Town where you live
Sprague
Experience (300 characters max)
Went to college at UAA for US History. I have driven school bus in Alaska, volunteered in local community groups, and help neighbors when needed. I have held no other elected office before this, other than in a local not for profit.
I have education and experience dealing with stressful and emotionally charged situations. I am quiet, but thoughtful, so I listen attentively to the issues at hand, become informed, and seek to find a fair and just solution. I feel that, managing a school bus, with between 30 and 90 children, is a test of character and interpersonal ability. If you can govern that--it's pretty likely you can govern elsewhere.
I do volunteer work, with local sports, and organizations. Generally I am found around the edges. I take roles others often do not prefer, where being alone, or in isolation gets the task done. I've helped clean and maintain the ball field. I've been a substitute coach for little league. I'm on the board of a local not for profit. I have not held an elected public office before, but that can be an asset, because I come at this with a fresh perspective, and few conflicting social ties.
The easiest response to this is that my kids were upset about the Spider Cage being removed from the city park. The youngest was so upset that he wanted to run himself.
As I encountered more people, and they shared thoughts and feelings about their city and their interactions with it, it became clear that there was more to this than some park equipment. There needs to be a heavy dose of clarity, vision, and doing the right thing--not the easy thing--in city government. My hope is, that this will be easy to accomplish, no matter who I have to work with. Everyone has some vision, of how things can be better, and maybe I'm just the person to get them to be able to express their vision in a way that gets things done.
I decided to run, because, I said, "Someone needs to do something about that..." one too many times, and realized, I can be that someone.
The first issue if the cost of city services. This goes for everything from trash, to a lagoon key rental fee, to water and electric. I know that the city is doing the best they can, with the resources and ideas they have to work with, but this cant be be it. There has to be options not considered, to bring some of this in line with community incomes.
The second is neglect of the city park, and city right of ways. This, from the lack of play equipment, to the crumbling sidewalks, has got to be the single most important factor in making a community feel safe, connected, and awakening its spirit in the short term.
Third is transparent government. The number one thing I keep hearing is rumors. When people are left in the dark about why something has not happened, or what barrier isn't being passed, it leaves room for rumor and innuendo. While I can appreciate the information, I think it needs to end. Open, transparent, accountable government, should make this stop.
For cost of services, negotiate to see if we can get InlandPower in. For telecom, see how far out fiber is from install dates and make the information public. Involve the state to apply pressure. For trash, bring back the cardboard drop off, allow more access to the lagoon, and possibly have seasonal clean up days with roll-off dumpsters.
For the park, chase every contractor, local partner, grant, fund, state or federal, and every volunteer or fund raiser willing to solve the problem with lack of equipment, and safe equipment. The same with the sidewalks--year 1, it's the sidewalks. Yes, I am aware of the streets, but that comes immediately after.
For transparency, it would include live broadcasts of the city council meetings on YouTube. It would include using the city website to post minutes of them. I want a monthly economic report posted by the city, available on the website (leaving out all names, business names, etc), to hold the city and its officials accountable.
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