Election Day is just around the corner, on Oct. 6. Wrangell residents have the opportunity to voice their support for several candidates, seeking various leadership positions across the borough.
Mayor, one two-year term
Stephen Prysunka is seeking re-election to the position of mayor for a two-year term. He has served as Wrangell's mayor since 2018. He is seeking re-election because Wrangell is going through some hard times, he said, and it would be important to keep people with experience around, to get through them. His priorities, if elected, will be to see the borough through the COVID-19 pandemic, while keeping businesses open and avoiding a community-wide shutdown. Another priority, he said, will be to fight for funding from the state, handling an array of capital improvement projects, and looking for ways to support the fishing industry.
"The major reason I'm running for office is right now we're in some tough times," Prysunka said. "Consistency is important ... I'm hoping people will vote for me and put their trust in me."
Borough Assembly, two three-year terms
Ryan Howe is seeking election to a three-year term on the borough assembly. He was appointed to the assembly on June 9 of this year, filling a seat left empty by the resignation of Drew Larrabee. This is his first time fully running for a position on the assembly, he said. He decided to run out of a sense of civic pride. He said he is very aware of the public's priorities, and he wants to work to meet a variety of goals. If elected, Howe said he wants to keep working on renovating and improving the borough's infrastructure. Another priority, he said, will be to see the development of the old Institute Property. Just having a good city government, in general, is another goal of his.
"I love Wrangell, I love to serve, and I think I have a lot to offer," Howe said. "I consider things carefully. I tend to approach things with an open mind. It's really critical to have an open mind."
Jennifer Jackson is seeking election to a three-year term on the borough assembly. This is her first time running for the position. She said that she felt it was time to stop fighting for the community behind the scenes, and become a part of the decision making process. The COVID-19 pandemic has made things hard in Wrangell, she said, and the community needs to work together to get through it. If elected, Jackson said she wants to work hard to "spruce up" the city. She wants to get things repaired, cleaned up, and renovated. Holding people accountable for keeping things in good order was also important to her, she said.
"As a business owner/citizen, I want to be part of making the easy, as well as the hard decisions that will make Wrangell remain the affordable place that people want to raise their kids in and retire in," Jackson wrote in a Facebook message.
Anne Morrison is seeking re-election to the borough assembly, for a three-year term. She has been on the assembly for two years, she said. She decided to run again because Wrangell has many ongoing projects she wants to help complete. Some projects she said she is very excited about include developing the old Institute Property. Other priorities if she is re-elected, she said, include helping Wrangell through the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the city's aging infrastructure, and addressing the community's shrinking revenues and need for economic recovery, among others. Renovating the Public Safety Building, and doing something with the old hospital, are "white elephants" she said she also wants to deal with. Morrison added that there are a slate of good candidates running this year, and she encouraged the public to get out and vote.
"I hate to leave a job unfinished," Morrison said. "I just feel that I can do a good job for the community of Wrangell.
Borough Assembly, one one-year unexpired term
Terry Courson is seeking election for a one-year unexpired term on the borough assembly. This is his first time seeking a seat on the assembly. He decided to run, he said, because somebody had to. He has no agendas or ulterior motives planned if he is elected and his main interest will be to get a better understanding of what the needs of the city are. Droughts are a big concern of his. He said that the community had faced a rough drought not too long ago, and he wants to make sure they are prepared and the city's facilities are improved before the next one. If elected, he said he will not be very aggressive at first. He wants to get his feet under him first, he said, and do what he can to help Wrangell.
"You hear scuttlebutt around town 'Nobody's doing it, nobody's doing it,'" Courson said. "I figured, well, step up to the plate ... I want them [voters] to vote for the best candidate, not necessarily for me."
Bob Dalrymple is seeking election to a one-year unexpired term on the borough assembly. He was recently appointed to sit on the assembly on Aug. 11 of this year, filling a seat left by the resignation of Mya DeLong. He pointed to a long career in the Forest Service as examples of his experience in public service roles. Dalrymple said he wanted to run because he was concerned about Wrangell's future, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he wanted to help guide the city through tough times. His priorities, if elected, are to help Wrangell re-energize itself once the pandemic ends. Economic issues are another big concern of his, as well. He wants to start looking for new opportunities to grow Wrangell's economy.
"At the core of it is I've always been involved in public service, pretty much all my adult life," Dalrymple said. "I have experience and abilities to work well with the assembly."
School Board, one three-year term
Laura Ballou is seeking election to a three-year term on the school board. This is her first time running for a seat on the school board, she said. She said she became interested in running because she saw tension between the district and the wider community, and she wanted to try and help ease those tensions. If elected, she said her priorities would be to improve communication between the schools and the public, improve the level of trust, and represent the community as a whole. As a self-described outsider, she said she had no agendas of her own to fight for on the school board, only the public interest.
"I've been here for three-and-a-half years now, and there seems to be a lot of distrust between the community and the school district," Ballou said. "I hope I can have the opportunity to make a difference ... Everyone deserves the right to be heard."
Constance Harris is seeking election to a three-year term on the school board. This is her first time running for the school board, she said. It was something she had been thinking about for some time, but said her daughter suggesting she run was the spark that got things moving. She is running, she said, because she wants to be more involved in the local community. Harris said she does not have any specific goals she wants to accomplish if elected, but said that taking care of the district's kids and teachers will be her top priority. She is eager to learn and help the district, she said.
"I think it's good to have someone that is fresh to the community," Harris said. "Not an outsider, I've been here almost three years now, but someone that's fresh and has watched the kiddos in the school for the past few years."
Port Commission, one three-year term
Gary Morrison is seeking re-election to the port commission, for a three-year term. He has been part of the commission for about five years, he said. Morrison said he is interested in running again because the commission has several projects in-progress right now that he wants to help see to a conclusion. These projects include relocating the Chugach Ranger to the Nolan Center to act as a museum piece, putting in new safety measures in the harbors, expanding the gravel parking lot at Shoemaker Harbor, and looking into funding for an additional boat launch ramp at Heritage Harbor. Continued support of the mariners' memorial is another priority for him, he said.
"There are a number of items that are of interest to the commission that I'm interested in moving forward," Morrison said. "I could provide continuation of the work we have right now."
Port Commission, one two-year unexpired term
There is one additional seat on the port commission that has no filed declarations, for a two-year unexpired term.
Wrangellites will also have the opportunity to vote on Proposition 1 this election day. This is a potential ratification of Ordinance 979. Ratification of the ordinance would withdraw Wrangell from the Inter-Island Ferry Authority.
As of Tuesday, Sept. 22, Borough Clerk Kim Lane said there are no write-in candidates running. Write-in candidates have until Oct. 2 to file.
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