2015 Candidate Questionnaire Municipal Level

Candidate Name Shannon Braddock Position Sought City Council, District 1 Home Legislative District 34th Legislative District Are you a Democrat? Yes Are you known as a Democrat? Campaign Name ShannonForD1 Campaign Contact Information Mailing address: Phone: (206) 682-7328 4701 SW Admiral Way #291, Fax: Seattle, WA 98116

Website: http://shannonford1.com/ Email: [email protected] Twitter: @shannonbraddock Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shannon- Braddock/665157166961697 Campaign manager or point of contact Peter Hansen – (202) 553-7563 Consultant(s) Northwest Passage Consulting

Part I – Candidate Background Please briefly describe your qualifications, education, employment, community and civic activity, union affiliation, and other relevant experience. Attach a resume with more complete history. I received my Masters of Public Administration from the Evan’s School at UW while working part-time and raising my three children. For the past four years I have had the privilege to serve as Chief of Staff to County Councilmember Joe McDermott. Throughout my tenure as Chief of Staff I have worked closely with Joe to promote a wide range of progressive policies, including support for community work agreements and priority hire, investment in transit and viaduct mitigation, and securing critical funds for human services such as the Youth and Young Adult Homelessness Initiative and the Greenbridge Public Health Center. Working as a policy advisor furnished me with important regional policymaking experience and gave me the opportunity to build constructive relationships with both labor and business organizations. I have also had prior work experience in the State Senate and I have worked as committee staff for the U.S House of Representatives.

I have lived in District 1 for over 16 years and I care deeply about our community. I have demonstrated my care through civic engagement, serving on the Board of the West Seattle Food Bank, the Lafayette PTA and WestSide Baby. I was a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) when I worked at Haggen grocery in Bellingham, WA during college.

Describe your history of involvement in Washington state politics. What offices have you previously sought election or appointment to? What campaigns have you worked on? I was raised around politics. My dad, Dennis Braddock, served as a Bellingham City Councilmember and a member of the Washington State House of Representatives from the 42nd District. At a young age I started volunteering on his campaigns by doorbelling and stuffing envelopes! I was the campaign manager for Kelli Linville’s first successful WA State House of Representatives campaign and I worked for the Initiative 119 ‘Death with Dignity’ campaign. I have volunteered for local campaigns, including Dow Constantine for and Joe McDermott for King County Council. I have been a member and Precinct Committee Officer for the 34th District Democrats for several years.

I have not previously sought appointment or election.

What prompted you to run for this office? What priorities are you seeking to address with your campaign?

My district (1 – West Seattle and South Park) serves as a microcosm of the issues facing the city of Seattle writ large. District 1 is growing rapidly and we must forge a path which properly balances the needs of growth on existing and new communities while ensuring opportunity and access for all, particularly our most vulnerable citizens. I am running for City Council because I want to maintain District 1 as a community where all people – young and old, and from a variety of income brackets – can thrive. All of our residents should have the opportunity and access to succeed in our amazing community and city. To achieve this we need effective transportation, responsible growth, affordability and healthy and safe environments for our kids, families and seniors. Given the rapid pace of change in District 1 achieving these goals will be a challenging job... but it is a challenge I welcome!

List the notable endorsements you have received to date. Who are you planning to ask for an endorsement?

Received:

King County Councilmember Joe McDermott King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski King County Councilmember Larry Gossett The National Women's Political Caucus of Washington (NWPC-WA)

Planning to solicit:

Mayor Ed Murray County Executive Dow Constantine Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen 34th District Democrats 11th District Democrats Labor organizations - variety

Describe the progress of your campaign and campaign goals. For instance, how many doors have you knocked on? What earned media has your campaign received? How much money have you raised?

As of today my campaign has knocked on over 2,000 doors and we have raised approximately $33,000 dollars.

Have you ever been a member of any other political party? If so, what party? Have you ever given money to a candidate from another party in a partisan race? If so, to whom and when?

I have never been a member of another political party, nor have I given money to a candidate from another party.

Please answer the following questions. Yes* No 1 Have you ever failed to pay any taxes or court ordered judgments? No 2 Have you ever been found in violation of a Public Disclosure Commission, Federal No Election Commission or Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission regulation?

* If you answered “Yes” to any of the above, please explain your answer:

Part II – Local and State Issues # Question Yes No Qualify your response 1 Do you support amending the U.S. Yes Constitution to lessen the influence of money in politics, and declare that corporations do not have the rights of natural persons? 2 Do you support the right of public workers, Yes excluding military, to bargain and strike? 3 Do you support increasing the minimum Yes wage in your jurisdiction to $12/hr or higher? 4 Do you support legislation at the local and Yes state level to require equal pay for women and people of color? 5 Are you willing to undergo and ask your staff Yes and peers to undergo training to understand and combat institutional racism? 6 Do you support raising revenue at the city Yes level to expand transit service? 7 Do you support development impact fees to Yes pay for schools, roads, and parks, as allowed under the Growth Management Act? 8 Do you support building a municipally owned Yes and operated broadband system in your city? 9 Do you agree that municipal government Yes should use its borrowing capacity to fund additional units of affordable housing? 10 Do you support protecting what is left of our Yes urban tree canopy with strong tree ordinances that require property owners to consult with city government prior to cutting down trees? 11 Do you support infrastructure to make it Yes easier to walk and bike on your city’s streets? 12 Do you support allowing coal or oil to be No* I want to see our country divest from exported from Washington State’s ports? coal and oil usage. That said, the railroads that access the ports are under federal jurisdiction so I believe our focus needs to be on safety and health. I support the city’s resolution opposition to transporting coal across Washington State and through Seattle due to negative health impacts and negative impacts to the earth's climate. I also support the work of the Seattle City Council (particularly Councilmember O’Brien) and the mayor and our county executive and county council to work toward safer oil train transport policies.

13 Do you support requiring police officers in Yes* I am concerned about the civil your jurisdiction to wear body cameras? liberties issues surrounding the implementation of body cameras, but I believe the pilot program in Seattle is an important step toward greater police accountability. 14 Do you support Tim Eyman’s I-747, which No artificially limits property tax increases to 1% per year, regardless of population growth, inflation, and need? 15 Once elected, will you work to get diverse Yes candidates elected to office? 16 Do you support women's right to Yes reproductive freedom? 17 Do you support all municipalities in King Yes County implementing a “Ban the Box” program as is already in place in Seattle and Spokane? 18 Will you form a task force to gather input Yes from disabled persons to identify and remedy hazards for pedestrians, and will you work to have these suggestions implemented?

Part III – Free Response Questions Please review the 2014 King County Democratic Platform, approved by the delegates to the King County Convention and available from KCDCC’s website. List which planks, if any, you disagree with, and why.

As an elected leader, what will you do to promote increased awareness of the climate crisis, and what public policy would you endorse to reduce emissions and penalize producers of pollutants? I believe that stewardship of the environment is everyone’s responsibility and with the ongoing federal gridlock on climate change it is more important than ever that climate solutions are formulated and implemented at the state and municipal levels. Seattle has long been on the vanguard of climate protection and I am particularly proud of being among the first cities in our nation to adopt a Climate Action Plan (CAP) in order to comply with Kyoto targets. As an elected leader I would continue and expand upon existing policies as well as looking for new ways to improve our city’s environmental stewardship. In my professional life, as chief of staff to King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, I have an established track record of working alongside elected leaders to advance environmental protection legislation. For example, I have worked on the legislation related to the purchase and preservation of Maury Island, served as the alternate representative on the WRIA 9 committee, engaged in Duwamish cleanup efforts and worked to improve public transportation and transit.

If given the opportunity to serve as the district 1 representative on the Seattle City Council I would promote increased awareness of the climate crisis in the following ways: first, I would support a resolution directing the city’s Pension Board to divest from fossil fuels. I believe that our investments can be both finically prudent and environmentally responsible. Fossil fuel divestment would send a strong signal to the public that the climate crisis is real and that elected leaders are taking it seriously. Second, I would press legislators in Olympia, WSDOT, and other state agencies to study the environmental impact of vehicle miles traveled in all key transportation investments in order to ensure that our transportation investments do not increase greenhouse gas emissions. Such an analysis will enable the city and state to more accurately pinpoint the most efficient and least environmentally damaging ways to allocate our resources. I would also strongly support the expansion of energy efficient green buildings in Seattle. I am open to the possibility of using tax-credits or subsidies to incentivize developers to build green. It is also extremely important that as a city we continue to finance and encourage a wide range of alternatives sources of energy be they wind, solar, tidal or other.

Additionally, in my role as a Seattle City Councilmember, I would be proud to endorse and promote Governor Inslee’s ambitious cap-and-trade proposal which puts in place one of the most progressive carbon- pollution regulation systems in the world. Creating a sustained price signal which raises the cost of carbon emission not only helps the environment by reducing overall pollution, it also makes renewable and green alternatives more price competitive as these technologies work to achieve scale and push down costs. Seattle, as a tech leader, is perfectly positioned to create and benefit from the high tech “green collar” jobs of the future.

Describe your vision for tax reform and tax fairness. What changes to the state’s tax system would you ask the Legislature to make? If you were in charge of putting together a budget proposal for your city or district, what would it look like? Would you be willing to raise revenue to avoid harmful cuts to public services?

Despite Washington’s progressive bona fides, our state continually fails to live up to its liberal ideals on one extremely important issue – taxation. According to the non-partisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITE) Washington has, by a significant margin, the most regressive taxation system in the . Our current regressive tax structure casts Washington as the odd-man-out in a peer group including: Indiana, Kansas, Arizona, Tennessee, South Dakota, Texas and Florida. By Contrast, those states with the most progressive tax systems include: California, Delaware, D.C., Minnesota, Montana, Oregon and Vermont. What this makes clear is that Washingtonians must do some soul-searching and decide whether we truly want a tax structure in which the lower a family’s income is, the higher the overall state and local tax rate they pay. Such a system disproportionally favors the wealthy and produces economic and social outcomes akin to those found in, for example, Kansas and Texas.

On the issue of taxation principles and fairness, I believe a well designed system ought to 1.) Minimize the tax burden faced by citizens as much as is reasonably possible and 2.) Be equitable in terms of horizontal and vertical taxation. As Oliver Wendell Holmes famously noted, “taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.” The state and city must raise enough revenue to perform essential functions and make long-term investments in our communities and citizens. At the same time, we must be cognizant not to over-burden our citizens with excessively high tax rates that can disincentivize productive behavior, such as work and investment. At the state and city levels we should seek to realize a “goldilocks zone” of taxation which is high enough to raise necessary revenue but not so high as to impose an undue burden or discourage productive behavior. Additionally, I support both horizontal and vertical tax equity. Horizontal equity in taxation simply means that households bringing in the same amount of income should pay the same amount of taxes. As a principle, vertical equality holds that households should be taxed according to their level of economic well being. I believe this type of progressive taxation is justifiable because as a household becomes wealthier each additional dollar they receive has a declining marginal benefit to them. This means that a dollar of income means more to a poor family than it does to a rich family. Taxation on the income of the poor can mean taking away their ability to acquire necessities while it may simply diminish a wealthy family’s ability to consume luxuries.

According to the ITE, as things stand today, the residents at the bottom of Washington’s income ladder pay 16.8 % of family income in state and local taxes while earners in the top one percent pay only 2.4%. This is not only unjust and a large contributor to our state’s inequality it is also counter-productive insofar as it reduces the state’s revenue -- particularly during recessions, the time when it is needed most. To address this inequity I would ask the legislature to pass a broad-based, graduated personal income tax. Additionally, I am in favor of Governor’s Inslee’s proposed 5% capital gains tax on high investment income individuals and couples. In fact, I would potentially like to see a slightly higher capital gains tax – possibly the 7% which Governor Inslee’s budget initially proposed.

At the city level, the budget proposal I would support would continue to protect our most vulnerable citizens, provide for infrastructure maintenance and support vital services such as public safety. I appreciate the Open Budget concept the city has instituted and, if elected, I look forward to working with the Mayor and my colleagues to increase transparency, innovation and performance of our city’s work. It has been my privilege to work alongside King County Councilmember Joe McDermott as he has led the budget process for the County Council as Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee for the last 3 years and this experience will assist me as I review revenues and priorities for the City as a councilmember.

I am favorably disposed to the idea of raising revenue to avoid harmful cuts in public services. States such as Kansas and Florida are natural experiments which have demonstrated the folly of choosing to slash public services rather than raise revenue. In Kansas schools are closing early due to a lack funding as Governor Brownback’s tax cuts have squeezed the state’s revenue – and yet, Kansas remains mired in the economic doldrums and faces a huge budget shortfall. In Florida, Governor Scott slashed health funding for tuberculosis precipitating a 2012 TB outbreak amongst Florida’s homeless population. Essential public services must be kept running for the benefit of all, even if that means tax increases.

What important state and local issues have you worked on (or taken an interest in) that you feel aren't getting enough attention from elected leaders and the media?

As a mother of three I am keenly aware of the stresses related to caring for children. Raising children is difficult even under the best circumstances but when families lack the financial resources necessary to meet an infant’s basic needs it is near impossible. I currently serve on the Board of Directors at WestSide baby, an NGO dedicated to alleviating the childcare burden placed on low-income families in Seattle by providing them with the supplies necessary to adequately care for their children. It is clear that enabling families to provide quality child care is socially beneficial and produces a significant return on investment over the long- run as children who are properly cared for at a young age are more likely to be successful adults than those facing privation. In fact, according to the Economist, “improving early child care in the poorest neighborhoods yields returns of ten to one or more; few other government investments pay off so handsomely.” As a councilmember I plan to advocate for just such investments and I will advocate for the social services that all children need to grow and flourish. I am firmly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity and I believe that in order to realize that ideal we must begin making an impact early in children’s lives. Too often the accident of birth determines how prepared a child is when he or she enters the school system. Wealthy families are more likely to have the resources to invest in their children, exposing them to various learning opportunities and technologies from a young age. As a result, the children of the wealthy begin their formal education with a distinct advantage over their less well off counterparts --- often this advantage persists throughout life. The answer, of course, isn’t to discourage wealthy families from investing in their kids; it is for the government to increase access and opportunity for children who come from poorer families. While there isn’t a replacement for parents who spend time talking and reading to their children, universal access to quality early learning is hugely beneficial to struggling families. I was supportive of the Seattle Universal Preschool Program and would like to see it scaled-up to cover more of our city’s disadvantaged children. I am also interested in exploring options to close the so called “digital divide” – that is, providing technology focused education for everyone, not just the wealthy. While it is getting attention in local media, I would also highlight homelessness and housing affordability as issues I am eager to continue working on.

What would you do to address social justice issues?

I am committed to progressive values and social justice and have demonstrated that commitment through civic engagement in my private life and by working with elected officials to pass progressive and social justice oriented legislation in my professional life.

In my personal life I serve on the Board of Directors for Westside Baby and as a councilmember I will promote similar values by advocating for the social services that all children need to grow and flourish. Additionally, I previously served as a volunteer and Board Member at the West Seattle Food Bank because I believe our city and nation should be judged based on how it treats its most vulnerable residents. Again, as a councilmember I will promote social justice by advocating for food security and the basic resources our residents need to thrive. With three children in the Seattle public school system and as a former Legislative Representative for Lafayette Elementary School PTA, I truly understand the need for quality education in our city and I plan to work with all stakeholders to improve the quality of Seattle’s public schools.

Social justice means good, living wage jobs for all who seek them. I believe the local government can influence the growth in family wage jobs by supporting policies that benefit workers and employers as well as the broader community. This involves support for collective bargaining, higher wages, affordable housing and transportation investments in educating people about apprenticeships and training programs. We can also incentive businesses to move to Seattle by investing in our transportation and communication infrastructure and by ensuring that our work force has the skills and competencies being demanded by employers.

Regardless of where they live, work, shop or play, it is important that all Seattleites should be safe and secure. To improve safety the number of police officers who walk or bike their beats and understand their neighborhoods must be increased and supported, and we must require that the police force reflect and embody the values of the communities they serve and we must continue to address issues of racial disproportionality in our justice system. We must also make sure we are supporting programs like Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), housing programs for persons with criminal histories and legal support services for those looking to improve and turn their lives around.

I affirm that all the information provided in response to this questionnaire is true, complete and correct, to the best of my ability, and that no relevant matter has been omitted.

Signature Shannon Braddock Date: 5/13/15 Printed Name Shannon Braddock