Grant Echo Hawk

Candidate for Ketchikan City Council
Two Year Term (One Seat Open)

October 06, 2020 - Tuesday
Ketchikan Regular Election

Received: September 14, 2020
Published September 15, 2020

I am running for Ketchikan City Council because I have a passion for public service and believe in making sound fiscal and policy decisions based on the best information available.  I have a strong sense of community and believe that the role of elected officials is to act responsibly and help facilitate open and robust dialogues by listening to all perspectives, ideas, and concerns while also being willing to change a stance based on new information.  Ultimately, I am running for office to work hard for the people of Ketchikan and believe to do that effectively I need to maintain an open dialogue with residents from all walks of life, concideral all points of view, and stay true to my convictions of equity, sound decision making and a strict adherence to the oath of office.

With 20 years of leadership in one of the largest corporations in the nation and at a local financial institution I have well rounded skills in business management, project management, and running businesses efficiently through cooperation, eliminating ineffective processes, and adapting quickly to new and better ways of doing things.  In addition to my experience in business leadership I am also committed to volunteerism and community advocacy to maintain a balance of meeting the people where they are at and making sound decisions, on complex issues, for the good of the community.

I have had several conversations with business owners, community leaders, and industry leaders and there are two consistent concerns that have arisen that need to be addressed.  

The overall economic future of Ketchikan and having a sound plan to foster economic growth while removing any barriers that may slow down that growth is on the forefront of the community's concerns.  There are a lot of paths that lead to economic stability but an area that I feel we have an opportunity is more open communication and dialogue with our community leaders to bring as many voices to the table as so we have everyone working toward the common goal of long-term prosperity.  I believe our ports are a tremendous asset to our community and am leery of any proposals that would give control of them to out of state or out of country interests.  On more than one occasion I heard that working with the city can be difficult and whether these concerns are valid or perception I feel that sitting down and listening to our community members, business leaders,and industry leaders will help provide needed perspective to allow our businesses to remain nimble in rapidly changing business environments and to help eliminate any notions of the city taking an antagonistic stance on vital industry, business, or community needs.

Another area of needed attention is our homeless population and a plan to support this population with dignity and respect.  Our homeless population was brought up in multiple conversations I had and as a community that is an international destination I feel it is our best interest to develop support programs that provide a path off the streets while partnering with our many public and non-profit institutions to create a culture of community outreach.  This issue is not unique to Ketchikan but I believe that if we are proactive and offer support sooner than we are far less likely to have ongoing and larger problems later.  

Thank you for your consideration for the 2-year council seat and I appreciate your vote.

Grant EchoHawk
425.249.6085
Grant.EchoHawk@gmail.com

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