LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which  distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming.  (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

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Daily Sitka Sentinel

Coffee, Issues, Ideas on Table at Sit-Down

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer

More than a dozen people showed up at Harrigan Centennial Hall Tuesday to have “coffee with the administrator,” ask questions and share ideas on issues facing the city.

City Administrator John Leach said he was pleased with the turnout at the session, the first of a planned series to be held the third Tuesday of each month.

“It was intended to be laid back, tell me what’s on your mind,” Leach said after sitting for two hours in small and large roundtable discussions in a small meeting room. “The more we do these, people will see how the city government works and how they can have a voice in making changes.”

 

City Administrator John Leach, facing camera, shakes hands with Steve Lawrie, during an informal meeting with Sitkans Tuesday night at Harrigan Centennial Hall. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Among the items discussed were funding the haulout and harbors; raising revenue through alternative investment ideas, including cryptocurrency; options for handling Sitka’s waste, such as a “clean” incinerator; taxation changes; budgeting strategies; and school funding.

Mim McConnell, Sitka mayor from 2012 to 2016, attended for the first hour. She said she was there to discuss the Community Land Trust with the administrator, and ended up having a number of conversations, also worthwhile. McConnell is co-director of the Sitka Community Land Trust.

At the outset, she said, she did take time to compliment the administrator on the idea of having the informal gathering to hear from citizens.

“It was a nice and productive way of interacting with the public,” McConnell said. “I liked how it was casual and conducive to sharing ideas.”

The group was a multi-age one, with no particular axes to grind, and representing a number of backgrounds.

“It was almost like a spontaneous work group,” Willoughby Peterson said today. He had also planned to discuss housing but shared ideas on other issues as well. “A lot came back to the fact that money is slowly leaving town, and there are ways to keep value here that can be incorporated into any of these new infrastructure ideas. Which leads to keeping jobs and residents here long-term.”

Leach said his idea was to “hear from people without the formality of the Assembly table.” 

Local fisherman Ben Lawrie said he was glad he attended.

    “It was nice to put a face to the name, and I think we had a lot of constructive conversations with that style of meeting,” he said today. “A lot of things came out of that. At an Assembly meeting, you get your three minutes and you don’t talk back and forth. It’s a little different.”

The gathering was larger than Leach expected, and he has a few ideas for improving the event in the future.

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.

50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.

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