Up for a 150-Mile Group Swim? Up for a 150-Mile Group Swim? October 23, 2020 Dear Friends and Neighbors, Wondering why this newsletter is a week late? I got off the grid in the great outdoors. A successful elk hunt on Afognak spared me from a pretty crazy week or two in Alaska politics. (And we only lost a little meat to the bear.) Hope you get a little time to recharge your batteries, too! The Call to Serve I want to give a special thanks to everyone who ran in October’s local elections. Win or lose, you put yourself out there to serve our communities. Municipal governments and local school boards do tremendous work to keep our communities safe & healthy, our kids educated, and our economies running. This year more than most, everyone running volunteered to take on the monumental, often thankless, task of protecting public health in the middle of a pandemic rocking the entire world. So thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who stepped up to help out. The sun broke through for a moment on Afognak. How Do You Spell A Long, Deep Sigh of Disappointment? That’s my reaction to the Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Work Group’s final ‘report.’ It had such potential, but it ended up being a shapeless sack of fantasies, blame, and half-baked ideas. At one point, the group was making real progress toward reforms to make the ferries more efficient and schedules more stable. But about a week before the report was due, the governor’s chief of staff met with the chairman, and when the outline of the report came out, it didn’t look much like what they’d been saying in their meetings. Member after member expressed ‘concerns.’ So the chair just turned the outline into a report and had the members email him their comments. Then DOT issued the report on behalf of the group without public discussion or a vote. So what's in there? Instead of a public corporation to put some distance between ferry management and politics, it recommends the governor appoint a new advisory board (just like the current Marine Transportation Advisory Board.) This time, the report says, things should be different because DOT should start listening to them. Instead of replacing the elderly Tustumena on the Southwest run (Homer, Kodiak, and villages out the chain) they recommend… not, but still sailing between Homer & Kodiak. That would require using the Kennicott, which could work. Except they also say the Kennicott should make the Juneau – Whittier cross-gulf run and never, ever sail around the corner from Whittier to Homer. The report doesn’t say what boat should sail between Homer and Kodiak. Perhaps the report is thinking of public paddleboards? A squadron of skiffs? A 150-mile group swim? The report goes on like that for page after page: fantasy ferries, numbers from nowhere, and setting up sailors to get blamed for the cuts. It keeps calling for saving vast amounts of money on paying crew, but only makes a few very small suggestions on how. Then it says if the state doesn’t get everything it wants at the bargaining table with sailors, we should end service to small communities. Nice. The report even suggests the AMHS budget can be cut to about the level the governor wanted in his first budget. Even the error-filled Northern Economics ‘study’ we paid $250,000 for says we can't go that low if we’re going to have a ferry system at all. Sure, there are a couple of parts I like (better maintenance planning, forward funding so we can publish and stick to a schedule,) but they aren’t enough to turn a sack of shapeless glop into a report worth reading. It’s a real shame they wasted so much time on it. Get Out & Vote! Or Stay Home & Vote! Either Way! Believe it or not, it's only 11 days to Election Day. Logistics this year have been a little complicated. Alaska is several new COVID protocols—and several lawsuits—into the process. By now things are about as settled as they'll get. Here’s how to vote safely this year: The deadline to request an absentee ballot is tomorrow (Saturday.) It’s too late to mail the form, but you can apply online here. If you already got your absentee ballot, it needs to be in a drop box or postmarked by November 3. You don’t need a witness signature on your ballot this year, but you do need to sign it yourself. Early voting is going on now! Here’s all the information on where and when to cast an in-person ballot before Election Day! Polls will be open on Tuesday, November 3 from 7am to 8pm. Some locations changed this year, so find your Election Day polling place here. If you’re voting in person, please keep yourself, your neighbors, and our poll workers safe by wearing a mask and keeping at least 6 ft. apart at the polling location. And please—remember to get out (or stay home) and vote! All my best, Did someone forward you this newsletter? Did you fall into it through the series of tubes? Want more? SUBSCRIBE Events & More Around District Q Safe Halloween despite COVID-19 Not sure how to celebrate Halloween this year? Check out the Alaska Children’s Trust’s great guide for Halloween during COVID-19. Juneau Free Drive-Thru Flu Shot Clinic It's flu season, so it's time to get vaccinated! There’s a free clinic this weekend. Here's where/when! Jack-O-Lantern Carving Contest Ready, set, carve! Join the CBJ Parks and Rec photo contest. Show off your creations here! Juneau Wildflower Court Costume Parade! If carving isn't your thing, that's all right! Show off your Halloween spirit for elders at the Outdoor Costume Parade on Halloween afternoon! Haines Halloween at the Fair Trick-or-treating and socially distant fun for all ages! And its FREE! Find out more about the fun at the Fairgrounds. Klukwan Free Flu Shot Clinic Lets get out the vaccinations (before we get out the vote.) Join SEARHC in Klukwan on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 27. Skagway Kanopy Movie Club! Just in time for Halloween, "What We Do In The Shadows" is the perfect film to kick off countles movie options at the Skagway Public Library! You can watch it through Kanopy with your library card, and then join in the film discussion on Oct. 28. Skagway Financial Education Series Explore your entrepreneurial spirit with this education series on finances hosted by your public library! The next one is on Nov. 5. Haines 3rd-5th grade Nature Hikes! It's getting colder—but adventure is still out there! The Haines Library invites 3rd to 5th graders to a series of nature hikes this month and next. Join in and learn about nature! Is there an event in our district I should know about? Please call or email! Snail Mail? Alaska State Capitol Room 419 Juneau, AK 99801 Call: 800 550 4947 907 465 4947 Email Me! ‌ ‌ ‌ Contact My Staff: Edric Carrillo 907 465 6419 [email protected] Cathy Schlingheyde 907 465 6827 [email protected] Senator Jesse Kiehl | Alaska State Capitol, Rm. 419, 4th Avenue & Main Street, Juneau, AK 99801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by [email protected]