Penny Sweet – Candidate for City Council Position 3

Candidate Bio

Name: Penny Sweet
Age: 61
Family: Husband Larry Springer, son Mark Evich
Religion: Raised Roman Catholic
Education: Roosevelt High School: graduate     Shoreline Community College and Spokane Community College: general courses and medical terminology, medical assisting classes     Antioch University: business leadership curriculum     University of Washington School of Business:  business leadership
Resident of Kirkland since: 1985
Resident of King County since: 1948

Campaign Chair: Marilyn Pedersen, Jackie Smith
Campaign Treasurer: Hazel Russell
Campaign website: www.sweetforkirkland.org
Contact information: pennysweet@verizon.net, campaign phone 425-822-2907, cell 425-765-5576

Favorite movie: The African Queen

Currently reading: Narrow Dog to Indian River

Hobbies: Woodworking, wine, gardening, volunteering….mostly woodworking if it means I can acquire a new power tool!

Professional Experience: 31 year career with Group Health Cooperative ending as director of Business Operations for the Hospitals in Seattle and Redmond, responsible for a multi million dollar budget and up to 175 employees. In that role I provided leadership and oversight for multiple healthcare systems and was the regulatory chair of our compliance committee.   25 year career as owner the Grape Choice Wine Shop in Kirkland.   10 years as the founder and President of Celebrate Kirkland, Inc – a non profit 501c4 organization in the city of Kirkland.

Political Experience: Ran for city council in 2007

Civic Involvement/Community Service:

1995-1998   Chair of Relay for Cancer event through Group Health, coordinated GHC’s involvement in the annual event and worked with the oversight team in logistics and planning

2004-2007   Group Health Cooperative Community Action Teams represented the Seattle and Eastside teams in developing community relationships, determined funding and partnerships for outside organizations.

1987-1991  Kirkland Arts Center Board of Directors, two terms as secretary and chaired two auctions

1986-present  Chamber of Commerce member

2006-present  Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee

1999 founded Celebrate Kirkland, Inc.  A non-profit organization to host, fund and operate the Kirkland 4th of July Celebration.  Celebrate Kirkland produces the annual parade, community picnic and fireworks display which has become the signature event of Kirkland.

1999-present  Organizer and president of Celebrate Kirkland, Inc.  planning, organizing, fundraising, grant writing for Kirkland’s annual

4th of July celebration

2004-2005   Served as the events chair on the Kirkland Centennial Steering committee organizing three city wide celebrations during our Centennial Year.

2005-2008  Leadership Eastside Inaugural class graduate, our service project was  “Meeting the food needs of multiple cultures through our existing service agencies”

2006-present  Chair Kirkland Team for the  One Night count of individuals and families on the eastside

2008-present  Kirkland Downtown Association Board of Directors

2008-present  Chair, Market Neighborhood Association

2008–present  Member of Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods

2008– present Founding Member, Friends of Kiwanis Park

2007-2009  Member City Council Appointed Downtown Action Team.

2008-present  Board Member Friends of the Library of Kirkland (FOLK)

Lifetime member of the Kirkland Heritage Society

Member of The Audubon Society and The Sierra Club

2000   awarded the Anne G. Owen Award for Community Service presented by the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce.  I have been recognized by the Kirkland Chamber as a “Friend of Kirkland” in 2000 and in 2005 received the President’s Award.  Through our business, The Grape Choice, we were awarded the Chamber’s “Blooming Service” award in 2004 for businesses supporting community service.

Kirkland City Council is a non-partisan position. Are you a member of a political party – if so, with which party are you registered?

Registered with the Democratic Party

How would you describe your political views?

Fiscally conservative, socially liberal

Why have you chosen to live in Kirkland? I believe that often by choice and sometimes by chance you find yourself in the perfect place.  Kirkland is that place for me.  When Larry and I had the opportunity to own our own business we jumped at the chance, that chance was in Kirkland and the rest, for us, is history.  We cannot imagine living anywhere else.  The physical setting is unparalleled and the social fabric is what many other cities wish they had.

What do you hope to achieve, if elected to the City Council in 2009? I hope to bring a sense of collaboration to the council.  I want to roll up my sleeves and actually get some work done.  I believe a new council will be able to take a new approach to our responsibilities to our citizens, to clarify the direction we need to be moving and prioritize the work we can actually get done.

You are asking the people of Kirkland for our vote. Why should we vote for you? I believe living and working in a community implies a commitment to stewardship, something I take very seriously.  I have been actively involved in issues, events, and projects that impact our businesses, neighborhoods and the whole community since my husband and I made the decision to live in Kirkland 25 years ago.

I have a deep and abiding commitment to our community.  I am a passionate advocate for small, locally owned, family businesses in our neighborhood business districts where I have owned and operated my own business with my husband for 25 years.

As a small business owner, environmentalist, community organizer and volunteer I bring a perspective that fosters communication and builds the kind of partnerships that will help us maintain and grow the spirit of community that the City of Kirkland has worked so hard to achieve.

Since the 2007 election I’ve increased my service in Kirkland significantly.

I was elected chair of my Neighborhood Association (about 850 households.)  While I was active before, that experience has really excited me about the essence of neighborhoods and what they can be.  Over the course of my leadership we have nearly tripled the involved membership of our association.  We have put on and participated in multiple community events from picnics to gathering two tons of food for Hopelink during the Holiday snow storm.  We founded a group called Friends of Kiwanis Park to sustain a precious neighborhood park.  We are committed to forming a neighborhood connection via the internet that will continue to foster open communication, collaborative decision making and build a safety network for the whole neighborhood.

Right now, we are in times tougher than many of us have experienced in our lifetimes.  Our city is struggling, our leadership is failing and it’s time for a change.  Our current council has not done what they should to foster economic growth during this recession and in fact I believe have made conditions worse by down zoning our central business district resulting in project cancellations meaning fewer jobs and less tax revenue to the city.

It is time someone served on the council who can bring a passion for Kirkland’s character and a commitment to strengthening our neighborhoods coupled with critical real world business experience.  I will bring that unique combination to the city council.

For more information, visit our Voter Guide

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