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

The four Haines Borough Assembly candidates agreed on several broad points at a Sept. 16 debate: Haines needs a more diverse year-round economy; Haines needs infrastructure improvements; Haines needs federal funds.

But the candidates—Richard Clement, Tyler Huling, Brenda Josephson and Debra Schnabel—differed on key issues including taxes, the borough’s role in solid waste management and whether Haines is on the right track.

The candidates gathered in front of a limited audience at the Chilkat Center for the debate, hosted by KHNS and the CVN. Up for election on Oct. 5 are two assembly seats, vacated by Carol Tuynman and Jerry Lapp.

A major topic of disagreement at the debate was Haines’ economic well-being. Is the community struggling or thriving?

Pointing to the borough’s declining and aging population, Clement compared Haines to a balloon slowly deflating. “If you look at it all the time, you don’t see it. But if you look at it once a week you do see it,” Clement said. “We have to turn that around.”

In contrast, Huling said Haines is thriving. She said she has observed dozens of young people move to town and emphasized that Haines has a unique and healthy natural environment. “The narrative that Haines is dying seems quite out of touch with my lived experience of this robust and dynamic little town,” Huling said.

Josephson pointed to a decline in school enrollment and population over the last decade as evidence that the community is “in transition” but she said Haines isn’t dying.

Schnabel also said Haines is “in transition” but cited a housing shortage and an increase in business licenses and building permits as evidence that Haines is either stable or growing. She said she doesn’t believe the 2020 U.S. Census numbers that show a 17% decline in Haines’ population over the last decade.

On the question of raising taxes to fund infrastructure projects, Schnabel was the only candidate to give a clear yes-or-no answer. Yes, she said, but any tax increase should be gradual. “Everyone bites the bullet once in a while,” she said, adding that she would focus on acquiring grants and state and federal funding to minimize the burden on local taxpayers.

Clement and Huling said they need to review the budget before forming opinions on a tax hike. Clement said he’s “not a fan of new taxes” and would “rather work on increasing revenue from other sources.” Josephson and Clement said they would hope to bump up tax revenue by promoting economic activity in the borough.

Several candidates expressed optimism about the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill passed in the U.S. Senate and awaiting a House vote. While it’s unclear how much money Haines would get from that legislation, the borough could receive funds to renovate Lutak Dock, a project that all of the candidates said should be a priority.

When asked whether the borough should partner with AIDEA to build an ore terminal, Huling and Schnabel said no.

“In terms of a proposed ore terminal, let us all learn from our neighbors in Skagway about the price of doing business with AIDEA and the true cost of introducing toxicity into our ecosystems,” Huling said.

Schnabel said she doesn’t think the borough should be responsible for building an ore terminal for a private company.

Josephson and Clement were more ambiguous. They agreed the Lutak Dock improvement project need not involve AIDEA, but neither expressed support for nor opposition to the idea of an ore terminal.

“They’re handing us their problem for us to solve,” Clement said, referring to AIDEA and the notion that the ore terminal and dock improvement go hand-in-hand. Josephson said Haines’ conceptual plan for a multi-use dock doesn’t involve an ore terminal.

Each candidate agreed that Community Waste Solutions (CWS) has done a good job operating the landfill, but they disagreed on whether the borough should play a role in waste management.

Schnabel said it should because, among other reasons, “solid waste management impacts public health and safety” and regulation would reduce illegal dumping. “We have people that are not clients of Community Waste Solutions that are dumping in pits, dumping in the rivers, dumping in the roadsides.”

Clement and Josephson also lamented illegal dumping but both candidates disagreed with Schnabel about whether regulation would stop it. “That’s just not gonna happen,” Clement said, joking that tall fences would do a better job than regulations at keeping refrigerators out of the Chilkat River, where one was recently found.

Huling suggested a subsidy or sliding-scale fee to help low-income families pay for waste disposal.

The question of government involvement arose again with regard to COVID-19 response, disaster recovery, funding for institutions like the pool and Chilkat Center and enforcement of bear attractant violations. “I do believe we need to be enforcing the regulations that we have,” Josephson said, but she didn’t express support for a stronger borough role in response to the pandemic and disaster recovery.

Clement said the borough shouldn’t do more to enforce bear attractant laws, an issue he said could be addressed with outreach and education. He also said the borough shouldn’t take on more responsibility with its pandemic response and that he’s uncertain about the borough’s fiscal role in disaster recovery.

Schnabel, in contrast, said she’s sure the borough has a financial responsibility to help the community from the December storm and landslides. “I think that the borough is there to take care of its citizens,” she said.

None of the candidates said the borough should cut funding for the pool, Chilkat Center or other quality-of-life services, but all said basic needs like water and emergency services should take precedence. “Ideally we should find a way to raise revenue to resist cuts,” Josephson said.

The last question of the evening was about each candidate’s vision of Haines in 2050.

Huling and Clement again showed their different perspectives.

“What we have here doesn’t exist pretty much anywhere else on the planet,” Huling said, adding that she wants to see Haines develop an agriculture industry. “I’m hopeful that we will prioritize keeping this place a really vibrant, healthy place.”

Clement mentioned an Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Statistics projection that Haines’ population will slowly decline by 2045. “We really have to take that destiny and switch it around,” he said, arguing that Haines needs a new comprehensive plan.

Josephson said her vision is that Haines will have more year-round jobs. ​“My hope is that every 10 years we don’t get 10 years older.”

Schnabel envisions “the cover of Outside Magazine stating that Haines is still the best little town in Alaska to move to and live in.”

The candidates convened again on Tuesday for a Haines Chamber of Commerce forum. The Mosquito Lake Community forum was canceled.

Early voting for the Oct. 5 election is ongoing by mail or in person at the borough administration building.