I am one of the young adults you keep hearing so much about needing a voice, and I am here to give you mine. I am an Alaska Native, I have two young boys, I work in the construction industry; and Haines is my home. One reason people my age leave is that our government keeps creating barriers to business while increasing the tax burden on the people trying to live and work here.
Just look at this year’s ballot. Our government put two propositions on the ballot that would add new taxes, along with Tom Morphet’s Initiative 2, which would reduce the senior and disabled-veteran property-tax exemption.
It is time to stop listening to recycled talking points and empty promises from people like Beau Bradley, who is new to town and says his “fresh” ideas about how to spend our tax dollars are somehow the answer to Haines’ problems. We have been down that road before. Haines has a long history of assembly members who ran on bringing a fresh, energetic perspective but did not complete their terms. Margaret Friedenauer, Will Prisciandaro, Sean Maidy, Caitlin Kirby, Tyler Huling, and Ben Aultman-Moore all quit their assembly seats.
Experience and local knowledge matter.
Don’t sit this election out. Make your voice heard. Vote Yes on Initiative 1 to return the planning commission to an appointed body, and Yes on Initiative 3 for a consistent year-round sales-tax structure. Vote No on everything else.
Kylee Larson