Many Thanks
Dear Editor: Last Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 2 and 3, I along with several fellow Sitkans walked for democracy from the Alaska Ferry Terminal to our Centennial Hall to cast our votes for the presidential election. Obviously there were other important selections to be made as well, but the big one was for president.
I thought the whole thing up, and my dear friend Jeff Budd took care of everything else. Without his help it would have been a lonely walk. As it turned out, Jeff Budd walked with me both days as well. The first day we covered five miles, and during those miles we were joined by several others, whose names I honestly don’t know, but whose faces I see all the time, Jeff Kinnan being one that I do know. It took me five hours to cover those five miles, but when I saw a dying banana slug pass me as I approached Sea Mart, I realized my forward progress would never allow me to reach my final destination on Monday.
On Tuesday morning at 8 a.m., I resumed my walk with Jeff Budd, Don Kluting, Gerald Gangle, and others whose names escape me. I arrived at the Centennial Hall just prior to 10 a.m. and proudly voted.
I made the seven-mile walk because simply casting my vote was not enough for me. I wanted to do something more in honor of my grandson, Ty, who is a 29-year-old permanently disabled veteran; my brother in the Tribe, Nels Lawson, who I miss so very much, a former Marine; and all those who sacrificed so much to preserve our democracy and our right to vote.
I made the walk even though I suffer from severe nerve damage in my lower spine, which affects my ability to walk. My fellow Sitkans, both Republican and Democrat, gave me the strength to go on, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Now that America has made its choice for president, may we all accept the results and once again come together as fellow Americans, and help solve the difficult problems that face our nation. We are the beacon of democracy in this world, let’s act like it.
Ray Majeski,
Sgt., Sitka PD, Retired;
Sitka Harbormaster, Retired;
Sgt., U.S. Air Force, Veteran
America
Dear Editor: Please allow me a few questions.
Do we dare hope that this is a turning point towards a United States of America that is more fair, more just, more caring, and more willing to lend a hand-up to those less fortunate? Have we taken the flag back as a source of pride and inclusiveness instead of meanness, bullying, white supremacy, and malicious apathy? Will we join the world again as a leader in innovation, science, education, health, and foreign aid? Does this signal that we need a new form of democracy that is not beholden to a few privileged politicians and the electorates of the former slave-owning states?
Will you join me in working, in any way you can, to truly make America great for all?
Blain Anderson, Sitka
Climate Emergency
Dear Editor: We are so grateful that Valorie Nelson and Kevin Mosher drafted a climate emergency resolution which proposes reactivating a 2008 special committee, a Climate Action Plan Task Force that produced a Climate Action Plan in 2010. This new resolution is on the agenda for its first and final reading at the Assembly on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
During the lead-up to Sitka’s October 2020 municipal elections, KCAW hosted and aired a mayoral candidate forum featuring incumbent candidate Mayor Gary Paxton and mayoral contender Assemblyman Steven Eisenbeisz. They were asked to answer an array of questions posed by members of the greater Sitka community.
One of the questions was: what actions will you take to help Sitka respond and adapt to the threat of climate disruption? Assemblyman Eisenbeisz suggested that he might consider establishing a Sustainability Commission to help advise the Assembly. This suggestion prompted us (a group of Sitkans loosely affiliated with Carbon Dioxide Reducers Group and Sitka Chapter of Citizen’s Climate Lobby) to develop a proposal for a Commission on Sustainability that would advise and inform the Assembly and the greater Sitka community on pathways to becoming a more sustainable city in the face of a changing climate.
We envision that the commission would recommend programs and policies that will engage residents and businesses in resource conservation, preventing ecological harm, developing and using renewable resources, and encouraging self-sufficient practices while embracing the co-benefits – like improved human health and well-being and job creation – of those actions. We are inspired by Juneau’s Commission on Sustainability which was established in 2007 and has spearheaded a number of impactful, community-level sustainability projects.
This past week, we sent the Assembly members and mayor a draft ordinance proposing the creation of a Commission on Sustainability. In response to the draft ordinance, Assembly members Nelson and Mosher put forth the resolution that will be voted on Tuesday. While we are grateful that the Assembly is interested in taking urgent climate action, we would like to respectfully request that this resolution be postponed or tabled so that the public has the opportunity to collect research of best practices and discuss the most effective approaches for convening citizens (e.g., task force, commission, etc.).
While both special committees and commissions are appointed by the Assembly and advisory to it, they differ in usual length of service and constraints imposed on the Assembly by Robert’s Rules of Order. A special committee terminates when it completes its assignment, and the Assembly is constrained in its actions until the work of the special committee is complete. A commission on the other hand, functions as continuous support to the Assembly working until an objective is reached, such as Sitka becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. In the meantime, the Assembly has the flexibility to respond to interim suggestions, which may be important with a change in federal administration.
The climate emergency requires urgent action and long-term transformation of our energy, economy, transportation, waste, food, and building systems. Action is required on individual, community, state, federal, and international levels. All of us will be impacted by others’ decisions, whether we choose sustainable solutions or not. In view of the importance of climate change action and the polarization in our country, we suggest that we take some time to involve the public and each other on a way forward, rather than have a decision on this very timely and encouraging resolution on first reading on Tuesday.
Again, we would like to thank Assembly members Mosher and Nelson for bringing this back for attention and a clear declaration of the emergency. If you have ideas and concerns, consider attending the Assembly meeting or contacting Assembly members or any of us. We are delighted that the community discussion on climate solutions is beginning again.
Kay Kreiss, Kent Barkhau,
Elizabeth Bagley, Joel Hanson, Sitka
