Meet the Candidates:

The City and Borough Assembly: Three Year Tearm

Julie Decker

is seeking re-election to the Wrangell Borough Assembly for a three-year term. There are several reasons she wants to sit for another term on the assembly. The current borough assembly has been making some good decisions on behalf of the city, she said, and she would like to see that continue. As a member of the assembly, she said that she has tried to stay informed and lead in a way that benefits the city as a whole. She added that the current assembly is comprised of people with a diverse range of perspectives, and she has tried her best to find common ground where everyone can come to an agreement. There are also a number of projects underway that she would like to see through to their completion. This includes renovation of the old Institute property, the old mill site, and several other properties owned by the borough. Her other priorities would include repairing the city's aging infrastructure and dealing with ongoing budget issues, she said.

"I hope that I bring a 'middle of the road' perspective to the assembly," Decker said.

The City and Borough Assembly: Three Year Tearm

and School Board: Unexpired Two Year Tearm

Patricia Gilbert

is seeking two positions in this year's election. She is running for re-election to a three-year term on the borough assembly, and is also looking to fill an unexpired two-year term on the school board. In an email sent to the Sentinel, she said that she has six years of experience on the assembly and 50 years of experience in education, with 23 years of teaching at Wrangell High School. Her priorities, if re-elected to the assembly, include seeing the construction of a new water treatment plant, overseeing expansion of the city cemetery, and seeing to various repairs to the Public Safety Building. Her priorities on the school board will include looking into potentially sharing resources between the school district and the city. This could include, among other examples she provided, maintenance assistance with vehicles, exploring a joint insurance pool, and sharing bulk purchases and consultants. "I want to serve another term on the Assembly to assist in the completion of several city projects," she said in the email. "I want to serve on the School Board to help facilitate coordination between the school and city in terms of school maintenance, repairs and funding."

The City and Borough Assembly: Unexpired One Year Tearm

Caitlin Cardinell

is running for a one-year unexpired term on the borough assembly. She said in an email to the Sentinel that she wanted to run because she wanted to inspire others, especially Wrangell's younger residents, to serve in municipal positions where important decisions are being made. She said that she has no goals or priorities if she is elected to the assembly. What she hopes to do, though, is to "empower citizens" to take action and be involved in local politics and to bring issues that are important to them to the attention of the assembly. She hopes to accomplish this through offering workshops, Facebook live videos, or explaining via local news outlets how to speak at an assembly meeting on topics that concern them. "I urge the citizens of Wrangell to vote with an informed mind, for any candidate they feel will represent the interests of themselves, and those who will be around in the future," Cardinell wrote. "I am happy to speak with anybody who would like to get to know me further."

Jennifer Ridgeway

is running for a one-year unexpired term on the borough assembly. This will be her first time running for a position like the assembly, she said, but she has lots of experience in volunteer positions and is a firm believer in public service to one's community. She wanted to run because the assembly has oversight of several things in town she said she is "enamored" with, like the library and the rec center. If elected, she said that she wants to make sure the assembly remembers that decisions they make affect not only the people in town, but across the whole borough. She also wants to see the assembly tackle bigger issues facing Wrangell, such as the water system, their power needs, transportation needs, and properly supporting local businesses and the growing tourism industry. All of her priorities come back to the idea of sustainability, she said. "The assembly would have to look at what's going to be best for the community, not just right now but for the future," she said. "You know, how big of tourism does Wrangell want? How much can it sustain? How important is it to the businesses here for sustainability? The main thing, though, is just looking at what is the future sustainability of Wrangell going to be."

Drew Larrabee

is seeking election to the borough assembly for a one-year unexpired term. He served on the assembly several years ago, he said, but stepped down to focus on obtaining his master's degree. He decided to run again because, having earned his degree now, he said that he has the time to dedicate to the job. He also said that he feels he has a good understanding of the community and its needs. If elected, Larrabee said that his priorities would include seeing to development of a new water plant, the old Institute property, getting a handle on the city's budget issues. He also wants to see that business and tourism continue to grow in Wrangell, but in a way that doesn't hurt the city's small-town feel. Keeping that tight-knit sense of community in Wrangell is one of his highest priorities, he said. "I think that I am open minded and will do the best job that I possible can to create fair representation in the community," Larrabee said.

Anne Morrison

is seeking re-election to the borough assembly, for a one-year unexpired term. Morrison has a strong background in politics, she said, having served on Sitka's assembly for six years, was mayor of Sitka for two years, and has also worked for the Alaska governor's office in the past and for the White House during the Reagan administration. She said that she wants to be on Wrangell's assembly again because she said that she saw many issues and opportunities that the city faces, and she wants to help out. Infrastructure will be her biggest priority over the next year, if elected. She described Wrangell's infrastructure as "tenuous, to say the least." She wants to see Wrangell repair and replace lots of things, from the water plant, to the power plant, and the Public Safety Building, among other areas of aging buildings and equipment. She wants to put an emphasis on maintenance, as well. There are good people working for Wrangell, she added, and they are doing their best with the tools they're given. As a business owner, Morrison said that she understands the struggles local business owners go through in Wrangell, too. "We've been in Alaska for 40 years and here for 12," Morrison said. "It's a great little town."

School Board: Three Year Tearm

Beth Heller

is running for a three-year term on the school board. She has not served on a school board before, she said, but has volunteered for several years on the district's parent advisory committee. She decided to run because she is big on volunteerism, and she also has three children in the school system. Her main priority, if elected, will be to learn the ropes of being a school board member. She does not want to fight for a complete overhaul of the system, she said, she wants to work with the board to make the district as good as it can be. Her biggest concern, she said, is how state budget cuts will affect

Wrangell. She wants to work with the board to make the best of that situation. As a people person, she added that she believes she will be able to easily work with school staff and the wider community. "I think I get along with the teachers and the staff at the school really well, and the community," Heller said. "I'm a pretty easy going person."

David Wilson

is seeking re-election to the school board for a three-year term. He decided to run again for a variety of reasons, he said. First of all, he said that he feels like he has only just gotten started on the school board and he wants to continue his work. With recent turnovers on the school board, he also said that maintaining some level of stability was important. Having six children of his own and a foster child go through the school system, and several grandchildren in school now, he also said that he has a vested interest making the district the best it can be. The biggest priority Wilson has is protecting and improving student education, he said, and all of his other priorities revolve around that one goal. He wants to see the school district continue to follow their strategic plan they adopted last year. His other priorities include finding more funding for the district and kick starting their curriculum mapping program. He also wants to see increased involvement from the wider public in the district. Wilson said that people should consider voting for him because he is passionate about seeing Wrangell's kids get a good education, he is more than just a "yes man" on the board, and because he sees the different strengths and weaknesses of the district."I feel grateful for being able to have served so far," he said. "As I said I've gone to different trainings, I've learned a lot, I would hate to think what I have learned just gets put to the wayside. I know the school district and the people have already invested in me. I want to pay back for that investment they've made."

Cyni Crary

is running for a three-year term on the school board. She has served on the board before, she said, several years ago. She decided to run again because she saw that there was a need for people to step up and offer themselves for the position. She said she would make a good candidate for the position because of her previous experience, both on the school board and as a former employee of the school district. She added that she's also very familiar with parliamentary procedure, as another part of her experience. If elected, Crary said that her main priority will be tackling the district's budget issues. Another of her priorities will be the students, she said. Two of her children have already gone through Wrangell's school system, and she has two more in school right now, so she said she has a vested interest in making the district the best it can be. "People should consider voting for me based on my previous experience and the fact that I am an advocate for kids, and my dedication to students," Crary said.

Jayme Howell

is running for a three-year term on the school board. She was unavailable for an interview.

School Board: Unexpired One Year Term

Jeanie Arnold

is running for an unexpired one-year term on the Wrangell School Board. This would be her first time on the school board if elected, she said. She said that she wanted to run because her daughter is in kindergarten this year, and she thought the school board would be a good way to stay involved in the school community and also give back to the district. If elected, Arnold said her priorities would involve a lot of listening and learning since she will be new to the position. She also said she will want to keep aware of issues that are of concern to the public and bringing them up with the school board. One of her big passions, she said, is early childhood education and emotional awareness. As a case worker for Alaska Crossings, she said that she wants to see schools have a stronger emphasis on teaching kids about their emotions and how to regulate them. "I want to provide a service, I want to give back to the community, and I'm a pretty open and reasonable voice," Arnold said. "I'm compassionate, and I really care about the service that the school district is providing for me and for my family. I want to be able to support that however I can."

Sheri Ridgeway

is running for an unexpired one-year term on the Wrangell School Board. She said that she was inspired to run because she has a child in middle school, and she understands how important children are to the community. She saw on Facebook that there were several positions open and few applicants, she said, and she wanted to step up. If there isn't a school board to make decisions, she asked, then what happens to the kids? If elected, she said her main priority will be to learn the ropes since she has not been on the school board before. After that, she said her main goal will be to see that the school board's decisions are the best for the district and its kids, and that business continues to get done. "I'm new to town, but getting to know people has been a priority for me," she said. "I feel like I could be a valuable part of the community and a valuable part of the school board, just making sure, you know like I said, that decisions for our kids are being made and there's somebody there to do it."

Port Commission: Three Year Term

John Yeager

is seeking re-election to the Wrangell Port Commission for a three-year term. Yeager is the vice-chair of the commission, he said, and is also the senior member of the organization. He said that he is running again because he wants to maintain a sense of continuity with the organization, and that what the commission does is very important to the community and he wants to continue to serve. Among his priorities for the next three years, if elected, will be to oversee the final renovations to Shoemaker Harbor, improve all the other harbors in the city, support the local businesses in the boat yard, and in general make Wrangell as welcoming a place to mariners of all kinds as possible. Another big priority he mentioned is to continue the strong relationship between the port commission and the Wrangell Mariners' Memorial. Yeager also sits on the memorial board, and he wants to see the two groups continue to work closely together. In all, he said, people should consider voting for him because he is also a mariner and local businessman, and understands the importance of the port commission to these groups. "I am a business owner that has four vessels and use the harbors extensively," Yeager said.