. He was first elected to the at-large position 8 City Council seat in 1999.
A North End Tacoma resident, Bill currently owns three retail stores in Tacoma. Bill also is a founding member and past president of the Proctor District Association and remains active in that business district and the Downtown Merchant Group. He has been involved in community-building activities as a board member of the North End Neighborhood Council and the Convention and Visitor Bureau and has volunteered at the Food Connection, Habitat for Humanity and the Tacoma Public Schools Facilities Advisory Committee. Bill and his wife, Ann, have three children and have lived in Tacoma for 25 years.
Bill signed the America In Solidarity pledge at our kickoff in 2003.
http://www.cityoftacoma.org/51Gov/CityCouncil.htm?redir=no#Bevans
Tacoma City Council Position #7
For
over 15 years, Julie has been an active part of Tacoma, as a community
advocate, public servant, and commonsense administrator. She has lived
in many of Tacoma's diverse neighborhoods (North Slope, Hilltop,
Skyline, North East Tacoma, and West End). Prior to her election to
the Tacoma City Council, she had substantial hands-on experience with
City government.
Julie signed the America In Solidarity pledge at our kickoff in 2003.
http://www.position7tacoma.org/pages/1/index.htm
State Representative Steve Conway has been with America In Solidarity since the beginning, advising us from the start and being the original pledge signer in 2003. "Labor's" representative in Olympia, Conway has served Washington's 29th District for 14 years.
Tami has been a Registered Nurse for nearly 25 years including twelve years of practice at Western State Hospital and the Child Treatment Center in Steilacoom.
Tami signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2006 and spoke at our May Day event earlier this year.
State Senator Derek Kilmer
Washington's 26th District
Representing the Gig Harbor, Port Orchard and Bremerton areas of Washington, Derek was elected State Senator in 2006. He had previously served as State Representative, having been elected in 2004. America In Solidarity was happy to help his campaigns as Derek has been a strong advocate for working families in Olympia. He secured funding for a needed new hospital in Gig Harbor.
Derek signed our pledge in 2004 and is shown with AIS co-founder Mike Jagielski in the photo.
Rosa Franklin
State Senator, Washington's 29th District
Rosa Franklin, President Pro Tem of the Washington State Senate, has been representing the people of the 29th District as Srate Senator since 1993. She previously served one term as state legislator before that. A registered nurse, Rosa spent 42 years in the health care field after earning a nursing degree. She serves on four committees including health care and labor.
Rosa signed the America In Solidarity pledge at our kickoff in 2003.
Senator Franklin's legislative page
State Representative Pat Lantz
Washington's 26th District
Serving her fifth term, Pat Lantz has been a state representative since 1997. A big proponent of educational issues, Pat is also chair of the House Judiciary Committee. She signed our pledge in 2004 and America In Solidarity directed many volunteers into the 26th District in support of her the last two elections.
State Representative Steve Kirby
Washington's 29th District
Serving his third term, Steve Kirby has been a strong advocate for working families in Olympia for Tacoma residents. Prior to being a state representative, Steve was a Tacoma City Council member. He is the chair of the House committee on Insurance, Financial Services and Consumer Protection and has been pushing a bill this session that would limit the amount charged by payday lenders.
Steve signed our pledge to support working families in 2004.
Troy Kelley
28th Legislative District, Position #1
As a
Additionally,
Troy signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2006.
Zack Hudgins
Washington State House of Representatives District #11
Serving Washington's 11th District (Tukwila, Renton, South Seattle) since 2003, Zack signed our pledge in 2004. The three-term legislator lists affordable health care and job creation as his legislative priorities.
Representative Bob Hasegawa, Washington's 11th DistrictBob Hasegawa is a lifelong resident of Beacon Hill and is living in the house he
grew up in. He is retired from the Teamsters Union where he was a member and union
leader for over 32 years. Bob is a longtime labor and social justice activist from
Seattle. He was the elected head of the largest Teamsters trucking local workers
union in the Pacific Northwest (Teamsters Local 174) for three terms (9 yrs.), and
was also a leader in the national Teamsters pro-union democracy reform movement, TDU (Teamsters for a Democratic Union).
Bob has long sought to build bridges between social justice organizations,
particularly those serving the labor, environmental and Asian Pacific Islander
communities. He serves on the national executive board of the Asian Pacific
American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) as well as on the APALA Seattle Chapter
Executive Board, and has served on numerous other boards of community based
organizations.
Bob graduated from Antioch University with areas of concentration in Labor
Relations and Organizational and Social Change, and also holds an AA degr
ee in Labor Studies from Shoreline Community College.
Bob signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2004.
Representative Dawn Morrell has lived in Puyallup for 22 years with
her husband Jim, a retired Air Force pilot. After retirement, Jim
received his teaching certificate from Pacific Lutheran University and
taught at Clover Park Technical College for 10 years. He is now a math
and science tutor. Dawn and Jim have been married for 38 years and have
two children and four grandchildren. Their two children, Jereme and
Jameson, attended Puyallup public schools and graduated from Rogers
High School.
Dawn was elected to represent the 25th Legislative District in the Washington State House of Representatives in November of 2002. Her legislative priorities include building a strong economy by investing in education, creating good paying jobs with benefits, property tax relief, and ensuring that affordable quality health care is available to every Washingtonian.
Dawn is a certified critical care Registered Nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup.
She was one of the original AIS pledge signers in 2003 and had participated at many of our events.
Washington State House of Representatives
District #27
Dennis Flannigan has served his district well since 2003, receiving a 100 percent labor voting record from the Washington State Labor Council in 2004 and 2005. He is always willing to talk because he cares about his constituents. Check out his website and let him know what you think about the issues.
Dennis serves the 27th District which comprises the northern and west parts of Tacoma.
Dennis signed the America In Solidarity pledge at our kickoff in 2003
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Rep. Jeannie Darneille Majority Caucus Vice Chair |
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Olympia Office: 429 John L. O'Brien Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7974 |
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Washington's 26th District
Rep. Larry Seaquist entered electoral politics in 2006 as he won election to Washington's House of Representatives. A former US naval officer, Captain Seaquist commanded a number of warships including the bat-tleship USS IOWA during his 32 year career. After leaving th Navy, Larry has been heavily involved in a variety of political endeavors which you can learn more about on his website. He signed our pledge in 2006 and participated in our forum on health care.
Here is Larry's answers to our questionaire:
1. Why are you seeking office? After a lifetime of public
service am deeply concerned about the path down which our country and our
communities are now being led. We are
leaving too many people and too many businesses behind. I wish to help get us
back on course – asap! We need to restore the American promise that, with hard
work and an education, everyone – everyone! – is due the opportunity to find
meaningful work and make a comfortable life.
2. What qualifies you to represent working families? I
began life in a very hard working family and have continued to live in one
every day. As a Navy ship captain I have
been responsible for helping thousands of hard-working young Americans begin
their careers, form strong families, and take leading roles in their
communities.
3. What are the main issues affecting the people you would represent? The
single most important issue is bad politics – the divisive, hot-button campaign
politics of extremists that has left most of our citizen-voters angry and our
major problems unaddressed. The specific
issues heading the “must fix now” list of most voters in the 26th LD
include: 1) improving government accountability, especially regarding property
taxes and fiscal discipline; 2) continuing education reform; 3) rapidly
attacking our health care emergency; 4) making sure there are good, living wage
jobs growing in the district so people can commute less and so their children
will be able to live here, too; 5) taking better care of our environment; 6)
and solving our energy dependency problems.
4. What is your position on the “Right to Work” issue? Opposed.
5. Do you feel government entities should change zoning laws to
accommodate big block retailers like Wal-Mart? No.
6. Do you support initiatives like the “Fair Share Health Care” Bill that
would force large companies to either provide health insurance for their
employees or pay into the state’s health care system? Yes.
7. What is your position on living wage ordinances? As a first-time candidate, I am not familiar with the specific legislative history behind this idea. But I certainly favor the principle that workers must be able to earn a living wage from meaningful work
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Rep. Maralyn Chase |
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Olympia Office: 433 John L. O'Brien Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7880 |
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Rep. Tom Campbell
State House, Washington's 2nd District
Ever heard the saying "There are some good republicans and some bad democrats"? Well, Tom is definitely one of the good republicans when it comes to standing up for working families. He has voted over 80% of the time with the Washington State Labor Council's recommendations. Endorsed by unions, Tom makes finding affordable health care solutions one of his top priorities.
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Rep. Geoff Simpson |
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Olympia Office: 426 John L. O'Brien Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7918 |
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Rep. Pat Sullivan |
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| (D) 47th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT | ||
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Olympia Office: 122G Legislative Building PO Box 40600 Olympia, WA 98504-0600 (360) 786-7858 |
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Governor Christine Gregoire (in the picture with E-board members Zeek Green and Holly Hulscher) signed our pledge in 2004.
Governor Christine Gregoire grew up on a small farm in Auburn, at the time a rural community, helping care for the crops and livestock and working as a cook in town. She attended the University of Washington, graduating in 1969 with a teaching certificate and a bachelor's degree in speech and sociology.
Governor Gregoire attended law school at Gonzaga University in Spokane, graduating in 1977, and went to work as an assistant attorney general in the office of state Attorney General Slade Gorton, a Republican. As an assistant attorney general, Gregoire concentrated on child-abuse cases, coordinating with social workers to get children removed from abusive family situations and placed with relatives or foster homes.
She served as the director of the Washington Department of Ecology from 1988 until 1992, when she was first elected attorney general, a post to which she was twice re-elected. While Ecology director she negotiated a triparty agreement in 1989 with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to clean up waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
Chris Gregoire was elected to three terms as attorney general and was the first woman to be elected to the position in Washington. During her time in office, she worked on children's issues, reformed the state's juvenile system, led an effort to strengthen identity theft victims' rights, worked to pass a new ethics
law for state government and to find alternatives to litigation in resolving legal disputes. Her office, in conjunction with other state attorneys general, investigated and sued drug companies for allegedly violating antitrust laws concerning manipulation of the price and availability of prescription drugs.
Gregoire's first legislative session, running 105 days from January 9, 2005 to April 24, 2005, produced nearly 500 pieces of legislation.
Bills passed in this session signed by Gregoire include:
the creation of a billion-dollar life sciences discovery fund;
requiring new public buildings meet environmental standards for energy efficiency and water conservation (also known as green buildings);
providing cost of living pay raises for teachers;
reinstating the estate tax;
funding voter Initiative 728 to reduce class sizes;
adding more seats at Washington state colleges and universities;
requiring health insurers to give equal treatment to mental disorders.
Christine Gregoire has been a consistent defender of workers' rights and continues to fight to improve the lives of Washingtons' working families.
Washington State Insurance Commissioner
A former Lieutenent Colonel in the Army and member of Congress, Mike Kreidler has been Washington State's Insurance Commissioner since 2000. Mike has more than 25 years experience in public service. Serving in the Washington State Legislature for sixteen years, he distinguished himself in matters related to health care and the environment. Through his leadership, major legislation was enacted dealing with generic drugs, respite care, HIV/AIDS, health care cost containment, foster care, day care and the natural death act.
He signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2004.
These are the candidates on the ballot in 2007 that have signed the America In Solidarity pledge to support working families.
Dave Lovell,
Candidate for Port of Tacoma Commissioner
A lifelong advocate of working families, former local Teamsters
President Dave Lovell is running for Port of Tacoma Commissioner. It is
only fitting he signed our pledge to support working families as he is
hoping to replace retiring Commissioner Jack Fabulich, who signed our
pledge way back in 2003. The Port of Tacoma has been the region's
biggest supplier of family wage jobs and its important to have a
commission that understands the Port's role in the Tacoma-Pierce County
community.
It is going to be a tight race as seven candidates have filed to run in the primary election on August 21st. Sign up to volunteer and help Dave out.
David Stemp
Candidate for Fircrest (WA) City Council
David Stemp has thrown his hat in the ring in this important race for Fircrest City Council. Why is a little town like Fircrest, so important? Because Wal-Mart has set its eyes on building a store there which would threaten living wage jobs in the neighboring cities of Tacoma and University Place. And Stemp has pledged to do what he can to keep Wal-Mart out of Fircrest.
David's answer to the closed debate about Wal-Mart with the current Council:
Currently there is very little openness in the Fircrest city government. It is difficult to get information regarding business development, specifically the possibility of a new Walmart. I would work to make our government open and more transparent so that labor has a chance to deal with the issues fairly and accurately.
David's answer about some of our other issues:
Labor must have the tools of organizing, bargaining, and striking to create equality. I believe every American is entitled to a living wage, affordable health care and a quality public education. Without the support of organized labor this would not be possible.
Every worker and their family should have access to GOOD affordable health care. We need to set the highest standards on the planet for environmental protection so that we can lead the way for the rest of the world. And we should have the most open and inclusive worker and civil rights policies in the world.
Former state legislator and firefighter Mike Cooper is running for Snohomish County (WA) Council. Mike signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2004 when he ran for Washington State's Commissioner of Public Lands. Mike spent eight years serving in Olympia in the state legislature and most recently served as chair of hte Snohomish County Charter Review Commission. He will host his kickoff on May 24 in Edmonds.
Rose Ehart
Candidate for University Place City Council
Rose, one of our registered volunteers, is trying to make a difference by running for city council in University Place.
A former small business owner and realtor, Rose left the for-profit world in the 90’s and embarked on a mission to “make a difference” in her community. She founded the Bread Basket, a 501c3 non-profit food and clothing bank, which delivers food at no charge to low-income homebound seniors and disabled persons.
Rose is elected to the Pierce County Conservation District Board. Local conservation projects include Chambers Clover Creek Watershed Project, salmon recovery and improvements at Curran Apple Orchard. Rose is active in her church and her community. She volunteers most of her time in community service and political activism. Rose is a member of several local and county boards. Choosing to serve her community on the University Place City Council is a natural outgrowth of her business and political experience and her love for her community.
Rose's answers to our questionaire:
1. Why are you seeking office? I am running in order to lead our city in a new direction
and tackle some of the difficult issues we face as a community. University
Place is undertaking a significant change to it’s economic infrastructure. This
includes constructing new buildings, new roads and providing opportunities to long-term
employment. These projects and jobs should be done by those companies with safe
working conditions who offer family standard jobs.
2. What qualifies you to represent
working families? I am a
mother and a wife in a middle class working family. I know from experience the
difficulties and joys working families face. I have run a food bank in my
community for a number of years and I understand the challenges facing many of
our working families. Additionally, I have worked closely with Rep. Tami Green
and will continue to work with all elected officials to address the issues of
providing jobs that allow for dignity and respect of working families. I
believe we need to spur economic development in order to bring in family
standard jobs and as a city institution, we must make sure we pay our employees
a livable family wage.
3. What are the main issues affecting the people you would represent? We need to complete the Town Center Project, which will attract new businesses and family standard jobs to our city, boost our economy and reduce our personal taxes.
4. What is your position on the “Right
to Work” issue? I
oppose “right to work” laws. The state of
5. Do you feel government entities should
change zoning laws to accommodate big block retailers like Wal-Mart? ABSOLUTELY
NOT! Current laws and the Growth Management Act sometimes make it difficult for
zoning committees to deliberately favor homegrown “small town” businesses over
big box stores. However, this is the direction I would take if elected. I
disapprove of the business model Wal-Mart uses because it is not good for
working families and it is not good for communities like
6. Do you support initiatives like the “Fair Share Health Care” Bill that would force large companies to either provide health insurance for their employees or pay into the state’s health care system? It is inherently unfair for working taxpayers and ethical businesses such as Brown and Cole, to subsidize corporate profits of Wal-Mart and others by paying their corporate responsibilities. Big companies that do not offer adequate healthcare insurance tax our entire healthcare system, and our state and city resources. I support single payer solutions like that of Senator Rosa Franklin’s SB 5756 as the long-term fix for this problem.
7. What is your position on living wage
ordinances? I support living wage ordinances. The creation of family
wage employment must be a significant criteria in selecting contractors to
provide goods and services to the city or to qualify for economic incentives to
locate a business in the
Jackie Minchew
Candidate for Everett City Council, Position # 7
A public school teacher, Jackie Minchew is running for a seat on the Everett City Council. He is running to represent the working families of Everett, a voice sorely missing on the current council. A true progressive, Jackie has served with the 44th District Democrats and as Chair of Democracy for Snohomish County.
Here is his answers to our questionaire:
Why are you seeking office? – I seek this office primarily to represent the voice of the under-represented. I seek a better balance between upscale developments and affordable housing. I seek distributed representation, so that every part of the city is represented on the council, rather than just the downtown power corridor.
What qualifies you to represent working families? I have a passion to serve the citizens of Everett and I am committed to seeing that their interests are represented at City Hall. I am of the working class, and I understand the challenges working families face. I am an aggressive learner and a patient teacher.
Finally, I have the necessary work ethic and drive to be always on the job for my
constituents.
What are the main issues affecting the people you would represent? Number one on the list is the fact that the determined gentrification of the city is making it harder and harder for working families to stay here. As appraised property valuations skyrocket, assessed property taxes follow suit. As more and more apartment buildings go condo, affordable rentals become ever scarcer. As mobile home parks are bought up and developed, senior citizens on fixed incomes find their “Golden Years” dogged by the specter of eviction and economic ruin.
What is your position on the “Right to Work” issue? I come from a “Right-To-Work” state. Right-to-work laws are absolutely anti-union, in my opinion. They are intended to weaken unions and make it difficult if not impossible to organize.
Do you feel government entities should change zoning laws to accommodate big
block retailers like Wal-Mart? Absolutely not.
How would you use your position to address America's health care crisis? I am not sure a City Council has much of a role to play on this issue, but I am personally an advocate for some sort of a single-payer plan.
What is your position on living wage ordinances? I would support a living wage ordinance in Everett, along the lines of the one adopted in Bellingham, WA.
What is your position on trade agreements like NAFTA, CAFTA and the WTO? I believe so-called “Free Trade Agreements” bear the bulk of the blame for the exportation of America’s manufacturing capacity, along with American jobs. I oppose them.
She is currently running for Pierce County Conservation District and is also serving on our Executive Board.
Karen is a mother, small business owner, church volunteer, and a PCO in the 31st District Democrats. As a longtime resident of her district, Karen understands the problems unique to the 31st, and will provide solutions for that area effectively. Active in church choirs since a teenager, she has been immersed in shapenote singing for the last 18 years, travelling throughout the West and South to sing and to teach this American folk tradition. Karen and her husband Ken live just outside South Prairie with heir dog and two cats.
Lynne Dodson, Candidate for Washington State House's 43rd District
Lynne has served as the President of the Seattle Community Colleges Federation of
Teachers, AFT 1789 and the chair of the AFT WA Community College Council for over 6
years. She was the co-chair of Washington State Jobs With Justice for five years.
After graduating from Inchelium High School on the Colville Reservation in Eastern
Washington in 1979, Lynne earned her Bachelor's degree and a Masters of Science in
Community Psychology from California State University, Long Beach. In 1995 she
received a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of Washington. Her
educational experiences taught her how to turn compassion and a quest for justice
into smart policy.
In 1993, Lynne fulfilled her dream to become a community college teacher at Seattle
Central Community College. Starting out part-time, then as a full-time and tenured
professor, teaching remains her passion. Lynne began teaching at California State
University in Long Beach as a graduate student. She moved back to the Northwest to
receive her Ph.D and served as an adjunct professor at Western Washington University
in Seattle's Human Services Program.
As the president of the American Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1789, she has
advocated for preschool through higher education legislation in Olympia for the past
six years. As a graduate student in Long Beach, Lynne developed a program for the
city designed to reduce institutional racism in Job Training Partnership Act
Programs. On returning to Seattle, she worked her way through college by teaching
part-time and conducting evaluation research of a teen parent program in Everett.
Her dissertation was a policy analysis of welfare programs.
Lynne has been active in the social justice and peace movements for many years.
Through her leadership, her local union has participated in advocating not only for
public education, but also for human and civil rights, protecting the environment,
and workers' rights -- locally and globally. From advocating for health care for all
to equal pay for equal work, to shutting down the FTFF reactor and no high level
nuclear waste in Hanford, to an end to child labor, sweatshops, and global warming
to working for immigrant worker rights to improvements in prison education, to
marriage equality for all to a living wage campaign, to actively participating in
planning two of the largest peace rallies in state history -- Lynne has consistently
been in the forefront of the progressive movement in Seattle.Lynne signed the America In Solidarity pledge in 2006.
http://lynnetowin.org
At the AIS Executive Board meeting in June, a motion was brought up and passed that stated: "To designate an apparatus to suspend promotion of a candidate or elected official that has signed the America In Solidarity pledge if the individual has failed to live up to their pledge through elected votes, campaign promises or general apathy toward working families. A candidate or elected official can be suspended through a motion and subsequent vote of two-thirds of the Executive Board at a regularly scheduled meeting. The suspension can be appealed by a candidate or elected official or representative of the elected official at an America In Solidarity Executive Board meeting."
Candidates or elected officials in this section have signed our pledge, but have since failed to live up to what they signed.
Tacoma City Council Position #1
Spiro was elected to the Tacoma City Council in 2003. A District 1 resident for 52 years, Spiro attended Downing, Mason, and Wilson before going on to Western Washington University.
For the past twelve years Spiro has held an administrative position at Bates Technical College where he has been an invaluable member of the management team. Prior to his employment at Bates Spiro worked for the City of Tacoma's Finance Department for over eight years.
Spiro is very active in the community and has served on many volunteer boards and commissions; including the Metro Parks Recreation Foundation where he served as Treasurer and Executive Board Member. Spiro and his wife Sandy have three children and live in the Tacoma's West End.
Spiro signed the America In Solidarity pledge at our kickoff in 2003.
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