Joe Szwaja

Joseph Brian "Joe" Szwaja (born October 10, 1956) is an American public school teacher and political activist. He founded the non-profit New Dawn Guatemala and serves on its board.
Szwaja served four consecutive terms on the Madison, Wisconsin city council. In 2000, he ran for a seat in the United States Congress in 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.
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.
Career in Seattle
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. Politically, Szwaja has played local roles in Seattle against both the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund. 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. Szwaja was on the board of Instant Runoff Voting Washington, a multi-partisan organization that is trying to implement the system in Washington state.
Szwaja teaches at Ballard High School in Seattle, a public high school in North Seattle. 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 on how to address the educational budget crisis.
Szwaja has also been the subject of various written works In her book Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Community Activism as Curriculum, Celia Oyler outlines the impact Szwaja has had while teaching social justice at NOVA High School. Olyer describes how Szwaja's progressive teaching methods encourage community activism and student engagement.
In the book Years of Censored News, Carl Jensen interviewed 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 incumbent U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott for his seat, criticizing McDermott'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). Szwaja captured nearly 20% of the vote, which at that time set a record for a Green in a congressional election.
Election results for his 2000 congressional bid:
:From King County Elections
2007 Seattle City Council election
On June 4, 2007, Szwaja challenged incumbent Jean Godden for a seat on the Seattle City Council. 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. He placed second of four candidates in the primary 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.
:From King County Elections.

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