On Tuesday, September 20th, the five candidates for Sitka Assembly came into our studio to discuss their ideas and positions in the lead-up to the October 7th election. Two seats are available on the assembly.
Listen: Full Assembly Forum (90 minutes)
2016 Assembly Candidate Forum (Slideshow)
Kevin Knox, Evy Kinnear, Aaron Swanson, Alexander Allison, and Aaron Bean took questions from listeners. From land sales to housing, budget cuts to revenue streams, these candidates offered their ideas, opinions, and questions. For 90 uninterrupted minutes, they demonstrated where they agree and where they disagree on a variety of issues. Hosted by KCAW’s Emily Kwong.
KCAW’s Emily Kwong introduces the candidates and the forum
Question 1: Why are you running for the Assembly? (A two-minute opening statement)
Question 2: What is your #1 priority if elected?
Question 3: What process would you use to prioritize city services in order to make cuts and allocate available funds? Are there any city services you would want to see privatized?
Question 4: What would you do to court businesses and employers to Sitka?
Question 5: What are the roles and responsibilities of the Assembly? What is the role and responsibility of the City Administrator? And what is the relationship between the two?
Question 6: Are you voting yes on Proposition 1, a ballot question to raise the cap on the mill rate from 6 mills to 8 mills?
Question 7: What new — or existing — sources of revenue should the Assembly support? And if you support land sales, how should the Assembly manage that?
Question 8: How should the Assembly help citizens navigate the housing market?
Question 9: What is your strategy for building, maintaining and sustaining meaningful consultation with the local tribal government and to ensure the City Assembly will have respectful dialogues about tribal citizens?
Question 10: Do you favor an additional sales tax on marijuana and marijuana products and/or an excise tax similar to the state excise tax on alcohol?
