Interim borough manager says Coast Guard experience a good fit

Wrangell's interim borough manager has been in the role for more than two weeks and would like to stay a lot longer.

Jeff Good has applied for the full-time borough manager position, seeking to make his role more permanent. The assembly is continuing to accept applications for the job "until filled," with no deadline for a decision.

Whether temporary or permanent, the retired Coast Guard officer, who served as base director in Kodiak from 2017 to 2020, said his job at the borough draws plenty on his engineering and public works department experience.

"Everything I did in the Coast Guard and probably the last three or four jobs I had, a lot of it was in public works. The last job in Kodiak as a commanding officer of the base, it's very similar to what I'm doing here," Good said. He also served as public works manager at Base Kodiak from 2006 to 2008.

He holds master's degrees from Duke University and the University of Illinois in engineering management and civil engineering, respectively, and has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Coast Guard Academy.

Running a base is similar to running a city, he said, or borough, in this case. A water treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant, airport, air station, waterways, recreation department, golf course, "that was all on the base that I ran," Good said.

Since starting on Nov. 1, he's been getting to know everyone at the borough, preparing for assembly meetings, and educating himself on the background of all of the agenda items, as well as the issues which led to the items coming before the assembly to begin with, such as the Public Safety Building and generator fixes.

Good has roots in the community. His wife, Christy Good, grew up in Wrangell, and is head coach for the Lady Wolves high school basketball team.

The Goods spent holidays and summers with David Powell, an assembly member and manager at marine and outdoor equipment retailer The Bay Co., and his sister, Carol Churchill, and their family. "And that relationship has been kept ever since," Good said. "Whenever we came back in the summer to visit, we would typically stay over at their house."

Powell said he's known Christy since they were kids.. "She's like a sister to me." Powell said. He said Good keeps business, business, and personal life, personal. And he said Good isn't one to boast. "I didn't know he has three degrees," Powell said.

Good, in the meantime, said he's focused on keeping everything running as interim. "And then setting up the next borough manager, whether it's me or whoever comes in, to be well positioned to continue on."