BULLETIN: The City Clerk reported this afternoon that Todd Gebler became the second candidate to file for Sitka School Board.
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
On the final day for filing for municipal office in the Oct. 5 election, Rachel Moreno became the third candidate to enter the race for Assembly.
“I have a long family history of community service and a long personal history of serving the community with civic organizations and on my own time,” said Moreno, who filed around 11 a.m.
She joins incumbent Kevin Mosher and former fire chief Dave Miller on the ticket for one of the two open seats on the elective body.
The deadline to file is 5 p.m. today, in the city clerk’s office.
By press time, only one candidate had entered the race for Sitka School Board, which will have two open seats. Incumbent Amy Morrison, who is currently serving as board president, filed a week ago. Eric Van Cise, whose term also expires this fall, has said he is not running.
Moreno, 60, is the program manager for Alaska Native Voices, an organization that recruits, hires and trains cultural guides to work on cruise ships and conduct in-port presentations at Juneau’s Centennial Hall and Harrigan Centennial Hall in Sitka.
Moreno served eight years on Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Council, and was the first woman to be elected vice chair, by council members. She said her time on the council included helping build the government-to-government relationship with the city and Assembly.
“That relationship was important to maintain and nurture,” she said.
If elected to the Assembly, Moreno said, she would like to help address the homeless population’s need for housing, and “create more economic opportunities for our citizens especially during this COVID pandemic, so they can diversify however they need to.”
“Everyone has had to change their lives with the pandemic,” Moreno said. “Some lost jobs, some have lost homes, some have had to homeschool their children. That change for a family is traumatic. Anything I can do to help the Assembly make transitions and changes easier I think is important.”
Moreno also served as the STA representative on the SEARHC Board of Directors, and currently serves on the board of directors for the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association.
She was born in Sitka and has lived in several places, including Colorado, Juneau and Anchorage where she graduated from Dimond High School. She has lived in Sitka since 1998.
Moreno, the daughter of Harriet Beleal and Philip Moreno Sr., is a single parent. She has six children, the youngest of whom is entering eighth grade.
