Bob Potrzuski is one of four candidates running for two open seats on the Assembly. The municipal election is Tuesday, October 6, 2015. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)
Bob Potrzuski is one of four candidates running for two open seats on the Assembly. The municipal election is Tuesday, October 6, 2015.
Hi, I’m Bob Potrzuski and I’m currently running for Sitka Assembly. On August 26, 1993 the Sitka pulp mill announced that it would be closing. By them end of September, 400 good paying jobs–along with all of the support jobs that went with them–suddenly disappeared. The predictions of Sitka’s demise were the norm. Hope was difficult to come by. Loss of population, property values, and tax revenue were estimated to be anywhere from 25% to 40%. I remember clearly the feeling of panic that was felt throughout the community. Seven years into a mortgage, twelve years into a teaching career, and having a family of a wife and three young children, I too worried about the future of my family and of my town.
As the price of oil has plummeted and at the same time we began to realize that Sitka’s infrastructure was crumbling, many folks are feeling that same sensation: what is going to happen to our Sitka?
In 1993, we met the challenges head on. We realized that Sitka was more than a pulp mill. We were a community rich with talent and possibility. We were also a community of sacrifice as city and school district employees both renegotiated contracts in an effort to ease the loss of tax revenue. The Assembly kept taxes and rates for services low, in order to try to ease the crisis and try to keep the people here.
From where will we find a solution to our current financial challenges? I believe that we need to first of all take responsibility for ourselves. The federal and state coffers are no longer overflowing and sending dollars our way. Those avenues have not dried up, but it’s clear that our solutions lie in large part at our doorstep.
For Sitka to remain strong into the future, we need to take advantage of our gifts: water, the sea, our world-class location and beauty, and our regional medical center. These are the keys to our future. I’ll do whatever I can to allow these pieces of the economy to flourish, which in turn, employ our citizens.
But we cannot grow our way out of our circumstances. Everyone will have to be willing to sacrifice in order to keep our town the outstanding place it has always been. We cannot go back to the 1990s and show the then assembly members how their attempt to mitigate their problems would impact us today. But we must remember that their actions were guided by their circumstances and worries, and that our challenges are different. The solutions though are the same: build our town from its strengths and pull together as a community. I hope to be part of the Assembly that is remembered for having made the right decisions and guided our town through these challenging times. Thank you.
Due to the renovation work at Harrigan Centennial Hall, municipal elections will be held in two precincts this year. Precinct 1 is at Grace Harbor Church located at 1904 Halibut Point Road. Precinct 2 is at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church located at 605 Lincoln Street. Polls will be open from 7am to 8pm. Absentee/advanced voting will be available weekdays from 9am to 5pm at City Hall (3rd floor) beginning September 21 and will continue through October 5.
