The Chilkat Valley News and KHNS hosted a live candidate forum at the Chilkat Center on Friday.

Moderators Rashah McChesney and Avery Ellfeldt questioned four candidates for two open positions on the assembly and two candidates vying for the mayor’s seat.  

Mayoral candidate Douglas Olerud answers a question during the candidate forum held by the Chilkat Valley News and KHNS on September 25, 2026, in Haines, Alaska. (Lizzy Hahn/ Chilkat Valley News)

Assembly candidates…

Rashah McChesney is a multimedia journalist and editor who has reported and edited newsrooms from the Deep South to the Midwest to Alaska. For the past decade, she has worked in collaborative news as the...