LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which  distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming.  (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

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Daily Sitka Sentinel

4 Assembly Candidates Field Questions

By TOM HESSE

Sentinel Staff Writer

The answer to Sitka’s challenges might be long-term planning, tax overhaul, affordable housing or raising revenue from marijuana, depending on which Assembly candidate you talk to. 

The four candidates for two open Assembly seats in next Tuesday’s election participated in a Chamber of Commerce forum Wednesday, answering prepared questions and taking inquiries from the audience. They agreed on a number of issues, such as finding more affordable housing, revisiting Sitka’s tax code and planning to get by with less state aid than in past years.

 

Candidates for Assembly, from left, Bob Potrzuski, John Welsh, Orion Hughes-Knowles and Matthew Hunter field questions at a Sitka Chamber of Commerce candidate forum Wednesday at the Westmark Sitka Hotel. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

The candidates are Matt Hunter, Bob Potrzuski, Orion Hughes-Knowles and John Welsh.

Welsh, who is running as a write-in, said he wants to reform or end the senior sales tax exemption altogether, and he illustrated his point by turning in his senior sales tax card to City Administrator Mark Gorman in the middle of the forum. 

 

Write-in candidate for Assembly John Welsh gives his senior citizen sales tax-exemption card to City Administrator Mark Gorman, sitting in the audience, during the candidates forum Wednesday. (Sentinel  Photo)

“I never felt right about that card. I feel like I should contribute,” Welsh said. 

All four candidates said it’s important to grow Sitka’s economy to help support city services in the years to come.

Orion Hughes-Knowles, who ran for mayor last year, said the city should embrace the recent legalization of marijuana and develop a safe economic driver. 

“That could be a huge source of tax revenue and a job creator,” Hughes-Knowles said. “As long as we approach it sensibly, I think it could be a huge boon.” 

Other candidates pointed to the potential of the Gary Paxton Industrial Park. In the past year several offers have been made to buy land in the park. Silver Bay Seafoods purchased a section of park property and is in the process of obtaining the administration building. The company recently pulled back on an offer to buy other large tracts for a marine haulout center.

Hunter, the only incumbent in the field of candidates, said the park is slowly being developed, with such deals as the one with Alaska&Pacific Packing, which he said will be “a great asset for our community.” 

Potrzuski, a retired Sitka High teacher, said one thing the city can do to support businesses is to get the tax and utility rates system fixed and make it predictable. The current game of catch-up, he said, makes it difficult for businesses to predict their expenses. 

“I think it’s really difficult for businesses to plan these things,” he said. 

The candidates were asked about those taxes and fees as a part of a larger question relating to revenues and services. Earlier this year the Assembly formed a citizen task force on revenues and services, which was informed by city staff that two-thirds of city general fund revenue comes from sales tax, and only one third from property tax – the inverse of the ratio in most cities.

“Six mills is extremely low for a town of our size, and if you look elsewhere in the country it’s really, really low,” Hughes-Knowles said. 

Property is currently taxed at 6 mills on actual market value, with one mill equal to one-tenth of one percent. Senior citizens receive a state exemption on a portion of their property tax, and also are exempt from paying sales tax.

Potrzuski said the combination of relying too heavily on sales taxes while exempting seniors has led to a budget that relies too heavily on purchases made by young people and “unfairly burdens young families.” 

As for Hunter, a teacher at Mt. Edgecumbe High School, he said the conversation about revenues and expenses is especially important because state grants are about to go down while the cost of city government is going up because of aging infrastructure.

“If those grants go away we’re going to be faced with millions of dollars of infrastructure costs that are currently covered by grants,” Hunter said, referring to projects like Edgecumbe Drive that received state money. 

The candidates were largely in agreement over ways to advance affordable housing measures.

Potrzuski said the city shops land should be given to the Community Land Trust for immediate development,  while Hughes-Knowles cautioned that the city should avoid micromanaging the effort and get away from “over-bureaucrized affordable housing plans.” 

Welsh said the city should try to obtain more land for development, while Hunter said liberalizing the planning and zoning code could make things like tiny homes a reality. 

 

Candidates took a handful of questions from the audience, including the downtown dock question that surfaces every year around this time. Many of the candidates said it’s less important to advocate for a downtown dock, given the success of the Old Sitka Dock. 

The same question has been asked on October ballots in the past, with citizens voting against. Hughes-Knowles also raised the issue of cost. 

“I’m not sure if that’s fiscally possible,” he said. 

The two top vote getters in Tuesday’s election will win the two three-year terms on the Assembly.

 

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.

50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.

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