February 21, 2008
Thursday

Bronze statues, bowl factories, defunct veneer mills, defunct economic development advisory boards due to no money to run it, higher properties taxes just for the heck of it, oh! And never mind - increased funding for school activities to try to reinforce our kids' connections to this community so they may think twice about leaving this area.

I have often criticized the city council and borough assembly, but you have to admit when looking at the borough assembly's record of bumbling management of just about everything they touch, it can be argued that they are an easy target. But in their defense, they were voted in by this community, so who is bumbling through what?

Ketchikan is a hard place to live and our governing bodies - either by lack of foresight or lack of information when they are making decisions for this town - are making it even harder to live here. The most recent silly thing I have heard is the borough assembly is taking a hard line and rewriting a resolution telling the DOT and the state of Alaska "if we can not have a bridge we want nothing". I am referring to the assembly's nixing the improved ferry service option to our airport. To eliminate that option does not seem very practical to me.

We are not now, nor were we ever going to see a bridge to Gravina Island in the near future. I may be wrong, but when everyone who can possibly make this happen ie: the federal government, state government, dot, etc. says 'NO' there might possibly be more resistance than support by the people that really make these things happen. I would encourage the borough assembly to concentrate on the subjects they might have a shot at doing something about. Pick one subject, concentrate on it and get it done than move on to the next subject, start with the most obvious, the veneer mill.

I will take a leap here and say if we cannot even take on one guy (who is not even from around here) and manage ourselves out of this huge mistake and enforce upon this guy who owes us 9 million plus interest and owes us overdue property taxes to pay up or get out, how do you think you are going to take on the federal and state governments on a much bigger issue?

Just a few thoughts, things are only going to get harder in Ketchikan. Let's not make it any harder than it has to be, take a new ferry or what ever we can get because we are not getting a bridge. Stick to your scope of work and recognize your limited capabilities as a borough government, and do something that will help this community. Pick battles you can possibly win, "start with the small ones and work your way up".

Then try to strong-arm the feds (sarcasm)

Charles Edwardson
Ketchikan, AK

Received February 19, 2008 - Published February 21, 2008

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