Editor’s note: Bob Champion, candidate for the 1st Congressional District, short term, submitted his Q&A responses by deadline but his responses were inadvertently lost in the shuffle.

Here are his responses. Responses for four of 11 other candidates were published July 20 and 27. Champion is not concomitantly a candidate for the two-year term from the 1st or 6th districts.

Bob Champion
City of residence: Mukilteo.
Occupation: Aerospace professional.
Education: BA, political science, The Ohio State University, 1979.
Political party preference: Independent.
Website: n/a

NKH: If elected, you will serve as Kitsap County’s representative in Congress until Jan. 3. What can you accomplish for Kitsap County in one month?

Champion: A vote for Bob Champion will accomplish 3 objectives: A message stating:1. That the people of Kitsap County are tired of the inability of the legislature to do their job.2. A challenge to the sitting members of Congress to shed party politics and address the issues that have an impact on us all: a) the federal budget, b) financial institutional abuse, c) a meaningful tax overhaul.3. A mandate from the voters to the newly elected member of the 6th District that it is time to work together.

NKH: How will you use your month in Congress?

Champion: From experience, I know that to get the truth, the good leader routinely walks and talks with the troops. With the permission of the voters, I will formally address congress and state that the people demand change. I will walk the halls, and I will tell everyone I meet that the people of Kitsap County demand that Congress work together and do the job that we “the people” are paying them to do.

NKH: What do you understand to be the key issues of concern in Kitsap County?

Champion: Over the past 32 years, I have come to know the people of Kitsap County to be fiercely independent and strong willed. You need to be that kind of individual to live and prosper in the county and deal with the distances between towns.

When Mary and I drive in beautiful Kitsap County, we think that monies should be invested in road repair and construction.

NKH: Why are you running for the 1st Congressional District short term?

Champion: I am running for the short term because I am frustrated with the behaviors exhibited by the sitting Democrats and Republicans — their posturing, bickering, and lack of will to address the nation’s debt problems. I am dedicated to the principles which made this country free. Like Benjamin Franklin, I believe that words are worthless without demonstrated action. It is my opinion that Congress needs a wakeup call that says, “We can stand no more.” It is time to reach across the aisle, embrace each other, and resolve to work together. It is time for action. The future demands that we take that action today. I urge you to take that informed chance on a serious individual and vote for me. I’ll get the job done.

NKH: On Nov. 6. Kitsap County residents will also elect a representative from the 6th District, in which they will reside effective Jan. 3. How is the 1st Congressional District short term important to Kitsap County residents?

Champion: It’s very important. America faces a pivotal moment in our history. For several years, the federal government has relied on a series of temporary patches and one-year extensions in lieu of a thoughtful economic policy — while amassing trillion-dollar annual deficits for the first time in our history.

The end of the year will bring what Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has termed the “fiscal cliff,” as various tax provisions expire and the $1.2 trillion budget sequester begins to take effect — threatening to remove trillions of dollars from the economy, coupled with an almost certain need to raise the federal debt ceiling. The lack of political will to address our debt problem has created significant uncertainty for companies making investment and hiring decisions. This impacts each and every American. Without resolution, it could doom us to five years of 2 percent real GDP growth and 8 percent unemployment – or even worse: another financial crisis.

If we work together, proactively and thoughtfully — the way a great nation does — an acceptable solution can be reached.

NKH: If elected to the one-month term, how will you use the experience after Jan. 3?

Champion: That is hard to say. I am an aviation professional and I hope to achieve the goals that will help advance the art of aviation and safety. My 2013 plan is to complete my work on a “loss of control” safety program and a Next Generation Airspace program. Beyond that, if, in the future, I am called to serve the people, I will do so.