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Created: Thu Jun 19 13:47:43 2008
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The Municipal League of King County
810 Third Avenue, Suite 224
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 264-1070 · cec@munileague.org
2008 CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
2008 Board of Trustees FOR NON-JUDICIAL CANDIDATES
Bradley Meacham, Chair The Municipal League of King County requests every candidate who participates in the
Microsoft candidate evaluation process to submit background information prior to his/her
Robert Klein, Vice-Chair interview with a candidate evaluation committee. The questionnaire is the basis of the
Short Cressman & Burgess PLLC
Norma Jean Hanson, Secretary
League's research and interview process. The League's ratings are non-partisan; they are
Norma Jean Hanson Paralegal based on standards of Involvement, Effectiveness, Character, and Knowledge, all of which
Services have been developed and refined over the past 90 years.
Kristin Peterson, Treasurer
Washington State Hospital A printed version of the questionnaire is available for candidates who prefer to use the
Association
traditional format. To obtain a hard copy, please contact the League office. A copy of this
Jill D. Bowman, Stoel Rives LLP questionnaire will be provided to Candidate Evaluation Committee members to help them
Steve Call, Cascade Water Alliance prepare for your interview. Candidate responses, except the confidential section, will be
Bruce Carter, Judge Pro Tem, available to the general public at the League website.
Seattle Municipal Court
Sandra Driscoll, City Attorney (ret)
The Municipal League requests the following materials from candidates. Please check to
Kathy Elias, Prospect Delta
make certain you have sent in your:
Mary Gates, consultant
Albert Israel, Mass Mutual
Financial Group Candidate Questionnaire
Chris Johnson, Office of the Sent by: X Email US Mail Fax Not Sending
Attorney General
Cynara Lilly, Online Video Service Resume (education, employment, and professional activities)
Gabe Meyer, World Affairs Council Sent by: Email US Mail Fax Not Sending
Ramsey Ramerman, Foster Pepper
Check here if you DO NOT want your resume posted on the Municipal
R. Todd Slind, CH2MHill
Lucy Steers, consultant League website
Wes Uhlman, Wes Uhlman & Campaign Materials
Associates
Sent by: X Email US Mail Fax Not Sending
Jason Van Nort, Puget Sound
Energy Constituent Newsletters and other publications
Nick S. Verwolf, Davis Wright Sent by: Email US Mail Fax Not Sending
Tremaine
Jen Watkins Photograph
Rodney G. Wendt Sent by: Email US Mail Fax Not Sending
Nick Williamson, Encrypted Key
Technologies
Kendee Yamaguchi
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
Staff far more rapidly than handwritten or typed submissions.
Saul Ettlin, Director 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.
We request that you return the Candidate Questionnaire
by June 1, 2008
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 the CEC Coordinator at the League office.
2008 Candidate Questionnaire
SECTION I
BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION
1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
First Name Middle Initial or Nickname Last Name
Matthew R. Hale
2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
King County Superior Court Judge, Pos. 26
3. Are you the incumbent? Yes X No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
26 Years
5. How long have you resided in King County?
Same
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan X Nonpartisan
7. If partisan, please indicate party:
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
Campaign Name: People for Matthew R. Hale
Address: 15222 10th SW, #232
City/State/Zip: Burien, WA 98166
Campaign Phone: 206-248-6764 or cell 509-280-3984
Campaign Fax: N/A
Campaign E-mail: peopleformatthewrhale@gmail.com
Campaign Website: Peopleformatthewrhale.com
POLITICAL BACKGROUND
1. Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices you have held. Include positions on
appointive boards or commissions.
Public Office Elective or Dates Held Leadership Role (if any)
Appointive?
None
2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
Office Title Year of Run
Municipal League of King County 2007 Candidate Questionnaire Page 1 of 7
SECTION II
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 one 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.)
In America, our courts are the great levelers, where all men and women are equal under
the law. The courts are our modern day dueling grounds where people of all backgrounds
hope and pray for a fair shake and for justice. Unfortunately, my experience has taught me
that those who cannot afford the best representation, or any representation, can be ground
down the gristmill of procedure. My experience has shown that there is a strong sense that
the fair administration of justice is often lost at the courthouse steps, where the party with the
most money has the best chance of prevailing. This violates our American notion of the
purpose of the courts. And, while I hold no illusions that the court is run by men with all of
their faults and frailty, I do not believe that the notion of justice is a lofty ideal which cannot
be achieved. Rather, I believe that, even with the challenges of our time, justice and fairness
must be a living, working reality.
I have an insatiable hunger for justice and a belief that justice should flow out of the
courthouse like a mighty stream for all who enter its doors. This is what I will bring to the
court. I believe that and every person that crosses through the threshold of the court house
door should do so confidently, knowing that they will be heard, they will be treated with
compassionate fairness, and that justice will be done.
Municipal League of King County 2007 Candidate Questionnaire Page 2 of 7
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
I am patient, compassionate, fair minded and have an unquenchable passion for justice. In
matters concerning the law, I am meticulous and a perfectionist, striving to understand and
apply the law in the most appropriate way possible. I am a talented writer and public speaker
and have a strong ability to mediate disputes among people. I also have a desire to serve the
people of my county, who are my neighbors and fellow citizens.
3. Please describe, in sufficient detail, one to three accomplishments or contributions of which you are
most proud. These examples should illustrate 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.
While I was in college, I worked at the local crisis hotline, working graveyard. There I
learned to communicate with people from all walks of life facing all sorts of situations.
On one particular night, I received a call from a desperate woman who was in the midst
of attempting suicide by overdosing herself on some toxic, prescription medicine.
Unfortunately, our phone system was not able to trace the call, so we had way to locate her.
She was in a drug induced haze and was evasive to my questioning. She would not tell me
her address. She would not let me transfer the call to a mental health professional. I
confirmed the type and quantity of medication she had taken and realized that she would not
survive unless she was given medical attention.
I was afraid that this woman was going to die because she was fading in and out of
coherence. I managed to gain her trust over the phone. And, in spite of the haze caused by
the medication, I was able to glean some clues as to who she was and where she was located.
I realized that, since she had taken prescriptions, her doctors name would be written on the
bottles. My best hope was to learn who her doctor was and contact him to find out where she
lived. Once I coaxed her to give me her doctor's name, I was able to pass that information
along to a co-worker, who was able to get in touch with her doctor. Through her doctor, we
were able to get her address. Tears of relief came to my eyes when I heard the paramedics
knocking on her apartment door. She said goodbye and hung up the phone as I heard the
door opening and the paramedics asking her questions.
Municipal League of King County 2007 Candidate Questionnaire Page 3 of 7
4. Please list or describe 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.
Growing up, I worked in physical labor and construction to pay my way through
school. I worked with people from all backgrounds and all walks of life, and I learned to be an
electrician in the process. Having that background, I have experienced the struggles and the
difficulties that the average working person faces.
I worked at the Spokane crisis line from 2000 to 2001. My involvement with the crisis
taught me how to communicate with people from all walks of life in all situations. It was there
that I learned to be compassionate and understanding with all people and to treat each one of
them fairly, whether I liked them or not.
I have also had a diverse and varied legal career. I have represented estates through
the probate process, represented people charged with crimes, represented small businesses
and business start ups, represented landlords and tenants, represented business being sued,
and represented individuals suing businesses. I have argued countless motions to the courts
and have represented people in appeals. My varied background gives me the abilities and
knowledge necessary to effectively perform as a superior court judge dealing in all areas of
the law.
5. Please describe the duties of the office you seek. Which are the most important duties and why?
The single most important duty of a Superior Court Judge is to ensure that justice is
accomplished. This is done through hearing motions and arguments of counsel and deciding
those issues before the court by applying the law and following the law. This is done by
running an efficient court room, in order to minimize any delay in the process. This is done
by respecting all people without representation. Finally, any decision that a judge makes
must be made with sound, well communicated reasoning in order to ensure that the
confidence in the judicial system is maintained, and that the public is confident that justice is
done at the Superior Court.
Municipal League of King County 2007 Candidate Questionnaire Page 4 of 7
EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY
FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT
The Municipal League's Candidate Evaluation Report is distributed to voters in print and 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 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.
Municipal League of King County 2007 Candidate Questionnaire Page 5 of 7