Web site: www.electhobbs.com

DOB: 2/12/70
Occupation: Facilities manager
Education: A.A., Everett Community College; B.A., political science, University of Washington

Family/personal: Steve Hobbs was raised in Lake Stevens by his single mother. Inspired by the strong work ethic she instilled, Steve learned early on that with hard work, anything is possible.

He worked his way through school, graduating from Everett Community College and the University of Washington while holding down a full-time job. He joined the Army, rose through the ranks from private to captain, and served in Kosovo and Iraq.

It is Steve’s strong sense of duty that leads him to seek public service once again -– this time as our voice on the Snohomish County Council.

Steve and his wife Pam have three sons and live in Lake Stevens.

Public service/volunteer experience: Lake Stevens Rotary, Lake Stevens American Legion Post 181, National Infantrymen’s Association, Army and Air Force Mutual Aid Association, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal for hundreds of hours volunteering for an anti-drug puppet show to elementary schools throughout Hawaii.

Joined Army Reserves as a private, 1987; enlisted in the active Army, assigned as an intelligence analyst assigned to a National Security Agency field site, Kunia Regional Security Operations Center, in 1997; attended officer-candidate school and commissioned as second lieutenant, 1988; infantry platoon leader in Kosovo, in charge of a sector encompassing two Albanian and two Serbian towns and one town split in the middle, 2000; promoted to captain, 2003; returned to Fort Benning and became a basic training (boot camp) company commander, 2003; deployed to Iraq and assigned to Multi-National Corps Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection Cell, 2004.

What two issues concern you most in the race? We need to improve our quality of life. I see a County Council that uses immediate short-term gains that may seem politically promising but invites long-term dangers and increased urban sprawl and traffic congestion. Our council has flaunted the Growth Management Act as a straw man to hate, while trying to play with regulations and inviting huge state fines to our county. I plan to stick to the GMA and manage growth, while encouraging open spaces and economic incentives to farmers. As a father of three boys I am alarmed at the danger of meth. I vow to fight this drug with every fiber of my being. I intend to be the advocate for law enforcement and to make sure our county is backing up our sheriffs. But with getting tough we must add prevention. Adequate drug rehab programs and an aggressive anti-drug campaign in our middle schools and elementary schools using community leaders will curb the demand for meth and other drugs.