Election 2011: Meet John Creighton, Running for King County Council District 6

John W. Creighton 

Where do you work and what is your job title?

Attorney, Solo Practice in Kirkland, WA; Port Commissioner, Port of Seattle

Where do you live now and how long have you lived there?

I have lived off and on on the Eastside since 1970 – I grew up in Bellevue, attended Interlake High School and now live in Kirkland.  My parents and siblings all still live on the Eastside.

Spouse or domestic partner if any:

N/A

Children:

N/A

Education (include graduation date(s), if any):

• Interlake High School, Bellevue – 1983
• Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore – BA International Relations 1987
• Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC –
• MA International Law & Economics 1988
• Columbia University Law School, New York – JD 1993

Memberships and affiliations with clubs and other organizations:

• Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America (Board member, 2001-present)
• World Trade Club (Board Member, Co-Vice President and Co-President at various times).
• Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (Trustee 2003-2008).
• US Japan Leadership Program (Fellow: 2002-present; Executive Board 2006-2010).

Have you or a business you owned (or had principal interest in) ever filed bankruptcy?

No

As an adult, have you been convicted or charged with a crime other than a minor traffic violation?

No

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE(S):

Elected:

• I have been elected twice to county-wide office:  Seattle/King County Port Commission, Position 1 (2005, 2009).  Listed below are the public boards and commissions that I am/have been a member of:
• Appointed by Governor Christine Gregoire to the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board (2 terms; 2006-present).
• Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Policy Board.
• Member of Advisory Board of the Seattle Convention & Visitors Bureau (2010-present).
• I-5/SR 509 Corridor Completion and Freight Improvement Project Executive Committee (member of committee since 2009; appointed chair in 2011).
• Co-chair of the Highline Forum (Southwest King County group of elected officials that meets every two months to discuss airport community issues).
• Chair of Advisory Board of Pathways, the Urban League initiative to foster the success of local disadvantaged business enterprises (2008-2011).
• Chaired Immigration Reform Business Roundtable at the Port of Seattle, co-sponsored by OneAmerica in 2008, which brought together manufacturing concerns, service providers, agricultural trade groups and other business interests from across Washington State to discuss the impact of federal immigration policy on business competitiveness.
• Port Commission Audit Committee (2009); Port Commission Strategic Planning Committee (2011); President of the Port Commission (2007, 2008)

Other campaigns for public office: N/A

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

I grew up on the Eastside, graduating from Interlake High School in Bellevue, and I care deeply about the future of my community.   I am running for King County Council District 6 because I am concerned about the state of the county and I believe that the policies set by the county in the next 5-10 years will shape the region over the next 100.  We need a more proactive and forward-thinking elected official representing District 6 as the council grapples with critical decisions on transportation, land use, public health and economic development.

What will be your top three priorities if you get elected and why?

Reforming and Refocusing Government – The County’s long-term revenues and obligations are mismatched, and if not addressed could lead to bankruptcy.  The County provides vital services to our region, including critical public health and safety programs and initiatives.  We need to ensure that County finances are sustainable well into the future.

I fault the County for the situation in which we find ourselves – County leaders need to be in a constant process of looking for efficiencies in government, not just reacting under economic duress.   County leadership should have acted much earlier to address the County’s overall financial sustainability.

Increasing Transportation Choices – working to increase public transit options in the County by moving past rules that encourage deadheading of Metro buses and other obsolete restrictions, and pushing to get Light Rail built out as quickly as possible by basing route alignments on ridership and engineering, not politics.  On roads planning, the County needs to ensure that our roads and bridges are properly maintained so that a situation like the South Park Bridge never happens again – a critical regional corridor for freight and commuters alike is closed for two years because of the County’s failure to act to timely address replacing the unsafe bridge.

Similar to their response to the budget crisis, County leaders have been reactive on transportation when they should have been proactive:  finding ways to Metro operations more efficient, jettisoning out-dated rules and ensuring that our transit system was on solid footing to withstand the down economy.  While I understand that some reforms require some politically difficult conversations, that is what we elect our elected officials to do.

Restoring and Protecting Our Environment – The Puget Sound Regional Council estimates that 1 million more people will move to our region in the next 20 years.  We need to strengthen environmental policies that will protect our quality of life as the region continues to grow.  In particular, as the most populous county bordering Puget Sound and with oversight of our sewage and storm water systems, the County needs to do more to protect Puget Sound.

What sets you apart from the other candidates and/or previous office holders?

I have proven leadership after six years as a port commissioner, where I had responsibilities as a board member over strategic planning, annual budgeting and capital project oversight over a large complex public agency, the third largest municipality in the State of Washington.  I have developed strong expertise on transportation, economic development and public safety and security matters as a port commissioner.

I also have a demonstrated record of working well with a diversity of stakeholders to find consensus on difficult issues.  Yet I also have not shied away from tackling tough issues and pushing needed change throughout an organization.

How much money do you expect your campaign to spend on this election?

Our overall campaign budget is $200,000.

CAMPAIGN INFORMATION:

Web site: www.johncreighton.org

Email address: john@johncreighton.org