On Tuesday, Nov. 8, elections will be held for U.S. House and Senate, Alaska Legislature and the Alaska governor.
To help inform voters, the Homer News will introduce the southern peninsula candidates, show their answers to a group of questions and give them an opportunity to make their pitch on why you should elect them. This week, we introduce the candidates.
For House District 6 covering the southern Kenai Peninsula, incumbent Sarah Vance, R-Homer, is being challenged by Homer residents Louie Flora and Ginger Bryant.
Louie Flora, 46, was born in Fairbanks and has lived in Homer for 44 years. He has also lived in Nenana and seasonally resided in Juneau and Fairbanks and Bristol Bay.
Contact information: louie@floraforhouse.com; www.floraforhouse.com
Education: Homer High Graduation 1994; college coursework; USCG Merchant Mariner 100 ton Masters and Able Seaman Unlimited credentials (currently expired)
Current occupation: Commercial Fisherman — Bristol Bay Sockeye 1983 to present, Government Affairs Director at Non-Profit since 2014
Previous occupation: Commercial Fisherman, AK legislative staff, legislative committee staff. Bicycle Courier — Mountain Goat Couriers, Missoula, Montana
Other professional experience: laborer in construction, fiberglass fabrication, refrigerated seawater system installation and other jobs.
Elected or appointed experience, including boards and commissions: Homer Electric Association Board of Directors, Kachemak Bay Campus Community Advisory Board member
Community service: volunteer, Homer Rope Tow
Hobbies or interests: Winter sports, cooking, boats, surfing
Personal statement:
“I am running to serve as your representative for House District 6. I worked in the trenches in Juneau for over a decade, and I know the difference between effective and ineffective representation. Extreme positions, no ability to compromise and emphasis on stoking social divisions – these are the hallmarks of ineffective representation.
This state was not built on social division, it was built by smart, independent minded people who put down their hammers, plows, wrenches, fids, net hanging needles, and halibut gaffs long enough to write a constitution and unite as a state. As we face uncertainties in our oil economy and our fisheries, and as we recover from the impact of COVID on our families, communities and businesses – I believe it is time for Alaskans of all parties to unite around policies that will renew our state and prepare us for the future.
I believe that you and your family deserve safe roads, neighborhoods, and schools as well as a stable business environment. We need a long term and stable fiscal plan that protects the PFD and grows the Permanent Fund. We need policies that drive down Alaska’s high cost of energy, healthcare, insurance, and food. We need to protect our fisheries from bycatch and habitat degradation. With the help of our trade schools and Universities we need to tap into the natural energy, innovation and competitive spirit that defines Alaska to create the industries of the future.”
