Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

  There are two good candidates for the Haines Borough manager position. I would like to highlight the qualifications and experience of one. Debra Schnabel’s educational credentials include a master’s degree in public administration. She has served several terms on the borough assembly and the school board. She has been active in many of the critical policy issues affecting Haines for over four decades. She has managed three, long-term and ongoing business ventures in Haines, including low- and moderate-income housing. She has managed budgets and personnel and provided professional consultant services for the borough. She was one of the original founders of our radio station, which she followed up by helping to organize similar stations around Alaska, including in Barrow. She has participated with the Lynn Canal Community Players and the local Community Chorus group, and volunteered with the Big Sister/Brother Organization. She has been a perennial supporter of Haines’ award-winning library and currently is executive director of the Haines Chamber of Commerce.

     Debra has participated in such a broad range of aspects of our community that her lifetime of local knowledge is an invaluable asset. She is an intelligent and imaginative organizer, a relentless advocate, and a passionate supporter of the things that make Haines such a diverse and enjoyable place. She is the most qualified and well-rounded applicant ever to seek the manager’s position in Haines.

James Axel Wilson