Five candidates are vying for three seats on the assembly in the upcoming, Oct. 4 borough election. Early voting opens at the borough office on Monday.
There are two three-year terms that end in 2026, and one one-year term that ends in 2024. The elected candidates will replace assembly members Margarette Jones and Cheryl Stickler. Jerry Lapp’s seat is also open, but the incumbent is running for reelection.
This week, the CVN interviewed all candidates in person to hear why they’re running and where they stand on important issues facing Haines.
Their responses were edited for brevity and clarity.
Natalie Dawson: I’ve decided to run because I’m really excited about the opportunity to be a representative for the community in local government. I feel like we are facing a lot of big decisions in this community and we’ll need people who are willing to create the space for dialogue, government transparency, and outreach. I’ve spent a significant amount of my adult life as an educator, so I’m very experienced in facilitating spaces for people to work through complex ideas and decision making. I’ve been board president for a local nonprofit, Haines Huts and Trails, and helped build our first public use cabin in the valley. I also volunteer with other nonprofits to help with marine debris cleanup and the bears and fruit trees program.
Kevin Forster: I moved to Haines in 2005. I own and operate an industrial sewing shop, and I also work on contaminated waste sites. I was on the State Fair board for a handful of years, and for the last eight years I’ve been working on Haines Huts and Trails. I’m running for assembly because I feel compelled and inspired at this moment to be involved. Partly because it feels like there’s some major things coming down the pipe at us, and partly because I feel totally committed to this place with my family and our future.
Diana Lapham: I’m a 34-year year around resident, a certified hospice volunteer, and I have over 10 years of public service, including three years on the Haines Borough Assembly. I was deputy Mayor and served on the ports and harbors committee, tourism committee, public safety committee, and I currently serve on the planning commission. I served on the committees and the planning commission all at the same time and some people thought it was inappropriate, but I used it as a learning tool because it allowed me to hear different perspectives from different sections of the community. If nothing else it shows how committed I am to Haines and the residents. My meeting attendance is 100%. I have the time and the commitment to serve.
Jerry Lapp: I’m running to try to keep as much like it was when I first moved here. A place where people can have jobs, where you can raise your children. Where your children and your grandchildren can have jobs and to keep the small town feeling in Haines. I work part time for Constantine. They’ve been a good company to work for. I’ve worked in the construction industry here. My wife and I used to own 33 Mile Roadhouse — we took it over in 1977 and had it until 2011. It was a good business — it gave us lots of opportunity in the community and made us a living. When I was younger, my biggest hobby was snow machining. I’ve been fire chief for Klehini Valley for seven years or so, and I’ve served on the assembly for a total of about 20 years. I’m currently a member of the Alaska Miners Association.
Craig Loomis: I’m 72 years old. I was born in the territory of Alaska in 1951 in Wrangell. We traveled all over Alaska with my family. I’ve driven logging trucks, I’ve commercial fished, I’m a charter operator, and so I’ve dealt with a lot of independent tourism. I currently own Alaska Yacht Adventures, a concessionaire for Glacier Bay. The reason I’m running is to keep this valley as close to the way it was when I was growing up. It will never be quite the way it was when I was growing up — it was a paradise. It’s still beautiful. I’m running to hopefully get the people of the valley to realize that boom and bust businesses like gold mining, logging and even fisheries — if you don’t take care of them — will go away. We all want to have places be safe for our kids to go down the road without getting run over by ore trucks, we want good places for hunting. Also, I want to get people to get together to find common ground so we can move forward.
Do you have any resolutions or ordinances that you want to propose?
Natalie Dawson: I’m not coming into this position with a list of ‘these are all the things that Natalie would love for this town.’ I am coming into this position specifically because I want to hear from the public about what’s needed in the community and what shared values we have. We can then build ordinances and resolutions from those shared values.
Kevin Forster: The main one is that it’s occurred to me that it’s counterproductive how we continuously discuss the ideologies associated with a natural resource extraction project, when the role of government is to regulate industries in a way that protects and benefits the entirety of a community. If elected, I would definitely propose that we institute mining ordinances like what they have in Juneau, where they have a severance tax. I also think it would be great if we brought in a professionally trained planner that was proficient in working with partners and with state and federal agencies.
Diana Lapham: Not yet. I want to get my feet back on the ground with the assembly, it’s different than being on the planning commission. There’s so much going on in the community right now with so many projects. I know that we have addressed a lot of them through the planning commission and then we make recommendations to the assembly. Other than housing issues, I don’t have anything in mind. Everything is out there, everything is being processed and addressed.
Jerry Lapp: I would put a lower cap on the mill rate for property taxes. What happened with the mill rate from the assessor was kind of an eye opener. Another thing — and if I were elected I would look into this — is most seniors are on fixed incomes and there’s hardship cases. Right now, you are capped at $150,000 for senior exemptions. Other places like Skagway have theirs at $350,000. I would introduce something to pump those up.
Craig Loomis: First of all, I want to figure out what the borough did with the money it spent on the lobbyist we sent to Juneau. I’d also like to have a town hall meeting to get more input from the public — as long as we don’t kill each other. No guns allowed, and no bullying.
How should the Haines Borough address the issue of rising housing and rental prices?
Natalie Dawson: There are a lot of creative solutions out there for creating zoning structures that provide affordable housing to residents who live here year round for a certain specific set of years, for example. There are ordinances that can help protect affordable housing opportunities when any new development is done. That could be requirements for affordable housing units as part of any development or could even be a new ordinance for affordable housing to be included in existing developments. The tax structure of how rentals are taxed could also be an opportunity to investigate how to make rentals more affordable. We have an affordable housing working group, so we should look at their recommendations and think about what’s been done in other places to address this issue.
Kevin Forster: One thing that a lot of municipalities are doing to help relieve the housing crisis is to relax zoning codes. So much of the zoning here is single residential and the land’s maxed out. One thing that would be valuable in having a planner around is looking at the notion of relaxing the single residential zoning districts to allow more ADUs. Another thing that has been shown by other communities is that property tax is a totally regressive tax that disproportionately affects low income people, renters, and the elderly. We should have a retirement, or elderly exemption, or property tax circuit breakers to address this regressive nature of property taxes.
Diana Lapham: That’s a million dollar question. I know we have a housing committee. The borough also has property on the backside of Riley. The planning commission has just begun to look at that piece of land. We have thoughts and ideas about developing that property out there. An interesting dynamic is it’s so far away from sewer and water, so it may just be dry land that we sell and people put in their own sewage and their own wells. But we’ve got a subdivision hilltop that we just completed here about a month and a half ago through the Planning Commission. With subdivisions, we allow the developer to be tax exempt until he sells the property. We’re open to ideas. I’ve been looking a lot at Sitka, and their government has built some tiny homes. I think we’d be open to something like that. However, we don’t want to be in competition with private enterprise.
Jerry Lapp: I don’t think the borough can do anything. You see what’s happening here is happening everywhere. We don’t have the highest income rate right here. I don’t know if it’s within the borough’s authority to regulate rental prices or housing prices. With the jump in tax assessments, it just made it worse.
Craig Loomis: It is supply and demand, that’s for sure. Right now I don’t really know that much if the borough can do anything. I don’t know how much the borough has and if they’d let it go for low income housing — I have no idea. We’re gonna have to figure it out if I get elected.
Do you think property taxes have gotten too high? If so, what services should be cut, or how should the borough raise more revenue?
Natalie Dawson: I think one of the places to start is with transparency in any of these processes. I’ve looked at other borough websites in Alaska that have gone through similar recent assessments and property tax increases, and how they came to their decisions is clearly articulated in formulas and even brochures in terms of what kind of exemptions are available. I’ve had a hard time understanding based on available materials how this borough has gone through that process. So I guess in thinking about the question, I’d like to first understand how we got to where we are now and what needs to shift in the future. That’s something that can work for this community and also plan ahead because it’s likely that property values in many places will continue to increase.
Kevin Forster: I think it’s complicated. Keeping our full value determination low is counterproductive at the borough level. That being said, the way that we approach our current system, it’s no wonder people are upset. I don’t think there was transparency. A lot of people that were upset and approached the borough were met with inflammatory responses, they weren’t treated with dignity. A big part of the issue here is the perception that there wasn’t a good public campaign about what was happening. In regards to revenue, we should look forward and I definitely think we should institute a tax on mining. I think sales tax is another kind of regressive tax. One discussion is to add seasonal sales tax that would take a bit more of the impact on seasonal workers and visitors, and then drop it down in the winter time so that year-round residents are less affected.
Diana Lapham: If you have to give a huge jump in property tax, do you do it incrementally to have a huge jump to help those people catch up? And is that fair to the person down the street? No, it’s not. Because they’re paying their taxes all at one time. The economy is very sluggish, and it’s tough to get hit with a huge tax bill, but when you go and sell the house, you’re selling it for a large amount of money. Another complication is that Haines has had so many assessors come in and out. It’s a tough conversation. And because I was not in it from the beginning to know all the details from both sides, it’s kind of a hard question to answer.
Jerry Lapp: Yes. I wouldn’t have hired an out-of-state assessor (editor’s note: Assessor Michael Dahle grew up in Ketchikan and worked in Alaska and Washington state). My taxes went up 50%, so I was one of the ones affected fairly heavily. If you look at the overall picture of it, the borough has been a long time without being able to fund a lot of projects and stuff that needs to get done. If you have more revenue you can get more things done. I’m not resisting that at all — but not by taxing people to death. How would I get revenue? I’d look for economic development, I’d look for business opportunity. We just had a really good year — you had good tourism and you have Constantine out there, and they had a $25 million budget. They brought a lot of money into this town. I don’t know why anybody would oppose an exploration company.
Craig Loomis: We’re spending so much without public input — like cutting brush and on lobbyists — we’ve gotta figure out where the lines gonna be. I personally think it’s too high. We gotta figure out a way to not increase it too fast, because it’s gonna stop people from improving their property. It’s a real hindrance on their income, and buying necessity stuff.
If it gets approved by the state, should the borough institute any restrictions on the Palmer mine?
Natalie Dawson: Well, there’s a lot of steps between where we are now and a mine. Much of the land where the mining claims reside is federal public land, so there will be some public process. This is where the local community will have the opportunity to engage and influence decisions. Right now I don’t see us creating a space to have these really technical, nuanced conversations about what we want as a community going forward with regard to this mining exploration and potential mine, so I hope we can create the space for that dialogue to unfold. We have three governments in this region and it’s important that all of them are at the table together. I hope in my time on the borough assembly should I be elected, I can help the Haines Borough work on a path forward for intergovernmental consultation processes.
Kevin Forster: It’s clear we’re not going to come to this unanimous agreement that we need to fight the mine or promote it at all costs, so we should have this middle ground of protecting ourselves and our shared values. Because it’s such an involved process, I think the easiest proposal is just adopting Juneau’s mining ordinances, including a severance tax on minerals taken from borough land.
Diana Lapham: If it’s approved, and they have the go ahead, it’s all on state property. The Borough should have been looking at housing several years ago, because they have their own housing camps set up there now. If it is going to happen, let’s work on it together. The people and the representatives of the mine have tremendous ideas. Let’s all sit down and give them a chance.
Jerry Lapp: I don’t know why anybody would oppose an exploration company — because that’s what Constantine is doing. They haven’t made their mind up yet on whether they’re going to mine or not. They’re pretty much on their own. The borough could work with them, if the borough has concerns, the borough should say it, but they shouldn’t be like the groups running around town trying to stop them or cost them more money all the time. I think the borough has been cooperative — they have guidelines and code.
Craig Loomis: I believe it’s going to be a mine that’s going to pollute because of where they’re digging and what they’re going to be doing. The borough should pass taxes on them so that the people of Haines are not subsidizing a mine that’s going to make somebody else money, so maybe on exporting ore. Who’s gonna pay for the roads that get torn up? Who’s gonna pay for the police when there’s more calls? And who’s gonna pay for the dock?
How do you see the future of the Haines tourism economy? What role should the Borough have in developing tourism?
Natalie Dawson: I see a huge opportunity to continue to bolster tourism for our valley. It’s one of our main sectors of our economy, so it’s important to support and to think collectively about how we want to move forward. I was the co-author on a paper a couple years ago that looked at birding tourism across the state of Alaska, and we found that of all the different kinds of tourism, birders are the ones that spend the most money. Haines has an incredible opportunity with the Bald Eagle Preserve to attract independent travelers. I would also like to think through opportunities to bring more small cruise ships here. To attract more small cruise ships, we should advocate for walkability in the community, wildlife viewing platforms that highlight our local estuary, and working with local tour operators to make sure that they feel supported in providing those services that are specific for these cruise ship companies.
Kevin Forster: Anybody who steps foot in Haines realizes that this place is spectacular in regards to its wild landscape. The Borough has half-dabbled in the idea of marketing ourselves as the adventure capital of Alaska, but there hasn’t really been any real effort towards infrastructure or upgrades to make recreation more accessible. I support a massive trail upgrade plan that includes walkability within our community.
Diana Lapham: I think the future looks bright for Haines. I believe very strongly that to have your eggs all in one basket of tourism is not the correct way to go. There’s other industries suffering out there besides tourism. We need to treat everyone fairly and listen to and be motivated to help everyone. If the Borough develops its industries through tax programs, there may come a time where we’re not able to give money away to nonprofits. To me, nonprofits should be able to stand on their own feet after a while. Either way, we’re going to have to tighten our spending because the state is tightening their spending. We also need to try to work with the tribal entities, but I don’t know what the reception has been and if CIA and CIV are willing to partner.
Jerry Lapp: I’ll tell you one thing — I don’t want to be like Jasper, British Columbia. I just drove through there and there’s bumper-to-bumper cars. I like the tourism we have now. I don’t want to see in the summertime where you’re pushing the residents aside and you’re just catering to tourists. I think trail development is a good thing, but most of the state is on state lands. So you could have a trail from Jones Point to Porcupine and up the old Dalton Trail.
Craig Loomis: Tourism I think is going to be the number one income for the valley, if we can keep it in good shape. Nobody wants to come and see a cesspool. Tourists will be coming here for hundreds of years. We need trail improvement, enhancement of fisheries. When I was a charter operator in 1984 we were catching king salmon out here— holy smokes! — it was 24 hours a day. The borough could push Fish and Game to do more. We also have road systems from old logging roads that are sloughing into the creeks and plugging up the waterways so fish can’t get into where we used to go. The borough could help remediate those areas.
How do you rate Doug Olerud’s term as mayor?
Natalie Dawson: I have really appreciated Doug’s leadership, and his thoughtful, compassionate leadership in holding a meeting space. It’s so important for a Mayor to be open to dialogue and create a safe space for people to feel like they can have conversation in a public venue. Doug’s done a great job of holding that space for all of us and I am thankful for his leadership in our community.
Kevin Forster: I think he is a totally inspiring and decent human. I was totally inspired by his leadership, and I’m really saddened by the fact that we are not going to have it. I don’t necessarily agree with Doug Olerud on every single policy issue, but I don’t think that’s important. The role of Mayor was to preside over effective meetings and to focus on our shared values and stop the infighting, and he was so effective at that.
Diana Lapham: Doug Olerud had a lot of catastrophic things happen for a first-time Mayor. The disaster happened during his term, and is still going on. The monies that we are getting from FEMA is funding some of these road projects. Then COVID hit and there were so many unknowns. They were trying to do the best they could with the information that they had. Doug did what he felt he had to do at the time. I’m not saying that I agree with everything he did or I disagree with everything he did, because it was a pretty reactive time. As far as the meetings are concerned, I think he has the ability to bring people back on topic.
Jerry Lapp: I think he did an exceptional job.
Craig Loomis: I don’t know, but from what I heard and seen, I thought he did a good job. I grew up with him, watched him referree and watched him play basketball.
Give an example of how you’ve worked with someone on a different side of a political debate from yourself. What did you learn from the experience?
Natalie Dawson: In my work I’ve often worked with people on different sides of issues and what I’ve found is we have more in common than we have in disagreement. Starting from a place of what we can agree on, those shared values and shared understanding or just joint enthusiasm for something opens up a space for what could be a difficult conversation. And it’s important to know we can agree to disagree but that in that process of understanding or disagreement we can often get to a solution.
Kevin Forster: The Haines Huts effort to put the first backcountry cabin on the landscape took eight years and we had all sorts of obstacles. Like so many projects in the valley, there was a lot of opposition and I didn’t expect it. And maybe this ties back to our shared values, and people feel threatened with all the development in the valley because they’re curious how it’s going to affect them. We took it as an organizational value to take all valid concerns and try to work with it instead of just viewing it as destructionist. We received concerns about impacts to goat habitats after getting a permit, but we worked with the concerned parties and biologists to find a new spot for the cabin. Through that effort, it is a project that people are proud of and feel included in.
Diana Lapham: I like talking about this because I’m not liberal and I’m not conservative. I’m moderate, and I listen to both sides. I have had people from Mud Bay come up to the house for coffee or tea when we’ve had issues come before the planning commission just to talk. It’s not right for a small community to be this divisive. We could be a model community of people working together and coming to a compromise and having things happen in a good, positive way. My door is always open to people.
Jerry Lapp: I think our issue out at Mud Bay at Viking Cove. There was a group of ladies out there that I know are on a different side than we are. We worked it out one meeting. I said ‘You know, I’m really getting tired of these meetings, maybe the two parties need to get together.’ Well, Doug took that and ran with it. He said, ‘Well, we’ve got both parties here right now, maybe we can work something out right now.’ Sometimes when two neighbors are having a hard time coming to an agreement, you gotta get the neighbors in a room and work something out and not have another hearing. Some of those hearings just go on and on.
Craig Loomis: I’ve never been in politics before except for being a representative for the district for Fish and Game, but it never really got past the question of what can we do about it. If you’re asking if I’m gonna get upset and punch an opponent — no! I’m not going there. As an elected official you have to maintain Robert’s Rules of Order and I personally have to behave myself, because I grew up here.
If you could change one thing about Haines, what would it be?
Natalie Dawson: I would have more hiking and skiing trails.
Kevin Forster: There are three recognized governments in this valley, and through mutual respect, we should open lines of communication between those governments and look for ways that we can partner to benefit all residents of the valley.
Diana Lapham: Not a thing. I said this in one interview, we need the opposing thoughts, just like they need the optimistic thoughts. We need that interaction. It makes everybody sharper. There’s perspectives that are brought in that the borough has probably never thought of, and vice versa.
Jerry Lapp: It would be the monopolies the fuel companies have and the freight companies have, because that is one of our biggest cost factors for doing business in Haines. I’d also have more hydropower.
Craig Loomis: The ability to see the wrong before it happens.