On Tuesday (7-29-24), former assembly candidate Austin Cranford filed to run a third time for a seat on the Sitka Assembly. This year, he’s the first candidate to throw his hat in the ring, and hopes to bring a youthful energy to the seven-member group. KCAW spoke with Cranford to learn more about his decision to run again, and some of his priorities if he’s elected. 

KCAW: To start, you’ve run for the Sitka Assembly before. Why are you throwing your hat in the ring again? 

CRANFORD: So I continue to throw my hat into the ring because essentially, the community wants me to. I have community members that are like, ‘Are you going to run? Will you run? Can you run?’ And as long as the community continues to want me to run, I will continue to run. As I’ve mentioned to people before, I’ve got plenty of stuff on my plate. So if I get it, great. It’s one more thing that I can put effort into and hopefully do a good job. And if I don’t get it, I have plenty of other stuff to keep me occupied. 

KCAW: If you are elected, what do you think that you will bring to the table? 

CRANFORD: I think I’ll bring a younger voice to the table. I’m 27, so I’d be the youngest person on the assembly if I was elected. As much as the current assembly…and I am on a conversation basis with some of them, Scott Saline and others…as much as I talk to them, yes, they’ve been here a long time, yes, they want what’s good for the community, I think they lack what it truly means for somebody that is coming out of high school, coming out of college, what it means to be in Sitka. They’re already well established in their careers, well established in their businesses. One of the recent things that came up in the assembly was like, ‘Oh, the reason people aren’t coming to Sitka is because there’s not recreational opportunities,’ it’s like, the reason people are leaving and not coming to Sitka is because they can’t afford to pay for their rent. They can’t afford to buy a house. So I’ll be bringing a younger voice to the assembly and hopefully being able to tackle some of the larger issues that are ongoing. 

KCAW: Yeah, so you touched on these larger issues. What do you think are some of the biggest issues facing Sitkans? And if you could choose maybe one of those to tackle, what would that be? 

CRANFORD: So some of the issues is obviously utility rates, cost of living, the housing crisis, the haulout is kinda in there. I know there’s been a lot of discussion about a city-run haulout versus a non-city-run haulout. Of all of those, I think, just like previous years, my main focus would be the cost of living, which would ultimately be utility rates, how to lower them, and how to lower housing cost, or somehow get more housing built. I know there’s been talk about, you know, getting the state land from Indian River Valley, or possibly even finishing that road out to the tribal land up north, but I’ve not seen any movement on the state or local level, other than ‘We’re working on it.’ Well, I’m glad that you’re working on it, but we’d like to see some movement on that. 

KCAW: And lastly, what do you think that Sitkans should know about you and your campaign? What’s important? 

CRANFORD: As mentioned, I’m focusing on cost of living. That’s been my platform for the past two years that I’ve ran. It’ll be the platform again. Really it’s, I would say, ultimately it tends to side closer to the younger age groups. Because, yeah, it’s like, I understand, oh, you know, you just have to work two or three jobs, or you just have to do this, or you just have to do that. Eventually, there is only so many hours in the day. I work for the University. I continue to be a part-time student pursuing my degree. I’m working on my certificates for my job. I hold two quasi administrative positions on top of my main title for my job, and I am on a out-of-state board. So cool, I can go get another one or two jobs, but at the end of the day, there’s 24 hours in a day, and wages nationally, not even in Sitka, have not risen at the same pace as inflation and all this other stuff. So that doesn’t fix the underlying problem as well. 

Sitkans will be voting to fill two open seats on the Sitka Assembly and two seats on the school board in the upcoming municipal election. Both assembly seats and one school board seat are three-year terms, and one school board seat is a two-year term. The filing period to run for a seat is open until 5 p.m. on Aug. 8. Sitka’s municipal election is Tuesday, Oct. 7.  

My name is Todd Gebler. I was born in Waterford, Pennsylvania and graduated from Fort Le Boeuf High School. Shorty after high school I enlisted in the United States Air Force and worked as an aircraft armament systems specialist spending most of my tours overseas. During my enlistment I proudly served in support of operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm loading munitions on aircraft.

After my time in the military, I pursued a career in healthcare. I earned an Associate of Science degree in respiratory care from Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania and later an Associate of Science in nursing and Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Alaska and Chamberlain University.

I currently work at SEARCH in the Home Health department as a registered nurse. My wife Kelly is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist also currently working at SEARHC. We have an eight-year-old son named Rowen who will be attending Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary this school year. As a family we enjoy anything outdoors including hiking, kayaking, fishing, boating, and chasing our dog Scout.

I am greatly honored to become a member of the Sitka School Board. With the current issues facing our nation during this pandemic, there’s not a better time than now to be a part of a solution. I will always strive to be a productive member of our community and an active advocate for our students. I believe our students are the future for this community and this nation.

The Municipal Election is Tuesday, October 5. Eligible voters may choose to vote using any of these available options: by-mail; advanced in-person at Harrigan Centennial Hall weekdays September 20 through October 4 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in meeting rooms 2 and 3); by fax; personal representative; and in-person on Election Day at Harrigan Centennial Hall from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Applications to vote by-mail must be received by the Municipal Clerk’s Office no later than September 28.  For more voting information, call the Municipal Clerk’s Office at 747-1811.

Paul Rioux is one of two candidates running for a seat on the Sitka School Board. The municipal election is Tuesday, October 1.

Hello my name is Paul Rioux and I’m a candidate for the Sitka School Board in this October’s election. Sitka has been my home for the past 24 years.

Mostly I’ve made my living in the commercial fishing industry, and in serving that industry.

I’ve served on the boards of the Unitarian Church, the Sitka Sportman’s Association, and the Sitka Community Development Corporation. I’ve been  involved with the youth of sitka with the Boy Scout and Cub Scout programs, and through the 4-H program.

My eldest son is a SHS graduate and lives and works in Sitka. My daughter attends Blatchley Middle School, and my two school-aged sons attend Sitka High School and Baranof Elementary.

I believe that our schools are an investment in tomorrow, that we are educating not only our children, but our future neighbors, employees, and coworkers.

I am not a trained educator, so I will listen to and advocate for those who are, so they can best do their work.

It is my belief that schools, like all government agencies, have an obligation to the people to be as cost-effective and efficient as possible. That being said, I also recognize that their job is incredibly complex and that over streamlining can let kids fall through the gaps.

Our educators are not simply teaching kids to read and write. They are teaching them to be engaged citizens, to be critical thinkers, to be informed voters, and so much more that can never be reflected by a standardized test score.

It’s a critical job that they are doing, and I believe that a job worth doing is a job worth doing well. 

One thing this town does extremely well is collaborate. We come together to solve problems. We pitch in when someone asks for help, and often we lift someone up when they fall simply because it’s the right and neighborly thing to do. 

I celebrate that, and hope to bring that spirit to serve on the board.

The school district is more than the pupils, more than the administrators, the teachers, parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. It’s a family, and just like any family we may not all see eye to eye on the right way to get every task done, but at the end of the day we put aside our differences and strive to give our young community members the tools they need to move on, and eventually to run the community for themselves.  

There is every indication that there are harder financial times coming. We have weathered some hard squalls, and we likely will soon be in a storm.

I think that I could bring a level head and collaborative spirit to the board

It would be an honor to serve on the Sitka School Board. My name is Paul Rioux, and would appreciate your vote on October 1st.

Candidates for Sitka School Board Amy Morrison, Cass Pook, and Eric Van Cise answered listener questions about school district programs, funding, and policy on Thursday evening, September 13, 2018.

Listen to Part 1.

Downloadable audio.

Listen to Part 2.

Downloadable audio.

The municipal election in Sitka is Tuesday, October 2.

Raven Radio’s 2018 Election Hub

Listen to Part 1 of the program.

Downloadable audio.

Listen to Part 2 of the program.

Downloadable audio.

See a copy of next year’s proposed budget:

FY2018 Preliminary Budget as of 1.10.17

“Kids are leaving town, families are leaving town in addition to the Coast Guard,” Wegner explained.

Wegner said it’s kindergarten in particular that’s losing students and, she said, not for the first time.

“Last year [kindergarten enrollment] was lower than anticipated and we moved a kindergarten teacher to fourth grade, because fourth grade was up, so this is a trend.”

Wegner said the numbers still need to be confirmed. After that, the board will have to budget for the district’s loss at its next meeting in December.

Along with budgeting for underenrollment, Wegner wants to district to be proactive about raising current student achievement and, to do that, she wants to see a “living, breathing,” mission statement. The one the school district has now is too long and complicated, Wegner said.

“It doesn’t fit on a coffee cup. It’s too fractured, and it doesn’t help us understand our organizational purpose.”

Wegner used examples from around to country, which she said show a correlation between short mission statements and high graduation rates. One of those examples was the school district in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

“Their mission state is, ‘Opening the door to each child’s future.’ It’s their one thing that they live, breathe, do at every level. They went from graduation rates about where our’s are, about 70 percent, they are now at 99 percent graduation rates,” Wegner explained.

The next step is to recruit community members to be part of a stakeholder group, which will meet to discuss a new, more concise mission statement. Wegner said that meeting is scheduled for January 14.  

Sarah, Keegan, and Delilah Cordova at the voting booth in Port Alexander. (Photo courtesy of Molly Kimzey)

Along with Sitka, smaller cities from around the region went to the polls on Tuesday (10-4-16) to elect or reelect residents to the Mayor’s office, the City Council, and seats on the School Board.

Pelican was the first to report its unofficial results. Walt Weller walked away with 29 votes over the 15 that went to Patricia Phillips for Mayor.

Pelican’s City Council had three open seats on its ballot. Michael Allard got 35 votes, Chuck Keizer 31, and 12 votes went to Anthony Heiber. The top two candidates will serve three-year terms, while the candidate with the third highest number of votes will serve a two-year term.

The School Board in Pelican had two open seats. Linda S. Allard received 35 votes for the two-year term seat #3, while Kelly Chapman collected 30 votes for the three-year term seat #5. Both Allard and Chapman received more than 25 votes over the other names on the ballot.

There were 25 absentee ballots issued to Pelican residents, which are expected to be counted by Friday (10-7-16).

Voters in Port Alexander were tasked with filling in an empty ballot with up to seven names for seats on the City Council. Nearly 20 different names were offered up by voters, but ultimately residents chose to reelect Ryan Martin, Cory Gifford, Ryan Mulligan, Debra Gifford, James Lange, Tom Corso, and Bud Durdle to Port Alexander’s City Council.

Tenakee Springs was also voting to fill its City Council. Three spots were up for the taking and Linda “Lena” J. Sorenson received 25 votes and Carlene Allred and Stephen W. Lewis both tallied up 22 votes.

In Angoon, Edward Jack earned 67 votes for City Council seat A, while Maxine Thompson earned 46 votes for seat B. Opponent Albert Howard fell behind her by a small margin, with 45 votes.

Voters in Angoon also voted to fill seats on the School Board. Marcie Kookesh ran unopposed for seat A, Chenera Johnson received a majority of votes for seat B, Jeannette Kookesh was elected to seat C, Jared Williams to seat D, and Crystal Parkin was elected to seat E.

Two seats were open on Kake’s City Council and School Board. Scott Jackson and Marla Howard were elected to the City Council and Michele Friday and Rudy Bean will fill the two School Board seats. Kake residents also voted to increase the sales tax on cigarettes and alcohol from 5% to 8%.

The city of Yakutat will host the city and borough election on October 18.

The filing period for the municipal election is 5 p.m. this Friday (08-05-16) and includes two seats on the Assembly, one seat on the school board, and the mayoral seat.

The filing period for Sitka’s municipal election is open. And so far, two Sitkans have tossed their names in the ring for the single open seat on the school board. Jennifer McNichol  filed on July 25th, 2016 and Ed Gray on July 29th, 2016.

McNichol was appointed to the school board last September. She was chosen out of seven applicants to fill the seat of former board president Lon Garrison. McNichol wasn’t sure at first whether to run for the full three-year term on the school board, given the time commitment. But reconsidered out a desire to build off what’s she’s learned.

“There was a pretty steep learning curve in the year since I started and it seemed kind of like a waste to spend all that time on this steep learning curve to jump off and leave it to someone else to figure out. Because there’s a lot of complexities and big issues,” McNichol said.

For McNichol, the biggest challenges facing the district is the budget and the unpredictable status of external funding, whether from the state or the federal government. If elected, she hopes to continue work on the school activities committee and hear ideas from staff.

On the topic of standardized testing, McNichol wants to find a curriculum that suits Sitka. “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have some common precepts and some baseline curriculum that we feel is important for all students to have access to, as they’re being educated. But we obviously need to consider everything that’s provided to us and not just accept by rote every detail that’s handed down. We need to find a balance between local education and what’s needed in the big wide world.”

McNichol is a pediatrician at SEARHC. She called KCAW from the road as her eldest son, entering his senior year at Sitka High School, was touring colleges.

Ed Gray also filed for the open seat on the school board. Gray was one of five candidates running for two open seats last fall. He’s running out of a desire to reform the Sitka school system, putting a greater emphasis on local control.

Over the phone with KCAW, he said, “I believe that parents, local school boards and teachers create policies depending on their values and overseeing the education of their children.”

The phone connection affected the quality of our recording with Gray, who was to depart for a fishing trip. But he told KCAW that mounting skepticism around the performance-based testing will resonate with voters.

The Alaska Measures of Progress test, which debuted last fall, was eliminated by the state after technical issues hampered the testing process. A new federal policy, called the “Every Student Succeeds Act,” requires states to develop a plan for implementing the new law. In June, Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development held webinars to gather public input on that process.

The filing period for the municipal election is 5 p.m. this Friday (08-05-16) and includes two seats on the Assembly, one seat on the school board, and the mayoral seat.

This year was a municipal election for Sitka Assembly and School Board and saw relatively low voter turnout. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

As of 10:30 p.m. today (10-06-15), these are the preliminary results for Sitka’s municipal election.

Assembly (2 seats open for a three-year term

Matt Hunter – 1105
Bob Potrzuski – 984
Orion Hughes-Knowles – 393
John Welsh (official write-in) – 51
Write-ins – 37

School Board (2 seats open of a three-year term)

Eric Van Cise – 813
Kat Richards – 519
Cass Karras Pook – 516
Ed Gray – 387
Jennifer Robinson – 374
Write-ins – 5

An estimated 1,777 ballots were cast, which include 702 ballots at Precinct 1, 702 ballots at Precinct 2, 277 absentee ballots, and 96 question ballots for voters who cast in the incorrect precinct. Absentee and question ballots will be counted on Friday (10-09-15).

Those votes will be deciding factor in the close race for the second school board seat, between Kat Richards and Cass Karras Pook.

Here is a breakout of the votes based on precinct, courtesy of city clerk Sarah Peterson.

Unofficial election results 2015