Hello, my name is Glen Thompson. I'm running for Borough Assembly in the 2014 election. I'm running because I believe that I have the experience to do the job and do it right. I'm finishing the final year of my third term on the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly, and I'm that "Budget Guy." I also have had a lot of folks that tell me that I speak for them and urged me to stay on the job.

I graduated from Washington State University with a BA in Finance in 1980. During my thirty plus years in the workforce, I have performed diverse jobs, from accountant to computer specialist, as well as senior management. As you can see from my list of private sector experience, I have a rather diverse background. I have worked in the construction industry building everything from outhouses to nuclear plants. I used to be a computer expert, owned my own consulting business and also spent a year as VP Operations for a large computer manufacturer. But my primary industry for the past 20 years has been in garbage, so you see, I’m an environmentalist as well.

I have been active in the local community as a member of the Moose, the Elks, and the Redmen. I have been a board member of many local organizations: KVB, KCAC, KCC, LEPC, GKCC, and most recently, SEC (that’s a lot of alphabet soup!).  I’m a life member of the NRA and an active supporter of local NRA activities.  I spent ten years as an active Rotarian and am a Paul Harris fellow. I have been married to Amy since 1981 and we moved to Ketchikan in 1987. I like to hunt, fish and explore this beautiful area where we live.

33 YEARS OF PRIVATE SECTOR EXPERIENCE:

• 3/13 - ~  Comptroller, Ward Cove Group, Ketchikan
• 1/03 to 4/13   ~  General Manager, Alaska Pacific Environmental Services, LLC, Juneau
• 1/02 to 12/02 ~  Director, Ketchikan Small Business Development Center (UAA/SBA), Ketchikan
• 3/99 to 12/01 ~  District Manager, SE Alaska, Waste Management, Inc. (WMI), Juneau
• 9/92 to 2/99   ~  Vice President/CFO, Tongass Sanitation, Inc., Ketchikan
• 9/94 to 2/99   ~  Vice President/CFO, Southeast Construction, Inc., Ketchikan
• 9/94 to 5/00   ~  Vice President/CFO, Bottled Water Express, Inc., Ketchikan
• 3/92 to 8/99   ~  Manager, Turbotech (CATTS) Computer Services, Ketchikan
• 2/90 to 3/92   ~  Controller & CFO, Ketchikan Shipyard, Inc., Ketchikan
• 1/89 to 1/90   ~  VP Production, Northgate Computer Systems, Inc., Plymouth, MN
• 3/87 to 1/89   ~  Timber Accountant/Controller, Seley Corporation, Ketchikan
• 3/81 to 3/87   ~  Sr. Field Office Manager, J.A. Jones Construction Company, Charlotte, NC
• 7/80 to 3/81   ~  Office Manager, Peter Kiewit Sons Construction, Omaha, NE

A DECADE OF PUBLIC SERVICE:

• Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly, 3 terms; 2004-2010, 2011-Present
  • Key Positions:
    • Vice Mayor
    • School Board Liaison Committee
    • Joint City-Borough Liaison Committee
    • Planning Liaison and Economic Development Advisory Committee
    • Local Emergency Planning Committee
    • Investment Advisory Committee
• Ketchikan Charter Commission, Chair, 2003

DEDICATION TO COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

• Southeast Conference, Board Member, 2013-
• Greater Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce, former Board Member
• Ketchikan Visitor’s Bureau, former Board Member
• Ketchikan Community Advisory Council (UAS), former Board Member
• Ketchikan Library Board, former Board Member
• Juneau: Mayor’s Bear Advisory Committee, former Member

PLATFORM:

Glen's Political Philosophy

The short version: Government is force so remember, “Don’t hurt people and don’t take their stuff!”

If elected again, I will follow these core principles:

• Faith in God, Family, and Community
• Individual Liberty
• The United States Constitution
• The Alaska Constitution
• Efficient government, limited to enumerated constitutional powers
• Operating within financial means while providing for future generations
• Promoting a strong private sector economy
• Low tax rates create opportunity and competitive advantage
• Funds spent by the government are the precious, hard-earned assets of constituents

LOCAL ISSUES

School Funding:

Schools are still “Job One”. We have really good local schools and they are constantly striving to improve. Ketchikan schools spend over $20,000 per student per year. But, results on standardized testing show more room for improvement and there remains a serious dropout rate. The state has increased funding for schools for the past several years, but they tell us that is not sustainable in the future. Locally, we currently are able to fund our schools about $8 million a year for operations and about $4 million a year in capital spending. We should be able to continue that level of spending as long as the economy continues to improve without raising taxes. But unfortunately, nearly $5 million of that money is a “required local contribution” that actually only reduces and replaces state funding rather than augmenting it.

Ketchikan has been trying to overturn the required local contribution to schools for over six years. This unconstitutional tax on local communities requires them to fork over millions every year in funding that relieves the State of its constitutional obligation to fund education.  For Ketchikan, we are unable to fund our schools to the state-determined “local funding cap” without raising local taxes to the point where they can damage the local economy and school programs or taxpayer’s wallets suffer as a result.

The KGB recently initiated a lawsuit. I was initially dubious of a lawsuit against the State, however after reviewing Borough Manager Dan Bockhorst’s well-researched argument (and several attorney opinions) of the “good chance of success” of a new constitutional challenge, I decided to vote for a lawsuit. My decision came down to the fact that the Constitution is “supreme law” in Alaska and the State certainly appears to be in violation so we have a duty to ask the court to decide plus there are literally millions at stake.
 
Budget:

Operating Budget – The borough is in decent financial shape. We have relatively low taxes, adequate reserves, and we are able to deliver the services the citizens expect. This does not mean we should be complacent. There is always room for improvement and given the uncertain state of the local economy and its dependence on seasonal trade (fishing, tourism), we need to manage our money carefully and plan our expenditures to match revenues.

Capital Budget – The borough doesn’t have a great deal of state-funded capital needs except for “Gravina Access” and the airport. Our capital budget is, and should be, prudent and based on realistic financial conditions and reliable forecasts. Capital expenditures should be made from disposable income we have left after taking care of the operating budget, saving for future needs, and paying down past obligations.  We have been very careful in bonding for debt for big dollar projects like the Aquatic Center so unless the economy tanks, we should be fine.

Projections - The challenge with new facilities, of course, is that they tend to increase operating costs. Transportation and Recreation loom large in this area. Both are capital intensive and require huge tax subsidies to operate. Since they are not core functions of the borough, i.e. mandated by state law; they would probably be among the first expensive departments we would have to cut back if the economy collapses again. While they are greatly desired, they are nevertheless corollary functions of the Borough, so we need to manage them with care and an eye to the future.

Other Issues:

State Relations - The government sometimes creates its own problems when it spends more than it can afford.  State government creates problems for local government when it passes unfunded mandates like the senior citizen tax exemption. The Ketchikan airport continues to operate at a deficit. The State has a responsibility to fund it.

Property Rights and Regulation - Regulations should encourage development and limits should only be placed where one person’s use of property is in direct conflict or detrimental to another’s use of theirs, or public safety and health is an issue. Beyond that, government should get out of the way. The best way to encourage economic development is not to penalize it. We should defer any increases in tax assessment for property improvements until the property is resold or used to generate income.

Marine Highway - AMHS is SE Alaska’s highway system. It needs to operate efficiently while meeting the transportation needs of the communities served.  The AK class ferry being built in Ketchikan shows the state’s commitment to the AMHS, Ketchikan and the shipyard. Governor Parnell is to be commended for his support and urged to move forward with the Ward Cove layup and maintenance facility.

Subsistence - The federal government has no constitutional right to manage state and local resources. There needs to be a cultural component for native aboriginal priority use and rights as opposed to a strictly rural/urban divide.  Alaska natives have a valid claim and rights to the natural resources they have harvested for thousands of years. Best example of this failure of policy is people living in Saxman who have been denied their culture and that is just plain wrong. Alaskans can better manage our resources while protecting them for future generations.

A hearty “Thank You!” to Mary Kauffman for sponsoring this forum, year after year.

Glen Thompson

SitNews ©2014
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska

Articles & photographs that appear in SitNews may be protected by copyright and may not be reprinted without written permission from and payment of any required fees to the proper sources. E-mail your news & photos to editor@sitnews.us Photographers choosing to submit photographs for publication to SitNews are in doing so granting their permission for publication and for archiving. SitNews does not sell photographs. All requests for purchasing a photograph will be emailed to the photographer.