Richard Jan Wein
Age: 72
How many years have you lived in Sitka and in Alaska? Sitka and Alaska has been my home for the last 21+ years.
Occupation: My life’s work has been as a Physician and Surgeon. I am and always have been a patient advocate. With more than 40 years of practice, 17 of those years in Sitka, I have cared for many people in both Sitka and Southeast.
Family: My family is wonderful, intelligent, and kind. However, I view this question as personal. I do invite you to sit down with me and have a cup of coffee, and I would be delighted to tell you all about my family. I would also be happy to hear about yours.
Community involvement, past and present:
Stepping off the ferry in 2001 began my ever increasing and deepening commitment to Sitka that even today continues to evolve. With my caring for patients 24/7 and being the only surgical asset in the area for many years was a pleasure and an honor. Upon leaving active surgical practice, I remain in the role of patient advocate with participation in many community actives including the Sitka Assembly.
Have you previously run for public office? When and what office?:
I served a 3 year term on the Sitka Assembly from 2017 to 2020. I also ran for the Alaska State House of Representatives in 2018.
Previous government or other relevant experience:
I am currently the Chairman of the Alaska State Medical Board. My executive experience also includes membership on the Atlantic Health System’s Board of Trustees, member of hospital boards, smorgasbords, Chief of Medical Staff (525 physicians), Chairman of Surgery (125 surgeons), Interfaith Hospice board member, editorial advisory board and contributor of a medical journal, and board member of both historical and medical history societies. I have a lifetime of active commitment to my community.
Why are you running for a seat on the Sitka Assembly this year?
My commitment to Sitka is complete and unwavering. This I have demonstrated with my dedication to the community’s health and well being whether it was through medical treatment or participation in the governance of this City and Borough.
My commitment did not end with my Assembly term. I continue to attend virtually every Assembly meeting over the last two years actively studying and weighing in on all important City issues. Because of my commitment to the City, I have a deep knowledge of City issues and history. There is also no secret to where I stand on the issues facing the City. It is a matter of public record.
I am running again for the Assembly because the Assembly needs diversity. The diversity that I allude to is that of diversity of opinion. Currently, the Assembly sound like a Gregorian chant—monophony. What the City needs now is to add another melodic line—polyphony which was one of great advances in music—I call it counterpoint and counterpoint adds to the richness of the discussion.
What are your top two priorities if elected?
Only two? The list of priorities is very long, however there is a common thread and that is economics. So my priority will be that of trying to bring economic understanding and realities to the Assembly. Ultimately, it is as simple as understanding expense and revenue especially as it relates to Other People’s Money. The Assembly needs to understand what needs to be done, what we would like to be done, and what we cannot do or afford.
Ballot Prop 1:
Do you support Ballot Prop 1, which would establish a consumer sales tax on cannabis and cannabis products, and would direct that money to the Sitka School District’s Student Activities Fund? Why or why not?
I do not support Ballot Proposition 1. It is now well known and documented the damage that marijuana products can inflict on young people. The National institute on Drug Abuse has warned that marijuana use in young people is now a major concern with its usage reaching an all-time high in 2021. According to the National Institutes of Health, legalizing the marijuana has wrongly presented its usage as harmless. What makes this worse is that by giving the taxes levied on marijuana products to the Student Activities Fund rationalizes the purchase of these products as a good thing because it benefits the children.
If the cannabis measure does not pass, are there next steps the assembly should take to bolster funding for student activities?
Support of student activities is a good thing. It should be a community thing. It is so good that I have purchased innumerable raffle tickets! Therefore student activity funding should be:
1-Supported in the school budget a by line-item if possible. We know they can be creative….
2-Those parents, family, and interested supporters who are able need to directing contribute to the Student Activities Fund.
3-The Teachers Union should make a nice donation to the Fund.
4-Good old fashioned fund raising because there is nothing like a little skin in the game.
5-A little of all of the above and voila!
Ballot Prop 2:
Do you support Ballot Prop 2, which would withdraw up to $8.1 million in proceeds from the sale of the Sitka Community Hospital building from Sitka’s Permanent Fund, to pay for a marine haulout? Why or why not?
I do not support Ballot Proposition 2. Firstly, it must be recognized that the $8.1 million withdrawal from the Permanent Fund is actually much more. One has to add the costs to obtaining this $8.1 million—legal costs, Stark penalty costs, unfunded pension liabilities, and the low cost at which SCH was given away.
The Permanent Fund was protected for specific reasons and withdrawal from the Fund should not be taken lightly. The current estimate at the cost to the General Fund for its withdrawal is $300,000 a year.
It should also be noted that the $8.1 million withdrawal from the Permanent Fund will not fully cover the cost of the project. There was no fiscal report presented to indicate where additional funding would come from.
Any other way for this project to be funded should be explored. Taking money out of mom’s pocketbook (Permanent Fund) is not a viable financial strategy for City management. The Haulout should be viewed as a community project.
If the measure to fund the haulout is not approved by the voters, what steps– if any– should the assembly take to get a haulout built in Sitka?
The Haulout should be a public/private project corporation. All stakeholders and interested and concerned individuals should buy “stock” in this new entity—skin in the game. A donation of portion of ones Alaska Permanent Fund distribution should be considered for the Commonweal. The City needs to contribute to this new entity being funded by newly created focused fees, a portion of the Tobacco Tax, and Fish Tax. Consider increasing the Fish Box Tax. The Community Haulout group stated they gathered up $1 million—which should be an offering to the project. Maybe Cruise lines who are so interested in the well being of our community make a donation. And let’s not forget Grants, however the project’s progress cannot solely depend on prayer. Ultimately, there needs to be Community and stakeholder skin in this game.
STRs and Housing:
Earlier this year, the Sitka Assembly rejected a measure that would have put a moratorium on new short-term rental permits for one year. Do you support that decision? Why or why not?
What should the assembly do to address housing shortages and affordability in Sitka?
I did not support the moratorium on new short-term rental permits for one year. There was no demonstrable evidence presented that this moratorium would add appreciably to Sitka’s housing stock. Elimination or constraint of short-term housing only effects Sitkans and their ability to contribute to their livelihood. It has been demonstrated that the Alaskan population is very fluid with younger new residents not staying very long. Answering the question of who are we building the new housing for will help determine what type of housing is best to build. We have very little information on Sitka’s demographics. As presented at the Assembly meeting, the specter of organizations such as Blackrock and Vanguard buying up housing stock should be the reason to target short-term housing as a solution for Sitka’s housing issues is just to not understand the market—which is another Assembly problem.
Sitka’s population has slowly been declining over many years, yet the housing stock has increased. Does anyone care to venture a guess as to why? Who is buying and who is building? As demonstrated in Assembly discussions no one seems to have a handle on the City demographics. Again, we need to know which segments of our demographics require the housing.
The strategy for affordable housing cannot be for the City to give away valuable prime real estate and then allow single family homes to be built. Much of what Planning Commission has done has been to increase population density on a given piece of land. Affordable housing needs to be more creative as to increasing the population density with good design of the dwelling units. No more land giveaways unless creative and appropriate designs are demonstrated. The City needs to inventory available lands that can be appropriately used for affordable housing.
What also needs to be done is to cap Sitka’s growth. Current and future economics demands this consideration. Otherwise, we will transform in to an Ozymandias community. I want to hear a complete report about where the City is financially at this moment. If we don’t not know where we are we cannot know where we are going. Housing issues are complex, but they are made possible with good demographic information.
Energy and Infrastructure:
Sitka is carrying roughly $118 million in debt for the Blue Lake Dam expansion. But at the current rate of growth, including the expansion of Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center on Japonski Island, its estimated that the city could reach the limit of its hydroelectric capacity in 10 years. What steps should the assembly take to make sure Sitka has sufficient energy infrastructure, while managing the city’s debt?
Sitka is a magical community. We love living here, and people love visiting. Unfortunately, too much growth in remote and environmentally sensitive communities is a fools errand. After review of the appropriate documents, the raising of the dam to the cost of impossible debt was ill considered. I’m sure everyone knows that we have been paying only interest for the Dam debt. Soon we will be paying interest as well as principal costs—forever! To add on to this debt is to place Sitka into an ever growing growth/debt cycle. With such large debt who really benefits. Oh, I forgot it’s the kids and grandkids who are going to pay for it. This type of foolish unsustainable debt growth needs to stop. We need to focus on and develop a thoughtful and stable financial future for the City, otherwise we will drown in debt. I’m sorry, but will someone remind me why we need a new medical center in Sitka with a declining population?
Cap growth and say not to debt…. P.S. Turn down the thermostat and wear a sweater.
Tourism:
This year brought an unprecedented number of cruise passengers to Sitka. In anticipation of the record-breaking year, the assembly directed the planning commission to draft a short-term tourism plan months before the first ships docked this summer. Some of the most visible responses from the city include the closure of Lincoln Street on high traffic days, and installation of temporary bathrooms (Link to the full plan here).
What steps should the assembly take next to address the influx of tourism into the future?
Tourism is something that benefits Sitka, but also I believe in foundational principles. As these principles relate to tourism principle number one is Sitka for Sitkans. We may partner with the cruise lines for example, but they should not have control. There is definitely a sweet spot for the number of tourists this town can manage and yet still maintain the City’s charm and quality of life. We should have capped tourism this year to a much lower number and slowly increase that number until we achieved that sweet spot which allow the development of appropriate infrastructure to be developed. Overtourism is a real issue throughout the world today. This is a multi-dimensional issue which must be addressed. So the first step the Assembly needs to take is to cap the number and size of the cruise ships.
Policy:
Is there an issue or proposal you want to bring to the table that the assembly hasn’t yet considered?
Based on prior Assembly decisions, I think that consideration and the understanding how to increase revenues, decrease expenses, and remembering that this is Other People’s Money. But just as important knowing the economic consequences of such might be a new experience for the Assembly.
