Mike Hope for Washington House District 44

As your Representative, Mike Hope stands up for you!

Cut Spending
Government spending is out of control. As government grows, freedom shrinks. I’ll oppose debt and spending increases at the Capitol.

Meet Mike Hope........

Duty, Honor, Courage, Service - these values define Mike Hope.

Whether as a Marine, a state Legislator, a small business owner, a high school coach or a Seattle police officer, Mike's entire life has been dedicated to serving his country, his state and those around him.

These are the values that have driven Mike's decision to first seek office, and these same values follow him when voting on important issues facing our state.

Growing Up
Raised by a single mom, Mike learned the value of hard work at an early age. While raising three boys, Mike's mother put herself through college and became a nurse. Her example of courage and sacrifice has guided Mike all his life.

Education
Growing up in a blue collar suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, Mike dreamed of going to college and having a career in law enforcement.

His dreams came true. After paying his own way through college, Mike graduated from John Carroll University (B.S. Sociology and Criminology) in 1998. After graduation, Mike joined the Seattle Police Department. He ultimately earned a Master’s Degree in Policy Studies from the University of Washington, Bothell.

Starting a Family
Despite living and growing up only five miles apart, Mike met his wife Sara after college. Two years ago, Mike and Sara welcomed a precious baby boy into the world, their first son, Noah.

Sara graduated from college with a degree in Education and worked as a special education teacher in the Monroe School District. She has coached numerous sports and currently coaches girls’ basketball, cross country and track.

Working with Kids
One of Mike's greatest joys is working with children.

As a former athlete, Mike furthered his interests in athletics after college by becoming a personal trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist. He used this conditioning foundation to open the doors to coach football, track, speed and conditioning, and wrestling at local area schools.

Mike is proud of the growth he sees in his athletes as they dedicate themselves to a goal and work hard to achieve it.

He's especially proud to have coached several athletes who have gone on to earn scholarships or compete at the collegiate level.

Launching a Career in Law Enforcement
Mike started out as a beat cop with the Seattle Police Department, but he quickly became a Detective in Seattle's West Seattle Precinct.

Like so many of our brave men and women in law enforcement, Mike's service has been marked by instances of great courage and bravery.

From breaking through the locked doors of a house to save a woman from the violent blows of an abusive husband, to administering literally lifesaving care at the scene of a hit and run accident, Mike's poise and professionalism have allowed him to "protect and serve" Seattle's citizens with unfailing purpose and resolve.

An avid reader and researcher, Mike has also worked hard to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of law enforcement here and across the country.

As part of his Master's Degree studies, Mike began working on a program called Narcstat. In 2006, he pioneered the program in the Seattle Police Department. The Narcstat program is a statistical measuring tool which today allows police departments around the country to analyze street level, open air drug markets. It shows police how to best utilize available resources and deploy officers to combat the drug trade.

Mike's research on the program was published by the University of Washington in the Campus Journal. http://catalog.lib.washington.edu/...

As an officer, Mike has seen first-hand how important it is for people to feel safe in their own homes and on their own streets. That's why he's committed to making sure criminals are held accountable for their actions and that victims are put first.

Mike currently works in the Patrol Division assigned to Seattle’s Southwest Precinct.

Military Service
In 1994, Mike joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve. As a little boy, Mike wanted to serve his country as a United States Marine. Most of his military career was served in the Landing Support Battalion.

Interestingly, it was during his Marine training at Fort Lewis that Mike first fell in love with our area.

Mike served on the Joint Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs at the state Capitol. He's an outspoken advocate for our brave men and women in uniform, whether on active duty, in the reserve or retired from our armed forces.

Mike in the State Capitol
Driven by the challenges facing our state, Mike decided to run for the Washington State House of Representatives. Mike ran on a platform of creating jobs, controlling spending and caring for our most vulnerable in society. The people of the 44th Legislative District embraced his drive, determination and vision for a better Washington and elected him. Mike won re-election in 2010 with 66% of the vote.

In the House, Mike has been a strong voice for sound fiscal policy, greater economic development, stronger education and safer communities.

Growing our Economy
Instead, Mike has focused on legislation to encourage private sector job growth.

Locally, Snohomish County lost over 30,000 jobs over the last four years, it's critical that we have state leaders like Mike. He understands that government must (1) live within its means, (2) eliminate obstacles that hinder growth and (3) foster an economic environment that develops more, and better, jobs for our people.

Mike has sponsored legislation to incentivize economic development in our region and to reinvest in our workforce.

Small Business Experience
Mike knows what it takes to create jobs. He's a former small business owner himself. Mike and Sara ran a local area workout facility called Hope's Gym.

This experience taught Mike the value of a dollar, and he knows how to make a payroll and balance a budget. Mike strongly believes government needs to learn these lessons too.

A Recognized Leader for Economic Development
Because of his commitment to growing our economy, Mike has received numerous honors at the Capitol.

In 2009, Mike won the business Champion Award from the Joint Government Affairs Committee (Everett, South Snohomish County and Monroe Chambers of Commerce). He was also honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington- Bothell. In 2010 and 2011, Mike won the Association of Washington Business Cornerstone Award.

Watching the State's Purse Strings
Mike has strongly opposed the out of control spending and burdensome tax increases coming out of Olympia and supported reforms of state government to get us back on track.

Mike knows that more taxes and spending won't solve our problems!

A Champion for Education
With his and his wife's work in our schools, ensuring that kids get the best education possible will always be a top priority for Mike.

Mike serves on the House Education and Education Finance Committees. He has fought to see education funded first in the state budget and to ensure that students and teachers receive all the support they need to succeed in the classroom.

Mike has been especially active on issues of special education, an area that has special meaning to him because of the kids he has met though his wife's classes. This legislative session, Mike authored legislation which provides more flexibility and streamlined regulations for special education, allowing for better instruction for our special needs students. Furthermore, Mike worked in a bi-partisan effort to ensure that WSU found a home in Everett and by working with parents found a way to save $40 million by re-examining state testing.

A Statewide Leader on Public Safety
Given his professional background, Mike has emerged as a recognized statewide leader on law enforcement. Mike's work has garnered numerous accolades, including the 2010 Legislator of the Year Award, Council of Metropolitan Police and Sheriffs and 2010 Legislator of the Year from Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs.

One of Mike's greatest legislative victories was passage of the Lakewood Police Memorial Act. Named in honor of four Lakewood police officers, who were murdered by a criminal on his "third strike," House Joint Resolution 4220 was a significant step forward for public safety in Washington. Under the bill, judges can now deny bail to violent offenders who are facing life in prison without the possibility of parole upon conviction.

The effect of this legislation was best described by the widow of one of the slain Lakewood officers, who said, "It could save another life, that's the bottom line."

The legislation went on to pass a statewide vote of the people with over 88 % of the vote.

Mike also passed Eryk's Law. This law toughened the penalties for those who assault children.

In the most recent session, Mike created a statewide "Blue Alert" system.

Modeled after the successful Amber Alert system, Blue Alerts will immediately notify citizens of the presence of dangerous criminals who have just committed violent acts against law enforcement and who are on the loose in their area.

An Effective Statesman
Mike's work in the Legislature has taught him valuable lessons about the law making process. Simply put, Mike knows how to get things done.

For example, as a freshman legislator, Mike won passage of a Constitutional Amendment, the Lakewood Police Memorial Act, which was ultimately endorsed by almost 90 percent of Washington voters. This was a rare achievement for a first term lawmaker.

What's more, Mike's willingness to reach across the aisle and work with members of the opposite party demonstrates his belief that, working together, we can move our state, and our communities, forward.

A great example of this commitment is Mike's leadership to bring a Washington State University branch campus to Snohomish County. Working with Democrat and Republican colleagues, Mike helped secure greater opportunities for higher education for all our citizens through the WSU campus.

Rather than always looking at taxing our citizens, Mike works in a common sense, bipartisan way to bring real, cost effective solutions to our challenges. This is the same type of constructive and innovative leadership he will continue to bring as your state representative.