Susan Hutchison
Encyclopedia
Susan Hutchison is a former television news anchor and political candidate in Seattle, Washington
. She is the Executive Director of the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences. Hutchison's twenty-five year career as a journalist began at KITV
news in Honolulu and continued at KIRO-TV
news in Seattle, where she received five regional Emmy Awards. In 2009, she ran for King County Executive
, winning the primary but losing the general election to Dow Constantine
. Hutchison has been mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for U.S. Senate against Maria Cantwell
in 2012.
in Fairfield, California
. She graduated from Annandale High School
in Annandale, Virginia in 1972 and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Florida
in 1975.
news in Honolulu, Hawaii
. She later became a weekend news anchor, working at the Honolulu television station until 1981. After being spotted by a Seattle television executive, Hutchison was hired in January 1981 as a TV news anchor for the Seattle CBS
affiliate, KIRO-TV
. She eventually worked as an evening broadcaster there for more than 20 years, earning five regional Emmy Awards.
In June 1993, after KIRO station management instituted format changes which were widely criticized and resulted in failed ratings, Hutchison resigned. Hutchison returned as a news anchor in March 1995.
She continued at KIRO-TV until an employment dispute in 2002, and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the television station alleging age discrimination. The case was settled out of court in 2005. The case was settled out of court in 2005. At that time, summary judgment statements filed by the station were sealed at the station’s request. Those documents were unsealed in 2009 during the County Executive campaign, after an FOI
suit by the Seattle Times, Associated Press
and other news organizations.. In the documents, the station alleged that Hutchison questioned her boss, John Woodin, regarding inappropriate behavior with a young woman employee and that Hutchison called in sick on two days she had requested off but had been denied. The case was settled before Hutchison’s attorney filed a rebuttle. During the 2009 campaign Hutchison said she could not comment on the lawsuit because of the non-disclosure agreement she signed when she won the settlement.
Hutchison served as Chair of the Seattle Symphony and is a board member of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum
, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation, Young Life International
and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
. She served for ten years on the board of the Discovery Institute
, leaving in 2008.
She also has been a spokesperson for the American Leprosy Mission, Northwest Medical Teams
, Job Corps
, and March of Dimes
, and has emceed charitable auctions and fundraising dinners.
to be on the King County Independent Task Force on Elections, created to make recommendations to reform the election process.
In April 2009, Hutchison announced her candidacy for King County Executive. A self-described non-partisan moderate
, Hutchison won the primary election
with 37% of the votes and advanced to the general election against Dow Constantine
. The Seattle NPR
outlet KPLU described it as "perhaps the most contentious race on the November [2009] ballot", characterized by negative campaigning
and "mudslinging" ads paid for by the candidates' supporters.
In October 2009, separate complaints were filed with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission
(PDC) against the Hutchison and Constantine campaigns. Following its investigations after the election, the PDC dismissed the complaint against Constantine. The PDC determined the Hutchison campaign failed "to timely report in-kind contributions and a campaign debt", and fined the campaign $100.
In the November election, Hutchison was defeated by Constantine, losing by 14 percentage points.
aerospace corporation and a former Marine Corps Colonel. They have two teenage sons who attend Seattle public schools.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. She is the Executive Director of the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences. Hutchison's twenty-five year career as a journalist began at KITV
KITV
KITV is the American Broadcasting Company television station affiliate licensed to Honolulu, Hawaii. Based in Honolulu and broadcasting on digital channel 40, displayed as channel 4 the station is owned by Hearst Television and operates several satellites and translators on all the major Hawaiian...
news in Honolulu and continued at KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS affiliate television station in Seattle, Washington. It broadcasts on digital channel 39. The station's offices and broadcasting center are located near Seattle Center in Belltown, and its transmitter is located on Queen Anne Hill...
news in Seattle, where she received five regional Emmy Awards. In 2009, she ran for King County Executive
King County Executive
The King County Executive is the highest elected official representing the government of King County, Washington, USA. The post was established with the implementation of the Home Rule Charter for King County on November 5, 1968...
, winning the primary but losing the general election to Dow Constantine
Dow Constantine
Dow Constantine is an American politician in the state of Washington where he currently serves as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was previously in the state legislature and on the King County Council, chairing the latter before his election as Executive...
. Hutchison has been mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for U.S. Senate against Maria Cantwell
Maria Cantwell
Maria E. Cantwell is the junior United States Senator from the state of Washington and a member of the Democratic Party....
in 2012.
Early life and education
Susan Hutchison was born on March 24, 1954 at Travis Air Force BaseTravis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force air base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command , located three miles east of the central business district of Fairfield, in Solano County, California, United States. The base is named for Brigadier General Robert F...
in Fairfield, California
Fairfield, California
Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately from the city center of both cities, approximately from the city center of Oakland, less than from Napa Valley, 18...
. She graduated from Annandale High School
Annandale High School
Annandale High School is an International Baccalaureate high school in Annandale, Virginia, United States. It is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system....
in Annandale, Virginia in 1972 and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1975.
Broadcasting career
Hutchison began her career as a journalist in 1978 as a sportscaster for KITVKITV
KITV is the American Broadcasting Company television station affiliate licensed to Honolulu, Hawaii. Based in Honolulu and broadcasting on digital channel 40, displayed as channel 4 the station is owned by Hearst Television and operates several satellites and translators on all the major Hawaiian...
news in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
. She later became a weekend news anchor, working at the Honolulu television station until 1981. After being spotted by a Seattle television executive, Hutchison was hired in January 1981 as a TV news anchor for the Seattle CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate, KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS affiliate television station in Seattle, Washington. It broadcasts on digital channel 39. The station's offices and broadcasting center are located near Seattle Center in Belltown, and its transmitter is located on Queen Anne Hill...
. She eventually worked as an evening broadcaster there for more than 20 years, earning five regional Emmy Awards.
In June 1993, after KIRO station management instituted format changes which were widely criticized and resulted in failed ratings, Hutchison resigned. Hutchison returned as a news anchor in March 1995.
She continued at KIRO-TV until an employment dispute in 2002, and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the television station alleging age discrimination. The case was settled out of court in 2005. The case was settled out of court in 2005. At that time, summary judgment statements filed by the station were sealed at the station’s request. Those documents were unsealed in 2009 during the County Executive campaign, after an FOI
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
suit by the Seattle Times, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and other news organizations.. In the documents, the station alleged that Hutchison questioned her boss, John Woodin, regarding inappropriate behavior with a young woman employee and that Hutchison called in sick on two days she had requested off but had been denied. The case was settled before Hutchison’s attorney filed a rebuttle. During the 2009 campaign Hutchison said she could not comment on the lawsuit because of the non-disclosure agreement she signed when she won the settlement.
Charity work
In January 2004, Hutchison became Executive Director of the Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, which provides grants to Science and Art Organizations, mostly in Western Washington but some on the east coast as well.Hutchison served as Chair of the Seattle Symphony and is a board member of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation, Young Life International
Young Life
YoungLife is a worldwide, non-profit, Evangelical Christian organization. YoungLife consists of many branches of ministry , but most commonly the name "YoungLife" refers to the outreach arm of the organization directed toward high school students...
and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
. She served for ten years on the board of the Discovery Institute
Discovery Institute
The Discovery Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of intelligent design...
, leaving in 2008.
She also has been a spokesperson for the American Leprosy Mission, Northwest Medical Teams
Medical Teams International
Medical Teams International is a non-profit humanitarian aid and global health organization. Medical Teams International has:* mobilized 2,000 teams since 1979.* shipped $1.3 billion in medical aid since 1986....
, Job Corps
Job Corps
Job Corps is a program administered by the United States Department of Labor that offers free-of-charge education and vocational training to youth ages 16 to 24.-Mission and purpose:...
, and March of Dimes
March of Dimes
The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.-Organization:...
, and has emceed charitable auctions and fundraising dinners.
Political career
In 2005, Hutchison was one of ten people appointed by Ron SimsRon Sims
Ronald Cordell Sims, , is currently the Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, having been confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 2009 and sworn in on May 8. He is also the former King County Executive...
to be on the King County Independent Task Force on Elections, created to make recommendations to reform the election process.
In April 2009, Hutchison announced her candidacy for King County Executive. A self-described non-partisan moderate
Moderate
In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical. In recent years, political moderates has gained traction as a buzzword....
, Hutchison won the primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
with 37% of the votes and advanced to the general election against Dow Constantine
Dow Constantine
Dow Constantine is an American politician in the state of Washington where he currently serves as King County Executive, an office he has held since November 2009. He was previously in the state legislature and on the King County Council, chairing the latter before his election as Executive...
. The Seattle NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
outlet KPLU described it as "perhaps the most contentious race on the November [2009] ballot", characterized by negative campaigning
Negative campaigning
Negative campaigning, also known more colloquially as "mudslinging", is trying to win an advantage by referring to negative aspects of an opponent or of a policy rather than emphasizing one's own positive attributes or preferred policies...
and "mudslinging" ads paid for by the candidates' supporters.
In October 2009, separate complaints were filed with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission
Washington State Public Disclosure Commission
The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission is a non-partisan agency of the Washington State government. Its purpose is to collect reports from political candidates and ballot measure sponsors regarding campaign contributions and expenditures, and provide these reports to the public. The...
(PDC) against the Hutchison and Constantine campaigns. Following its investigations after the election, the PDC dismissed the complaint against Constantine. The PDC determined the Hutchison campaign failed "to timely report in-kind contributions and a campaign debt", and fined the campaign $100.
In the November election, Hutchison was defeated by Constantine, losing by 14 percentage points.
Personal
In 1977, Hutchison married Andy Hutchison. He is an executive for BoeingBoeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
aerospace corporation and a former Marine Corps Colonel. They have two teenage sons who attend Seattle public schools.