Legislators should follow mandate of Dunleavy supporters
To all Legislators:
Approximately 145,000 Alaskans voted for Gov. Mike Dunleavy because we believed in his message: Balance the budget by cutting spending. Take pro-growth measures to improve our economy. Return our PFD formula and protect it by policy. Fix our “education” system. Restore the stolen PFD to the people. This is the mandate.
We also voted a majority of Republicans to both House and Senate. Unfortunately, House members lied to constituents about their party affiliation and have violated their trust relationship with their constituents through their dishonesty, and ignored this mandate.
It is not true our budget reached the levels it is at through a slow, incremental growth.
This is the fifth year you have been sent to Juneau to deal with our over-bloated budget, which puts us back to 2014. Tracking backward through annual state budgets shows a dramatic uptick in spending, starting in 2006, not on needs but wants. That means it took only eight years to get to this level. The problem is you were tying spending to revenue, which was oil that peaked at $140 per barrel. As long as it was going up, you were covered. But you broke the relationship when oil prices started going down, reaching $25 at its lowest. This means the quickest way to fix our budget short term is to simply roll back our spending to 2006 spending levels.
It is also a lie to suggest implementing taxes will solve our problem. It will only exacerbate our problems, which is indisputable.
Enough already. Get your heads out of your ideologies, stop “special interest” wants, and get to the business of managing the people’s affairs in a common sense, logical, long-range thinking way. You have wasted enough of our future with your shenanigans and boondoggles. $180,000 a year for a Dairy Inspector? Seriously.
Duane Christensen, Anchor Point
Thanks to NOMAR for peace concert banner support
Kate Mitchell of NOMAR, please accept our deep gratitude for your generous gift of time, labor and materials to complete the peace banner project of the Rotary Club of Downtown Homer. The banners were made by our local students and will cross borders and be exchanged with students in other countries to promote good will and contribute to world peace.
The community viewed the banners on display at the High School Commons during the Community Peace Concert in May.
Again, thank you Kate Mitchell and NOMAR. We are also grateful to many others in the schools and community who worked to produce these banners to promote peaceful relationships in the world.
Fran Moore, for The Rotary Club of Downtown Homer.
SBS helped with HCOA bird houses
Homer Council on the Arts is grateful for the generosity of Spenard Builders Supply. Their recent donation of materials for our workshop “Welcoming Home Our Birds!” made it possible for budding local bird lovers to create and take home a nesting box of their own. We also extend our sincere thanks to Abe Abrahamson for his time preparing the houses! After a fun-filled afternoon learning about birds and paint techniques, there are now 20 beautifully decorated houses around town awaiting spring swallows. We couldn’t have done it without your support!
Analise Hartnett, for the Homer Council on the Arts
Good job on letters
I just wanted to take a moment and thank the students of McNeil Canyon who wrote letters to the editor. You all wrote very impressive letters; good job.
Amy Williams
Keep Mary Lane Trail alive; don’t vacate section line easement
Recently, I learned that the Alaska’s budget-strapped Department of Natural Resources issued a preliminary decision to approve vacating a pedestrian section line easement up near Dorothy Drive. This easement goes between the property of Zac Brown and his neighbor.
This is the publically-accessed pedestrian easement allowing us to keep the Mary Lane Trail alive. Mr. Brown posted “no trespassing” signs on a portion of this historic trail that cuts through his property last year. The Mary Lane Trail allows one to hike between Bear Creek Drive and Skyline Drive. Because part of the original trail is now closed, a new workaround trail was created on the public pedestrian easement being petitioned.
The country western singer and the other petitioners are claiming they have experienced “serious stalking and threats of potential criminal trespass” from the access of this section line. Although we have written to Mr. Brown several times to hold a conversation, stalking isn’t in our communications plan.
Options abound for privacy and security instead of denying the public to a pedestrian easement. Select a house site in which your football field-sized parking lot does not edge the section line easement. Build a fence. Hire a security guard for your vacation residence. Install a locked gate and security cameras. Take the “ZB” logo off your private jet when you fly into our hamlet.
Here’s my call to action. Please oppose the vacation of this pedestrian section line easement that keeps the Mary Lane Trail alive.
Send your comments by May 9 to:
• Joseph Poydack, DMLW, 550 W. 7th Ave., Suite 650 Anchorage, AK 99501-3576
• You can contact Mr. Poydack at 907-375-7733 or joseph.poydack@alaska.gov
Should you have any questions or need information, feel free to email me at susie.amundson@gmail.com.
Let’s keep our pedestrian easements and trails open for the entire community’s recreation and enjoyment!
Susie Amundson
Safe and Healthy Kids Fair did well
The Safe and Healthy Kids Fair was a success. With 37 vendors and three excellent demos, there was truly something at the fair for every child. I would first like to recognize the effort and intention each participant put into their activity. By that very act alone you let us know that you care about the youngest ones in our community. Numerous organizations donated prizes for the event.
I’d like to highlight Sprout Family Services, South Peninsula Behavioral Health Services, SVT, Haven House, Enstar and South Peninsula Hospital for their gracious donations to our grand prize drawings of bikes. We saw many smiles that day as kiddos hopped on their new rides. We’d also like to thank Water’s Edge and Ninlichik Traditional Council for their donations to the infant grand prize. The high chair and diapers/diaper bag will be well loved. Our last thank you goes to the families and kids that attended. Your excitement, kindness and support made the day go smoothly and be extra enjoyable. I can’t believe we have to wait a year to do it again.
Lisa Asselin Martin, for the Safe and Healthy Kids Fair crew
YAC awards grants
The Homer Foundation Youth Advisory Committee is pleased to announce the following recipients of our annual YAC grants that support fun and healthy activities for youth in our community: Popeye Wrestling Club and Wrestle Like A Girl for the Girls Wrestling Camp, and South Peninsula Behavioral Health Services for Summer Special Activities.
We appreciate our donors who have confidence in our ability to make thoughtful decisions. Thank you to Dave and Beth Schroer, Shirley Fedora, the donors to the Ashley J. Logan fund, and to Robert and Melon Purcell, who established the Sheldon Youth to Youth Fund to help support YAC’s efforts.
The generosity of these individuals, as well as the support of the Homer Foundation Board of Trustees and staff, enabled YAC to distribute a total of $3,000 this year.
Respectfully,
Cecilia Fitzpatrick, Madeline Kozloski, and Bethany Engebretsen, on behalf of the Homer Foundation
Youth Advisory Committee
