Haines Borough Assembly and Mayor candidates faced questions ranging from solid waste management to heli-skiing at recent forums.
Assembly candidates Mike Case, Ron Jackson, Joe Parnell, Jerry Erny and Mario Benassi spoke at a KHNS forum Sept. 25 moderated by KHNS news director Margaret Friedenauer.
Mayor Stephanie Scott joined the candidates for a Chamber of Commerce forum at the Harbor Bar, Sept. 26, moderated by chamber president Barbara Mulford.
As the borough is currently looking at a new solid waste management system, Friedenauer asked the candidates whether they would support mandatory collection or if they felt the free-market system was working as-is.
Most of the candidates seemed wary of adopting a pick-up system, with many balking at the word “mandatory.”
“I have absolutely no desire to subsidize somebody else’s garbage removal,” said Erny. “That doesn’t interest me. Our community is full of hardworking, responsible people that should not be saddled with the irresponsibility of others.”
Case also opposed mandatory collection, as did Parnell. Parnell said he likes the current system, as competition is keeping prices low. Litter and illegal dumping enforcement would incentivize people to dispose of their garbage responsibly, Parnell said.
Jackson agreed on the enforcement issue, and said the current ordinance under consideration by the Commerce Committee needs more work.
Benassi diverged from the other candidates, expressing concern about the current free-market system and calling mandatory collection a “viable option.”
“I’m not sure that it’s working as-is. I find it extremely difficult to get rid of waste. It’s obviously not working the way it is now,” Benassi said. “I feel like the mandatory collection, especially for larger producers of trash, is probably going to be the best way to go.”
Friedenauer asked whether candidates support the school bond propositions that will appear on the ballot.
Erny opposed all the bonds. “I don’t like bond issues. Bond issues are always paid back by the working class of our country,” he said.
Jackson called 70-percent state reimbursement for the projects “enticing,” and said he would support the bonds except the roof.
“I think they’re doing a really bad job of advertising and getting the word out about the benefits of these (projects). They sound like some good projects, except the roof is kind of questionable to me,” Jackson said.
Benassi also called the roof “a conundrum,” but said he would support the bonds because “these are things we obviously need.”
Parnell also said he would support all the bond measures. “I will vote for the bonds because I think it is a pretty good deal to get the 70 percent from the state. Upgrade the schools. Doesn’t sound too terrible to me,” he said.
Case agreed on supporting the measures. “We better do it and strike while the iron’s hot,” he said.
At the Chamber forum, president Mulford said the chamber is in the process of reviving its “Shop at Home” campaign and asked whether the borough should support the campaign.
While Mayor Scott and the candidates all paid lip service to shopping local, some candidates acknowledged the difficulties of actually doing so.
Erny admitted he and his wife have gone through a few phases of shopping at Costco, and said that though it made him feel bad, it’s a reality of modern life.
Case also said he is willing to pay 5 to 10 percent more for products in Haines, but said he will buy things in Juneau when Haines goods are exponentially more expensive.