Will Hanbury Jr. is one of five candidates running for Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Council. Martha Moses, Lesa Way, Lawrence “Woody” Widmark, Ryker Goldsbury, and Hanbury are running for four open seats. Each candidate is offered the opportunity to prepare a statement. The Tribal Council election is Tuesday, November 14.
Greetings, Tribal citizens. My name is Will Hanbury Jr., a lifelong Sitkan and Sitka Tribe member. My parents were Will Sr. and Sarah Hanbury. My wife is Carey Hanbury. I’m a former staff member of the Tribe. I worked as a computer tech, network administrator, database manager and enrollment manager.
In enrollment, I consolidated four tribal databases into one and developed the Sitka Tribe Identification card. I was certified by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the Sitka Tribal ID as a federally recognized ID. These tribal ID’s are federally recognized official identification for travel and health services.
I was Vice Chairman for the BIHA Commission and under the Board’s direction we became independently self-governing instead of management by Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska. We created the initiative to build a VA funded facility across from SEARHC Hospital that is used to this day. We chose the current BIHA Office location and initiated the BIHA Office construction project.
All agencies are experiencing hardships with the current funding crisis going on both federally and from the State. Money has become scarce and jobs and services are lost. How do we maintain a level of service and advancement of our Tribal needs in these hard times? We rely on the outstanding staff at STA to provide us direction and information for securing funding and services that to continue into the future. Our job as council members is to try and look into the future as pathways and see what course to take that will provide the best care for our Tribal members.
As a tribal council member I will work hard to study the information I’m given to help make the best decisions for our Tribe. I will represent every last tribal member with the same enthusiasm and compassion. We must continue to protect elder benefits. Protect our subsistence rights and make our voices heard. The youth and young staff of the Tribe are the future of our Tribe. We must encourage them and entice them to continue their traditions and subsistence lifestyles as well as celebrate their talents as Tribal employees.
Thank you for listening and God bless.
