Many Haines residents know that Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins is striving to represent Haines and the rest of district 34 in the state legislature. Some readers may also recognize his name from last winter’s story about Jonathan’s and my mountaineering trip in South America. I am writing to give Haines a personal introduction to Jonathan. As a friend, I have appreciated Jonathan’s honest listening. We often disagree on the best route in the mountains, but he is always willing to listen and change his mind if I present a strong enough argument. He has shown me that he cares deeply for Southeast Alaska by teaching me about logging policy, glacial retreat and local history as we backpack near Haines or Sitka. I am reminded of this appreciation each time he returns to Haines and marvels at the wonderful people and beauty in our community. Today, Jonathan’s devotion to Southeast is apparent in his decision to run for office and the work ethic he is already applying to the job. He remade his post-college plans (and cancelled our summer adventure) to spend 16-hour days meeting people throughout Southeast, learning their concerns, and building his platform. Briefly, he hopes to tie education funding to inflation, to maintain taxes on oil revenues, and to make day trips to Juneau possible by home-porting a ferry in Skagway. He is happy to discuss his reasoning with anyone, especially those who disagree with him. I introduce Jonathan as a friend and candidate worth considering.
Chandler Kemp