“I believe every idea deserves its time in the spotlight,” says Steven Eisenbeisz. (KCAW photo/Rachel Waldholz)
Steven Eisenbeisz ran for Sitka Assembly last year as a write-in candidate, and he came within 54 votes of a seat at the table. This year, he’s one of five candidates for two open seats. And he says, if elected, Sitkans can count on him to make sure their voices are heard.
Steven Eisenbeisz says he learned a lot from his first run for assembly, and this year, he’s excited to have an extra advantage: “This time, people won’t have to spell Eisenbeisz,” he says. “Now it’s just as easy as filling in the bubble.”
Eisenbeisz is 29. He moved to Sitka with his mother and brother in 1992. After high school, he left to join the marines, and served three combat tours in Iraq.
“It’s a very interesting situation when a 21-year-old individual has the lives of eight to ten people underneath him,” Eisenbeisz says. “I was in charge of a squad and…it was a very eye-opening experience.”
One thing it opened his eyes to was the appeal of his hometown. He recalls a trip back after his last tour overseas.
“I got back from Iraq, I jumped on a plane, flew home to Sitka for two weeks of leave, and fell in love with this place all over again,” Eisenbeisz says. “You knew everyone walking down the street, everyone was a smiling face, you could definitely tell that the community was banded together.”
Eisenbeisz moved back and met his wife, Ashley. Last May, the couple took over her family business, the downtown store Russell’s. Eisenbeisz says that owning a small business has been both challenging and rewarding. And he says it’s also made him more aware of changing trends in Sitka, which is one of the reasons he’s running for assembly.
“In an environment that used to sell a $100 pair of Nike shoes, or a $100 pair of shoes in general, now it’s the $70 pair of shoes that’s selling,” he says. “Five years ago there was little to no second hand or thrift shops in town. Now there’s quite a few that have sprung up and are doing actually very successfully. It’s that shift, and change, that I’m noticing.”
Eisenbeisz says that Sitka needs to do a better job of living within its means. But right now, the city is facing a perfect storm.
“Unfortunately we have a lot of deferred maintenance at this point that is all rearing its ugly head all at the same time,” Eisenbeisz says. “We have a lot of user fees that haven’t been updated in many, many years. And unfortunately, all of that is coming together right now, and that is what is making it a lot harder to swallow for many people.”
Eisenbeisz says one major priority would be finding revenue to maintain Sitka’s roads. But he thinks the assembly jumped the gun when it proposed a motor vehicle registration fee, and there might be other, better options out there.
“A couple ideas that I have heard, not saying that they are necessarily the number one idea, but some ideas that I’ve heard from the citizens, are a vehicle tax based on weight of the vehicle, as a heavier vehicle does contribute more wear to roads,” Eisenbeisz says. “And also some people have suggested removing the $1500 sales tax cap…but once again, you have to look at the other side: ‘Well there you go raising taxes again, making it harder for people to live.'”
Eisenbeisz is a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and serves with the search and rescue squad. He’s on the board of the Gary Paxton Industrial Park, and is currently the chairman of Revitalize Sitka. That group is responsible for implementing First Fridays downtown, as well as the flower baskets and banners that lined Lincoln Street this summer.
And if he had to name one major take-away from his first run for assembly?
“I learned that Sitkans really care about Sitka,” Eisenbeisz says. “This is definitely a town where people care about their future. I also feel that they think that they are not having the say in city governance that they would like to. People present ideas and they are shut down perhaps quicker than they should be.”
If elected, he says, he’ll work to change that.
” I believe every idea deserves its time in the spotlight,” Eisenbeisz says. “As for me, I’m always willing to talk. People know me, know that I like to talk. So. Let’s continue the conversation!”
The municipal election in Sitka is October 7. Voters will be choosing a mayor, two assembly members, and two school board members. You can find profiles of all of the candidates, as they air, here.
