Joe Szwaja

Joe Szwaja
Madison, WI City Council
In office
1986–1993
Personal details
Born (1956-10-10) October 10, 1956
Oberlin, Ohio, United States
Political party Green
Wisconsin Labor Farm
Spouse(s) Debra Morrison
Children Engel (son), Sam, Leaf, Reed (stepsons)
Residence Seattle, WA (since 1993)
Occupation Public high school teacher and political activist
Website https://joeszwaja.wordpress.com/

Joseph Brian "Joe" Szwaja (born October 10, 1956) is a Seattle public school teacher and political activist. Szwaja currently works at Ballard High School and is an active member of the community. As a dedicate public citizen, Szwaja founded and serves on the board of the non-profit New Dawn Guatemala in 2013, is the president of Rank Choice Voting Washington, and actively volunteers for political campaigns and various social causes.

Prior to living in Seattle, Szwaja served four consecutive terms on the Madison, Wisconsin city council. In 2000 he ran for a seat in the United States Congress in his current home of Washington's 7th congressional district as a Green Party candidate then, in 2007, ran for a seat on the Seattle City Council against incumbent Jean Godden.

Early life and time in Wisconsin

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, in 1978 Szwaja graduated from Kenyon College, earning bachelor of arts degrees in both History and Spanish Literature. Afterwards, he attended the Universidad de los Andes, undertaking research projects involving the World Bank, before moving to Mexico to work as an English language teacher. In 1984 Szwaja earned a Master's degree in Latin American History from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and, in 1992, he obtained a teaching certificate from the same institution. Szwaja is fluent in the Spanish language and has been an educator at both Madison Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[1][2]

While living in Madison, Wisconsin, Szwaja served four consecutive terms on the City Council from 1986 to 1993 and acted as chair of the Labor Farm Party for Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district for three years.[3]

Career in Seattle

Today, Szwaja resides in a North Seattle neighborhood with his wife, Debra Morrison. In 1993 Szwaja became a member of the East Timor Action Network of Seattle (ETAN), as both a Project and Volunteer coordinator, playing roles in lobbying and fund raising. He helped draft legislation for Washington State to cease investing in Indonesian-controlled East Timor, as such investments were purportedly in violation of international law. In November 1999, Szwaja received the Human Rights Award from the Seattle chapter of the United Nations Association for his work helping war victims in East Timor.[4] Politically, Szwaja has played local roles in Seattle against both the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund.[4]

Szwaja has assisted a host of community groups including the Seattle International Human Rights Coalition, as well as Common Ground Seattle,[5] Szwaja says that he has labored on Initiative 937 to promote renewable energy in Washington state, and that he has worked with Jobs With Justice, Community Alliance for Global Justice and the Seattle Rainforest Action Network.[6] Szwaja also sits on the board of Instant Runoff Voting Washington, a multi-partisan organization that is trying to implement the system in Washington state.[7][8]

Currently, Szwaja teaches at Ballard High School in Seattle, a public high school in North Seattle.[9] He is a Spanish Teacher.

Publications

Szwaja has written a number of publications related to education, political affairs, and social rights. He has contributed to the Seattle Times in 2005 and 2009, both times with articles examining ranked choice voting, which allows citizens to list their favorite candidates in a hierarchy and the winners are selected based on overall rankings. Ranked Choice Voting eliminates the need for both primary and general elections.

In 2011 he wrote an article for Real Change strategizing how to address the educational budget crisis.

Szwaja has also been the subject of various written works as well. In her book, Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Community Activism as Curriculum, Celia Oyle outlines the impact Szwaja has had while teaching social justice at NOVA High School. Olye describes how Szwaja's progressive teaching methods encourage community activism and student engagement.

In the book 20 Years of Censored News, Carl Jensen interviews Szwaja about the 1975 genocide in East Timor. Szwaja played a critical role in raising awareness about the atrocity and discusses the role government and corporate interests played in keeping the event concealed from the media.

Political career

2000 United States Congress race

In 2000, in the aftermath of the Seattle WTO protests, Szwaja challenged Seattle U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott for his seat, on the Congressman's support of United States membership in the World Trade Organization and past votes in favor of trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).[10][11] Szwaja captured nearly 20% of the vote, which at that time set a record for a Green in a Congressional election.[12][13]

Election results for his 2000 Congressional bid:

2000 Washington State, United States Congress, 7th District General Election
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Jim McDermott (incumbent) 193,470 72.79% –
Green Joe Szwaja 52,142 19.62% –
Libertarian Joel Grus 20,197 7.60% –
From King County Elections.[12]

2007 Seattle City Council election

On June 4, 2007, Szwaja challenged incumbent Jean Godden for a seat on the Seattle City Council.[14][15] Szwaja outlined that his aims revolved around environmental sustainability, housing affordability and government accountability, with a special emphasis on controlling condominium development in Seattle, to protect rental apartments and affordable housing.[16] He placed second of four candidates in the primary[17] and lost the general election.

Election results for his 2007 Seattle City Council bid:

Note: This municipal election is non-partisan; hence no party is listed here.
2007 Seattle City Council, General election
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Jean Godden (incumbent) 96,530 71.21%
Joe Szwaja 38,479 28.39%
From King County Elections.[18]

Awards

Szwaja was awarded the Human Rights Award by the Seattle United Nations Association in 1999 for his efforts to promote peace around the world, specifically with his involvement with war victims in East Timor.

In 2006 Szwaja was awarded the Outstanding Teachers of America Award for his excellence in teaching and his extensive involvement with human right and environmental awareness.

References

  1. ↑ Our Campaigns; Szwaja, Joseph, "Joseph Szwaja", June 7, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  2. ↑ joeforcouncil.com, "Joe Szwaja for Seattle City Council, About page", verified September 17, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  3. ↑ Neil Modie, Seattle PI, "Incumbents Clark, Godden win big; Velazquez, Harrell to face off", August 21, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  4. 1 2 Manny Frishberg, Seattle Weekly, "It's not easy being Green", July 26, 2000. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  5. ↑ Adam Hyla, Real Change News, "Just say Szwaja", May 30-June 7, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  6. ↑ The Municipal League of King County, Joe Szwaja questionnaire for 2007, "2007 CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE". Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  7. ↑ Instant Run Off Voting Washington, website. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  8. ↑ Seattle Times, Joe Szwaja, "Avoid messy deadlocks with instant runoff voting", January 10, 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  9. ↑ Ballard Highschool, staff page. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  10. ↑ Secretary of State, Washington State, "Candidate Information: Federal Offices (General Election 2000), SZWAJA, Joe." Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  11. ↑ United States House of Representatives, H R 3450; "NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION ACT", "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 575", November 17, 2003. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  12. 1 2 King County, Washington State.
  13. ↑ Eric M. Appleman, George Washington University/Democracy In Action, "Washington—Details". Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  14. ↑ Joe Szwaja for Seattle City Council, joeforcouncil.com, "Joe Szwaja To Challenge Jean Godden for Seattle City Council Position One", June 4, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  15. ↑ Cydney Gillis, Real Change News, "Looking for places people can afford", July 25, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  16. ↑ Young, Bob (October 26, 2007). "Teacher targets popular Seattle City Council incumbent with broad support". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  17. ↑ King County, Washington State, "King County 2007 Primary Results", 2007 Primary. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
  18. ↑ King County, Washington State, "King County 2007 General Results">, 2007 General. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
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