Regarding Karen Hess’ letter in last week’s paper in which she describes the facts behind the funding of the Port Chilkoot Dock complex: her statements are not incorrect; however, a few omitted facts should be mentioned lest they be lost from the historical record. Hess and Bill Thomas strongly opposed the successful statewide ballot measure in 2006 that created the head tax (and major water quality protections) without which the dock complex would probably have never been built. The funds came from a specific subsection of the ballot measure that created a regional fund from 25 percent of the overall head tax to help pay for infrastructure projects in the smaller Southeast ports such as Haines. Gov. Sean Parnell and the Republican-controlled legislature kowtowed to the industry in 2010 and struck the regional fund from state law to reduce the $7/day passenger head tax by 30 percent. Their action on behalf of the cruise lines, despite being opposed by Thomas (and myself), eliminated millions of dollars in potential revenue that Haines could have used to address future tourism infrastructure needs.

Gershon Cohen, co-author/sponsor of 2006 “Ballot Measure 2”YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN:

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