Meet Clint Olson, Candidate for Woodinville Fire & Rescue Board of Commissioners

This is part of a series of candidate profiles Patch will be bringing you for the 2011 elections.

What is your full, legal name?

Clinton C. Olson 

Where do you work and what is your job title?

I retired from the King County Sheriff’s Office as a Patrol Sergeant effective April 1, 1999, with 30 years of service, serving my final two years in and for the City of Woodinville.

Age: 67

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

Joyce and I have resided at NE 195^th St, Woodinville for 29 years.

Spouse or domestic partner if any:

Joyce and I were married in June 1972 in Illinois. 

Children: Joyce and I have two boys and two girls. Jill and Darrell graduated from Seattle Pacific University, and Janna and Roger graduated from the University of Washington.

Jill obtained a Master’s Degree from Leslie University, Cambridge, MS, and Darrell will obtain a Master’s Degree in Divinity from Fuller Institute in California in June 2012.

All our children are married, and three of our children reside in the Puget Sound region. 

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

B.A., Public Administration, University of Puget Sound, March 1978.

CAPPP (Certificate of Achievement in Public Plan Policy), International Foundation, Chicago, Illinois, March 2003. (A study of financial impacts when setting benefit plans for public employees).

Military Service (include year(s) of discharge, if any):                 

US Army, April 1965 – March 1968, Musician, French Horn Player

Basic Training, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri

Advanced Training, US Naval School of Music, Norfolk, VA

Assignment, Third Infantry Division Band, Support Command, Europe

Memberships and affiliations with clubs and other organizations:

King County Fire Commissioners Association,  1999 – present

Washington State Fire Commissioners Association,  1999 – present

Former member, LEOFF II Retirement Board, Olympia, WA   2006 – 200

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

CAMPAIGN INFORMATION: 

Email address: Clinto5858olson@hotmail.com 

Phone number: 425-481-0141 

Campaign manager: none 

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE(S):

Fire Commissioner, Woodinville Fire & Rescue, November 1999

Fire Commissioner, Woodinville Fire & Rescue, November 2005

Other campaigns for public office: None

THIS CAMPAIGN:

What is the primary reason you are running for this office? To ensure our community has the best fire and medical response teams available based on and limited to the level of funding authorized by our community.  

What will be your top three priorities if you get elected and why? My first priority is to focus on the community needs and ensure the services delivered by fire personnel during times of fire and medical emergencies meet the community’s expectations.

My second priority is to ensure the fire department operates effectively and efficiently within its established financial guidelines.

My third priority is to ensure a high quality of service will continue to be provided in light of the reduction of up to 18% of projected revenues through the Kirkland Annexation of 2011 and the proposed Bothell annexation for 2012.    

What sets you apart from the other candidates and/or previous office holders? I can list five general areas that have guided my decisions in the past, and will continue to guide me as a public servant:

1. History of employment as a Sheriff’s Deputy with King County, and exposure to various public agencies in which I had been assigned, including King County, and the cities of Burien, Duvall, North Bend, SeaTac, Shoreline, and Woodinville.
2. Formal Training in Public Administration studying various methods of generating revenue, establishing and controlling a financial budget, budget oversight, personnel management, legal guidelines, general political influences in decision making, involvement of the general public in the decision-making process, setting employee benefits, and more.
3. Formal training in the setting of public policy regarding public employee benefits and determining the long term financial impact of each benefit.
4. Informal training through various seminars and conferences as supported and offered by the King County Fire Commissioners Association and the Washington State Fire Commissioners Association.
5. Twelve years of experience as a sitting member of the Woodinville Fire & Rescue Board of Commissioners.

How much money do you expect your campaign to spend on this election? Less than $1000