Time to Throw Your Hat in the Ring!

Are you thinking of running for local office?  I hope so!  There are 5 seats open this year: 2 Assembly members and 2 school board members for 3 year terms, and 1 school board member for a 2-year term.

You can declare your candidacy for any seat starting July 9  through the end of the work-day July 27. Naturally, there are forms to fill out.  Four forms.  Two prepared locally and two  by the state.  The local forms are a declaration of candidacy, and a nominating petition. The state forms are a public official financial disclosure form, and a campaign finance form. Click on “Candidate Filing Period July 9-27” from the home page of the new Borough website at www.hainesalaska.gov for details and forms.

So, what is this job of local elected official all about?  Well, it might be the most challenging job you’ll ever have – and the lowest paying!  But it’ll probably be among the most interesting and rewarding too.

The job will ask you to be:

·      a model of civility and cooperation;

·      an educator and interpreter of public opinion;

·      a leader bringing people together and building trust.

Moving through your term, you will learn about local government, the local school district, local law, and finance.  Sometimes you will feel like you just signed up for a three-year degree!

It is true that, if elected, life, as you know it will change:

·      Wherever you are, whenever you are there, someone will probably approach to talk about roads, taxes, or government services. This happens in local politics because unlike elected officials at the state and federal level, local officials rub shoulders with the people who elected them everywhere, all the time.  You meet the people who elected you on a daily basis. 

·      You’ll spend a lot of time attending meetings, not only municipal meetings but regional and statewide ones as well. You’ll also spend a lot of time preparing for them, reading the material that needs to be read in order to make an informed decision in the course of the meeting.

  

When you are elected, you will draw upon skills you already have and skills you never knew you had or even wished you had! Your new job might require you to: 

·      Facilitate meetings, speak to the press, respond to citizens who are sometimes upset or angry, and testify before legislative committees.  

·      Make decisions on everything from who to hire as the next manager, to which bid  to accept for paving the roads, to how to pay for solid waste disposal, or whether to join with other towns in a regional approach to providing for services.

You will work hard on behalf of the community and we will all be glad you do! Please consider filing for the opportunity July 9 through July 27. Thank you.