A Democratic candidate for governor brought his campaign to Wrangell last week, pitching overhauls to the state ferry system, housing market and education funding.

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, 37, a former state House member who represented Sitka and rural Southeast communities from 2013 to 2023, visited Wrangell on July 6 as part of a regional tour.

He is one of 17 candidates running for governor in the Aug. 18 primary election. The top four vote-getters in the primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election to replace Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who cannot seek a third term.

Kreiss-Tomkins focused heavily on the Alaska Marine Highway System during an interview in Wrangell, arguing that the network of ferries is no longer reliable. 

“Growing up in Sitka, I remember when the vessels ran on time and met our needs,” he said in an interview. “The current operation has collapsed and is failing the entire region.”

To rebuild the fleet, he proposes using general obligation bonds, which allow the state to borrow money for major construction projects with voter approval. State records confirm that Alaska last used a major transportation bond package in 2012, when voters approved borrowing $453.5 million for highway and port projects. 

“We are in a financial position to pass another bond package,” Kreiss-Tomkins said. “It comes down to what we choose to prioritize.”

He also urged taking politics out of marine highway management by creating an autonomous governing board rather than the current advisory board. Members would be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature, shielding the system from shifting political agendas, he said.

“We do not need politicians managing daily ferry operations. … Every time a new administration takes over, the direction zigs and zags, which simply wastes public funds.”

On housing, the candidate described the shortage of affordable homes as a complex challenge driven partly by restrictive building rules. He proposed identifying underutilized state land and transferring it to homebuilders or housing authorities.

He also advocated for expanding non-traditional housing options.

“With clear and predictable regulations, we could open the door to modular, compact and tiny homes,” he said. “Private developers should be able to partner directly with state agencies to make homeownership affordable.”

Addressing education, he wants to target the state’s base student allocation, the complex formula used to calculate per-pupil school funding. The funding mechanism has long been a source of intense legislative debate, with school districts statewide facing multimillion-dollar deficits and arguing that the current baseline fails to keep pace with high inflation. 

A state-backed study was launched earlier this year to evaluate the formula’s efficiency. Kreiss-Tomkins said rising property valuations frequently skew the formula, reducing the state’s share of funding and putting more financial pressure on communities which raise their contribution for schools from property taxes.

“The funding formula is a fragile compromise negotiated between urban and rural lawmakers,” he said. “We need real structural changes rather than temporary fixes.”