Received: September 26, 2022
Published: September 26, 2022

My name is Michael Iann Martin and I am a 21 year resident of Ketchikan. I grew up in rural Alaska and married a lifelong Ketchikan resident with whom I have two children who are currently students at Ketchikan High School.

1. I am running for office because I love our community. Ketchikan is where I chose to raise my family and want it to be a place my children want to return to. I am a firm believer in the idea that healthy communities grow healthy children. I want Ketchikan to continue to be that place. I believe it’s important for an assembly member to be an accurate representation of the population and to the best of their abilities refrain from placing personal beliefs or interests above the voice of those we represent. I see great potential for Ketchikan to continue to grow and want to be a part of that process.

2. I received my BA in Social Science from the University of Alaska Southeast right here in Ketchikan while working full time. I started my career working in the local schools before transitioning to residential treatment where I have worked for the last 16 years helping youth to become successful in reaching their goals. For approximately 12 years my wife and I have also been Therapeutic Foster Parents, opening our home to at risk youth providing a safe place for them to grow, learn, and work towards success. I have spent years working with other agencies within our community to foster healthy relationships for the betterment of those we serve and believe I can continue to do so as a member of the assembly.

3. Over the years I have spent a considerable amount of time engaged in different aspects of the community. This includes time serving on the Ketchikan Youth Court Board of Directors, a member of the Ketchikan Charter School’s Academic Policy Committee, numerous years of fund raising and supporting various athletic teams and activities, and I am currently an appointed member of the Borough’s Planning Commission.

4. First and foremost, I believe our housing crisis needs to be addressed. If we are going to continue to grow as a community, we need places for our residents to live. The process of purchasing land, developing it, and building is cost prohibitive to the majority of our population. So, we need to find ways to identify usable land and work with other entities through partnerships to help develop affordable housing. With my time on the Planning Commission, I have worked to open up new areas for development as well as helped those looking to expand on current properties in ways that promote more housing options in our area. A large part of being a member of the Borough Assembly is understating what your role is in these partnerships and utilizing our assets in the best way possible.

The second area where I see a challenge is with our education system. Our youth in the education system are coming back after two hard years of trying to keep up with educational expectations while combatting a pandemic. Many of our students will have walked back into the classroom without missing a beat this year. However, there will be a portion that do not have the same experience. Meeting with the KGBSD Superintendent last week, we were able to have a great conversation about how to identify these youth and what is needed to provide support for them. While funding is always the easy answer, its how that funding is used to bring support that will be the determining factor in our youth’s success. Though the Borough Assembly has no direct connection with how these systems are put in place. The understanding of these concepts is important when making financial decisions.

Lastly, Ketchikan has for some time been a Cruise Ship town that shutters a lot of its doors when the last ship leaves. A community is largely defined by your businesses. I want to work to support the growth of local businesses so that we can be a place that thrives regardless of the time of year. By offering ways for new businesses to get started and providing support for businesses that survived the last several years, I believe we can continue to grow our community in a positive manner attracting more financial stability for all. As I’ve stated previously, local business creates local money.