With 98% of the votes (a paltry 27% of registered voters) the following people took the seat in this round of musical chairs:
Assembly Seat D: Michael Dukes
Assembly Seat E: Guy Sattley
Assembly Seat H: John Davies
School Board Seat E: John Thies
School Board Seat F: Sean Rice
School Board Seat G: Sharon McConnell
In proposition news:
25.20% of registered voters are requiring the rest of us to have our property taxes raised by passing the two school bond propositions #'s 1 & 3.
Proposition 2: More voters said No then Yes.
Next Year Elections 2012:
FNSB
Mayor: Luke Hopkins
Assembly Seat A: Matt Want
Assembly Seat F: Nadine Winters
Assembly Seat G: Mike Musick
School Board Seat A: Silver Chord
School Board Seat B: Wendy Dominique
Primary Election Day August 28, 2012
General Election Day November 6, 2012
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Still Not Sure How to Vote? Some Hints and Tips…
First of all what do you classify yourself as and what do the candidates classify themselves as?
Basic Definitions
Classical Liberal: Juris naturalist. One who believes that the country should have a small, weak government, and free markets, and that the individual is endowed by his Creator with inalienable rights to his life, liberty, and property. Also, one who believes in Natural Law and common law, or Higher Law.
Centrist: Moderate.
Conservative: A person on the right side of the left-right political spectrum. Conservatives believe in economic freedom and social control.
Democrat: A person on the left side of the political spectrum.
Juris Naturalist: syn. Classical liberal. Believes in Higher Law or Natural Law, that right and wrong are not matters of opinion. Believes political power corrupts both morals and judgment. Wants a government that is small and growing smaller.
Liberal: A person on the left side of the left-right political spectrum. Liberals believe in social freedom and economic control.
Moderate: One who is in the middle of the left-right political spectrum. Moderates advocate both economic encroachment and social encroachment, but perhaps not to the extremes that left and right do.
Progressive: One who is on the left side of the political spectrum.
Republican: Conservative.
See my Terms Defined page for more info.
According to the News Miner the candidates have classified themselves as:
Dukes: “I’m conservative. I believe we need a government, but I believe we need a government that is as small as can be but can deliver the needed services.”
Lawrence: “I think politically I’m a centrist who wants to make government work effectively and efficiently for the people.”
Aaron Bennett: A classical liberal, dedicated to upholding the Constitution and representing the people. “We’re supposed to be a constitutional republic. The Constitution is supposed to limit government, and obviously we’ve gotten away from that.”
King: “I would say that I’m very moderate and non-partisan. I don’t follow any political party lines.”
Kohler: “I’m a jumble. I would say I’m a fiscally conservative, pragmatic classic Republican type. Call me a moderate, I guess.”
McFarlane: “I’m a conservative, but on the assembly I will look at each proposal on its worth, not judge it politically.”
Palembas: A registered independent, he said he’s voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries in recent years. “I have no hidden agenda. I think there’s a lot of party agenda being played out in the Borough Assembly right now, and I don’t think it belongs there.”
Sattley: Describing himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate, Sattley said he’s earned a reputation for being tight with funds. “I don’t waste money, whether it’s my own or public money.”
Joshua Bennett: “I’m limited government. I don’t want to get rid of the government, but I want it to be limited. The purpose of government is to protect private property.” *In an interview I had with Mr. Bennett he said he could also identify himself as a Juris Naturalist.
Blanchard: “I feel I’m a moderate conservative. I’m not anti-government, but it needs to be as small as possible to work best.”
Davies: “You could describe me as a progressive. I believe that we need to work together in a variety of ways, including through local government, to improve the quality of life.”
From my interviews/assessment the School Board candidates appear to be:
John Thies: Unknown
Sean Rice: Classical Democrat (based on interview from 2010)
Ryan Smith: Classical Liberal aka. Juris Naturalist (based on phone interview 9/11)
Sharon McConnell: Unknown
More hints and tips:
Basic Definitions
Classical Liberal: Juris naturalist. One who believes that the country should have a small, weak government, and free markets, and that the individual is endowed by his Creator with inalienable rights to his life, liberty, and property. Also, one who believes in Natural Law and common law, or Higher Law.
Centrist: Moderate.
Conservative: A person on the right side of the left-right political spectrum. Conservatives believe in economic freedom and social control.
Democrat: A person on the left side of the political spectrum.
Juris Naturalist: syn. Classical liberal. Believes in Higher Law or Natural Law, that right and wrong are not matters of opinion. Believes political power corrupts both morals and judgment. Wants a government that is small and growing smaller.
Liberal: A person on the left side of the left-right political spectrum. Liberals believe in social freedom and economic control.
Moderate: One who is in the middle of the left-right political spectrum. Moderates advocate both economic encroachment and social encroachment, but perhaps not to the extremes that left and right do.
Progressive: One who is on the left side of the political spectrum.
Republican: Conservative.
See my Terms Defined page for more info.
According to the News Miner the candidates have classified themselves as:
Dukes: “I’m conservative. I believe we need a government, but I believe we need a government that is as small as can be but can deliver the needed services.”
Lawrence: “I think politically I’m a centrist who wants to make government work effectively and efficiently for the people.”
Aaron Bennett: A classical liberal, dedicated to upholding the Constitution and representing the people. “We’re supposed to be a constitutional republic. The Constitution is supposed to limit government, and obviously we’ve gotten away from that.”
King: “I would say that I’m very moderate and non-partisan. I don’t follow any political party lines.”
Kohler: “I’m a jumble. I would say I’m a fiscally conservative, pragmatic classic Republican type. Call me a moderate, I guess.”
McFarlane: “I’m a conservative, but on the assembly I will look at each proposal on its worth, not judge it politically.”
Palembas: A registered independent, he said he’s voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries in recent years. “I have no hidden agenda. I think there’s a lot of party agenda being played out in the Borough Assembly right now, and I don’t think it belongs there.”
Sattley: Describing himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate, Sattley said he’s earned a reputation for being tight with funds. “I don’t waste money, whether it’s my own or public money.”
Joshua Bennett: “I’m limited government. I don’t want to get rid of the government, but I want it to be limited. The purpose of government is to protect private property.” *In an interview I had with Mr. Bennett he said he could also identify himself as a Juris Naturalist.
Blanchard: “I feel I’m a moderate conservative. I’m not anti-government, but it needs to be as small as possible to work best.”
Davies: “You could describe me as a progressive. I believe that we need to work together in a variety of ways, including through local government, to improve the quality of life.”
From my interviews/assessment the School Board candidates appear to be:
John Thies: Unknown
Sean Rice: Classical Democrat (based on interview from 2010)
Ryan Smith: Classical Liberal aka. Juris Naturalist (based on phone interview 9/11)
Sharon McConnell: Unknown
More hints and tips:
- If you’re really not sure on an issue, try applying the Golden Rule or ask yourself if you willing to accept the costs associated with passage of the issue. Ask yourself if you have a right to compel your neighbor to accept those costs.
- It’s okay to leave a blank circle if you feel neither answer/candidate fits your view. Just fill in the circle where you have conviction that your choice is a good one.
- Look at who is sponsoring the candidates. Generally they will be in the same political classification.
- Unions tend to support bigger government legislation. Also, Unions lean toward the social freedom and economic control ideals.
- Centrist/moderates appear to be trying to get as many votes as they can, thus identify themselves as centrist/moderate to hit what they feel the majority of the population leans to. This is not necessarily desirable if you have strong ideals where you feel your representative should be unwavering.
Ultimately, no matter what a candidate classifies themselves as, it could change in actual policies they end up supporting. This can be due to a desire to compromise with the perceived “other side” or it could have been the plan to begin with. We all know some candidates will do or say whatever they feel will get them the winning vote. This is why we need to look at records, keep up on issues, and call them out if they seem to change from their running platform once they are voted in.
Thanks for informing yourself to vote!
Propositions 1 and 3 School Bonds: Questions to Consider
FNSB Proposition 1 - $9,900,000 General Obligation Bonds for Ryan Middle School Capital Improvements (Ordinance No. 2011-39)
FNSB Proposition 3 - $10,390,000 General Obligation Bonds for Capital Improvements to Salcha & Woodriver Elementary Schools, North Pole Middle School & North Pole High School (Ordinance No. 2011-39)
Fact Sheet link: http://www.k12northstar.org/sites/default/files/2011_school_bond_fact_sheet.pdf
Both bonds are grouped together in the ordinance and fact sheet.
Passage of bond will result in:
If you’re not sure what a bond actually is read this article first: http://interioralaskavoterguides.blogspot.com/2011/09/repost-bonding-101.html
The estimated additional property tax amount due per $100,000 assessed value of property per year is $5.69. This is based on if the State reimburses 70%. If it doesn’t then the additional tax increase could be $18.96 per $100,000/yr.
I have not had time to research out the answers to the following questions but I believe they have merit to consider in deciding how to vote, especially considering our world economic variations.
FNSB Proposition 3 - $10,390,000 General Obligation Bonds for Capital Improvements to Salcha & Woodriver Elementary Schools, North Pole Middle School & North Pole High School (Ordinance No. 2011-39)
Fact Sheet link: http://www.k12northstar.org/sites/default/files/2011_school_bond_fact_sheet.pdf
Both bonds are grouped together in the ordinance and fact sheet.
Passage of bond will result in:
Proposition 1
Ryan Middle School: renovation and system upgrades particularly to gymnasium wing (to include a weight room & dance floor according to Ryan Smith – I have not verified), preliminary design of future phased renovation and upgrade alternatives.Proposition 2
Salcha Elementary: Replace and upgrade roof and building envelope.
Woodriver Elementary: Upgrade gymnasium interior, finishes, and mechanical, electrical and other systems.
North Pole Middle: Replace and upgrade roof and clearstories.
North Pole High: Renovations and mechanical, electrical, and other systems upgrades to the vocational wing.
If you’re not sure what a bond actually is read this article first: http://interioralaskavoterguides.blogspot.com/2011/09/repost-bonding-101.html
The estimated additional property tax amount due per $100,000 assessed value of property per year is $5.69. This is based on if the State reimburses 70%. If it doesn’t then the additional tax increase could be $18.96 per $100,000/yr.
I have not had time to research out the answers to the following questions but I believe they have merit to consider in deciding how to vote, especially considering our world economic variations.
- If my home is valued at $150,000 will my property tax be pro-rated accordingly?
- When is the state expected to reimburse the 70%? What if the state can’t or won’t reimburse the 70%?
- What if the number of property owners changes significantly? Is the “approximate amount” taxed redistributed every year?
- How many years will we be paying for this? When is the bond “due”?
- Who buys these bonds? What if no one wants to /buy them?
- How many school bonds are we paying on already?
- If I vote no can I opt out of the property tax increase and the accompanying “mortgage” responsibility? (I did find the answer to this: NO)
- According to the ordinance (2011-39) Section 2 it states: “…the Borough will levy ad valorem taxes* upon all taxable property in the Borough without limitation as to rate or amount to pay when due”. I am very uncomfortable with the idea that the borough can levy a tax on me “without limitation as to rate or amount” if need be. Essentially, a yes vote on this is putting up “our” property as collateral.
- Is the return for my risk acceptable?
Ultimately the bond litmus test question is:
Do I have a right to force a mortgage on my neighbor?
*Ad valorem tax: tax based on the assessed value of property.
Updates To Check Out
The following updates took place today 10/3/11:
1) Change to include links to voter guide articles on Assembly Seat D page and a News Miner article on those candidates (Dukes, Lawrence).
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15625600/article-Dukes--Lawrence-are-candidates-for-Assembly-Seat-D?
2) Change to include links to voter guide articles on Assembly Seat E page and a News Miner article on those candidates (McFarlane, King, Bennett, Palembas, Kohler, Sattley).
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15641362/article-Six-vie-for-Fairbanks-Borough-Assembly-Seat-E?
3) Change to include links to voter guide articles on Assembly Seat H page and a News Miner article on those candidates (Blanchard, Davies, Bennett).
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15658419/article-Two-challenging-Blanchard-for-Assembly-seat?
4) Change to include links to voter guide articles on School Board page and News Miner articles on those candidates (Thies, Rice, Smith, McConnell).
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15567655/article-Rice--Thies-unchallenged-for-Fairbanks-area-school-board-seats?
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15573455/article-McConnell--Smith-vie-for-Fairbanks-North-Star-Borough-School-Board-Seat-G?
Still to come, then I should be done for this year.
5) Change to include links to voter guide articles on Proposition page and information links.
6) Article: School Bond Propositions 1 and 3.
7) Article: Still Not Sure How to Vote? Some Hints and Tips…
Update 10/4/11 I just discovered another blog doing the same type of thing. Here is a post: Meet the Candidates that has questions and answers from several of the candidates I was unable to get responses from.
1) Change to include links to voter guide articles on Assembly Seat D page and a News Miner article on those candidates (Dukes, Lawrence).
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15625600/article-Dukes--Lawrence-are-candidates-for-Assembly-Seat-D?
2) Change to include links to voter guide articles on Assembly Seat E page and a News Miner article on those candidates (McFarlane, King, Bennett, Palembas, Kohler, Sattley).
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15641362/article-Six-vie-for-Fairbanks-Borough-Assembly-Seat-E?
3) Change to include links to voter guide articles on Assembly Seat H page and a News Miner article on those candidates (Blanchard, Davies, Bennett).
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15658419/article-Two-challenging-Blanchard-for-Assembly-seat?
4) Change to include links to voter guide articles on School Board page and News Miner articles on those candidates (Thies, Rice, Smith, McConnell).
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15567655/article-Rice--Thies-unchallenged-for-Fairbanks-area-school-board-seats?
http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/15573455/article-McConnell--Smith-vie-for-Fairbanks-North-Star-Borough-School-Board-Seat-G?
Still to come, then I should be done for this year.
5) Change to include links to voter guide articles on Proposition page and information links.
6) Article: School Bond Propositions 1 and 3.
7) Article: Still Not Sure How to Vote? Some Hints and Tips…
Update 10/4/11 I just discovered another blog doing the same type of thing. Here is a post: Meet the Candidates that has questions and answers from several of the candidates I was unable to get responses from.
School Board Seat G: Sharon McConnell Summary
Sharon McConnell is the incumbent and this would mark her third term if she wins. She works at Doyon.
School Budget: Funding should stay closest to the classroom and keep class sizes small. Security safety is also a big issue. In regards to cuts she uses administration and public recommendations to decide. New construction takes time and should be considered.
Teachers vs. Buildings: She values the staff but felt it inappropriate to comment during negotiations process.
Adequate yearly progress system: It could be improved, it is often unfunded.
Bond Measures: Yes to both.
Summary extracted from this article.
School Budget: Funding should stay closest to the classroom and keep class sizes small. Security safety is also a big issue. In regards to cuts she uses administration and public recommendations to decide. New construction takes time and should be considered.
Teachers vs. Buildings: She values the staff but felt it inappropriate to comment during negotiations process.
Adequate yearly progress system: It could be improved, it is often unfunded.
Bond Measures: Yes to both.
Summary extracted from this article.
School Board Seat E: John Thies Summary
John Thies owns Worry Free Alaska and Worry Free Restoration. He is new to running for an office.
When it came to financial questions about the budget Mr. Thies was not comfortable answering without having studied the current budget.
Teachers vs. Buildings: Buildings and teachers are both foundations for students. “I don’t think one’s really high over the other.”
Adequate yearly progress system: “The standardized tests are for once a year” and may not portray an accurate picture of a student’s entire education, he said. “But how else do you do it (measure student success)?” he asked. “It might be, at the end of the day, one of the best options.”
Bond Measures: Mr. Thies is still looking into them. Thinks Prop. 1 Bond is a bit excessive.
Summary extracted from this article.
When it came to financial questions about the budget Mr. Thies was not comfortable answering without having studied the current budget.
Teachers vs. Buildings: Buildings and teachers are both foundations for students. “I don’t think one’s really high over the other.”
Adequate yearly progress system: “The standardized tests are for once a year” and may not portray an accurate picture of a student’s entire education, he said. “But how else do you do it (measure student success)?” he asked. “It might be, at the end of the day, one of the best options.”
Bond Measures: Mr. Thies is still looking into them. Thinks Prop. 1 Bond is a bit excessive.
Summary extracted from this article.
Assembly Seat H: John Davies Summary
John Davies has served in state politics in the past. He has also worked at the Cold Climate Housing Research Center.
Prop. 2: Will vote Yes, believes voluntary measures will not solve the problem.
Natural Gas: “The assembly can play a significant role in the development of a plan. We should do whatever we can as long as it solves the problem of delivering low-cost gas to homes.”
Pay Freeze: Thought “it was a really bad idea.”
Accepting Federal Money: No reason why we shouldn’t take it. It helps our economy. He indicated some consideration for purpose in selection of funds.
Goals for Borough if elected: “My main goal is to bring a more thoughtful discussion to the assembly. One of the biggest issues facing the borough is energy, and that’s where I have expertise.”
Political Stance: “You could describe me as a progressive.”
This summary extracted from this article.
Prop. 2: Will vote Yes, believes voluntary measures will not solve the problem.
Natural Gas: “The assembly can play a significant role in the development of a plan. We should do whatever we can as long as it solves the problem of delivering low-cost gas to homes.”
Pay Freeze: Thought “it was a really bad idea.”
Accepting Federal Money: No reason why we shouldn’t take it. It helps our economy. He indicated some consideration for purpose in selection of funds.
Goals for Borough if elected: “My main goal is to bring a more thoughtful discussion to the assembly. One of the biggest issues facing the borough is energy, and that’s where I have expertise.”
Political Stance: “You could describe me as a progressive.”
This summary extracted from this article.
Assembly Seat H: Joe Blanchard Summary
Joe Blanchard is the incumbent. He works at the Princess Hotel and studies political science at UAF.
Prop. 2: Thinks the education, voluntary, and change-out programs are doing well in dealing with the issue.
Natural Gas: The borough can help via private partnership.
Pay Freeze: “That people got automatic pay increases without merit was a bit insulting to the taxpayer. It was never my intention to deprive them of funds but to provide a new mechanism for evaluating the increase in funds to them. It’s not a cost-saving measure, but we need to be more accountable to the folks that we’re taking money out of their wallets.”
Accepting Federal Funds: Blanchard believes they help with infrastructure but the borough needs to be prudent selecting which federal funds to accept.
Goals for Borough if elected: Costs need controlled. “In public works and transportation there is this major ramping up from the federal government from regulation. We need folks on the assembly that can push back and not just embrace regulations.”
Political Stance: “I feel I’m a moderate conservative. I’m not anti-government, but it needs to be as small as possible to work best.”
This summary extracted from this article.
Prop. 2: Thinks the education, voluntary, and change-out programs are doing well in dealing with the issue.
Natural Gas: The borough can help via private partnership.
Pay Freeze: “That people got automatic pay increases without merit was a bit insulting to the taxpayer. It was never my intention to deprive them of funds but to provide a new mechanism for evaluating the increase in funds to them. It’s not a cost-saving measure, but we need to be more accountable to the folks that we’re taking money out of their wallets.”
Accepting Federal Funds: Blanchard believes they help with infrastructure but the borough needs to be prudent selecting which federal funds to accept.
Goals for Borough if elected: Costs need controlled. “In public works and transportation there is this major ramping up from the federal government from regulation. We need folks on the assembly that can push back and not just embrace regulations.”
Political Stance: “I feel I’m a moderate conservative. I’m not anti-government, but it needs to be as small as possible to work best.”
This summary extracted from this article.
Assembly Seat E: Michael Palembas Summary
Mr. Palembas ran against Michael Dukes last year. He has degrees in social work and psychology and is unemployed right now.
Prop. 2 stance: Thinks there is still time for voluntary measures to take hold, will vote No.
Natural Gas: He supports free enterprise and thinks the borough should stay out of it.
Pay Freeze: Thought it was unfair.
Accepting Federal Money: “I’m all for it."
Goals for borough if elected: “He said he supports funding for the library and bookmobile but doesn’t enter the race with big borough goals. “I’m not running with an agenda.”
Political Views: “Has voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries in recent years. ‘I have no hidden agenda. I think there’s a lot of party agenda being played out in the Borough Assembly right now, and I don’t think it belongs there.’”
This summary extracted from this article.
Prop. 2 stance: Thinks there is still time for voluntary measures to take hold, will vote No.
Natural Gas: He supports free enterprise and thinks the borough should stay out of it.
Pay Freeze: Thought it was unfair.
Accepting Federal Money: “I’m all for it."
Goals for borough if elected: “He said he supports funding for the library and bookmobile but doesn’t enter the race with big borough goals. “I’m not running with an agenda.”
Political Views: “Has voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries in recent years. ‘I have no hidden agenda. I think there’s a lot of party agenda being played out in the Borough Assembly right now, and I don’t think it belongs there.’”
This summary extracted from this article.
Please Keep Checking
I realize we are getting down to the wire with the vote tomorrow. I do have a few more articles to finalize and I am making sure there is some reference for each candidate and proposition. I hope you will check back later today if you were not able to find information on the person or issue you were hoping to find here. Thanks for taking the time to be a better informed voter!
Research efforts include: personal phone calls, personal emails, listening to and taking notes on radio and TV interviews, News Miner articles, interviews I did in 2010 elections, and other research as indicated in particular articles.
Research efforts include: personal phone calls, personal emails, listening to and taking notes on radio and TV interviews, News Miner articles, interviews I did in 2010 elections, and other research as indicated in particular articles.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
School Board Seat G: Ryan Smith Round 2 Q & A
What is your day job?
I am an Advisor for UAF Engineering Students. I see many of them entering UAF with a 7th to 9th grade math level. They then need to take remedial math courses to get up to the level they need to be at to begin work on their degree. This is why I’m running.
What is your stance on the propositions?
1) School Bond Ryan: I don’t like it. Too much money is going to a weight room and dance floor. The science part good. If it was separated I would vote yes on the Science part and no on the weight room and dance floor.
2) Healthy Air Now Citizens Initiative: No, it is poorly written, too vague, and too open to opinion/interpretation.
3) School Bond Salcha, Woodriver, North Pole schools: Yes, it is obviously needed.
Who is responsible for educating?
This is a 3 tier response: teacher, parent, student. If all three are not working for same goal success will be limited.
Should sex education be part of the public school system? If so when should it start and what should it encompass? If not, why?
Definitely not in K-6, middle school should consist of health informative classes due to puberty. High school yes. The High School level should have an “opt in” for parents with a notice as to what will be taught. The program can’t overlook abstinence and should also touch on preventative measures.
What is school for? What is education for? Are they the same?
They are not the same, School is more a body or place, you go to the school. You don’t need the structure of school to get an education. You can find education at school to achieve and take with you.
I am an Advisor for UAF Engineering Students. I see many of them entering UAF with a 7th to 9th grade math level. They then need to take remedial math courses to get up to the level they need to be at to begin work on their degree. This is why I’m running.
What is your stance on the propositions?
1) School Bond Ryan: I don’t like it. Too much money is going to a weight room and dance floor. The science part good. If it was separated I would vote yes on the Science part and no on the weight room and dance floor.
2) Healthy Air Now Citizens Initiative: No, it is poorly written, too vague, and too open to opinion/interpretation.
3) School Bond Salcha, Woodriver, North Pole schools: Yes, it is obviously needed.
Who is responsible for educating?
This is a 3 tier response: teacher, parent, student. If all three are not working for same goal success will be limited.
Should sex education be part of the public school system? If so when should it start and what should it encompass? If not, why?
Definitely not in K-6, middle school should consist of health informative classes due to puberty. High school yes. The High School level should have an “opt in” for parents with a notice as to what will be taught. The program can’t overlook abstinence and should also touch on preventative measures.
What is school for? What is education for? Are they the same?
They are not the same, School is more a body or place, you go to the school. You don’t need the structure of school to get an education. You can find education at school to achieve and take with you.
School Board Seat G: Ryan Smith Round 1 Q & A
Here are the answers from your first round of questions.
Thanks for taking the time to get to know those of us running for election this year. I am running for School Board seat G:
For me the most important attributes for a candidate are integrity, honesty, and responsibility.
It is difficult to think of the five principles that I live my life by because it is not something that I really think about it is simply how I was raised. I guess I would have to go with reliable, trustworthy, respectful, honest, and caring.
Reliable is a must because I feel follow through is very important. When I tell someone I will do something or work on something it is important to me to know they feel comfortable knowing I will follow through with what I said.
Trustworthy is something everyone should hope to be. For me my word is my bond, it is probably one of the most important and valuable assets a person can ever have.
Respect is something that should be shown to everyone. I have seen a lot of people who resort to name calling when they have a disagreement with another person and I feel that is counterproductive. There is no reason to treat anyone as less important or their ideas as worthless. There is a civil way to disagree with anyone and it is simply professional to do so.
Honesty goes hand in hand with trustworthy. I think it is vital to be able to look out at a group and tell them the fact and have them know in their hearts that you are telling them the truth. Once anyone starts to become dishonest they lose all credibility and they will no longer be able to make an impact until they earn that credibility back again.
Caring is a must when running for any office. It is hard to be fully engaged in any action when it is not a high priority in daily life and that is one reason so [many]items seem to fall through the cracks. I do think anyone running for school board has [this] principle or at least I hope they do because there is to much at stake to go at this half way.
I think what makes a community a great place to live is the people. When looking at the involvement of those around the community and the different kinds of fund raising that takes place for a variety of causes I would have to say Fairbanks is one of the kindest communities I have ever lived in.
This is the first time I have done anything in the way of politics so I am unsure if I have taken any missteps yet or not but one thing is for sure, we will find out in October.
I would say experience can be a great asset or a great hindrance depending on the office one is seeking. When it comes to the School Board I don’t see experience as any kind of golden goose. The test scores for the school district have been stagnant for years with very little movement up or down. I think it is time to try something different. As an academic advisor up at UAF, I think I am the only person running for the School Board that actually has experience with these students once they get out of the system. I see the test scores and I know how college ready the students really are. I know for the engineering department (where I work) of the students that are not college ready only 7% graduate with an engineering degree. That is a real life vision of what happens when students are not held to a higher standard while they are in school, a more profound vision is the fact that about 40% of our students are not college ready when they get here. I see the results of a just pass them through system and I feel I can help get things back on the right path.
As I said above I am new to this so I don't have a blog of anything set up but once I find out how to do that I will pass it along to you.
Thanks for being part of the election process and if you have any additional questions or know anyone that does please fell free to send me another message.
Ryan
Thanks for taking the time to get to know those of us running for election this year. I am running for School Board seat G:
For me the most important attributes for a candidate are integrity, honesty, and responsibility.
It is difficult to think of the five principles that I live my life by because it is not something that I really think about it is simply how I was raised. I guess I would have to go with reliable, trustworthy, respectful, honest, and caring.
Reliable is a must because I feel follow through is very important. When I tell someone I will do something or work on something it is important to me to know they feel comfortable knowing I will follow through with what I said.
Trustworthy is something everyone should hope to be. For me my word is my bond, it is probably one of the most important and valuable assets a person can ever have.
Respect is something that should be shown to everyone. I have seen a lot of people who resort to name calling when they have a disagreement with another person and I feel that is counterproductive. There is no reason to treat anyone as less important or their ideas as worthless. There is a civil way to disagree with anyone and it is simply professional to do so.
Honesty goes hand in hand with trustworthy. I think it is vital to be able to look out at a group and tell them the fact and have them know in their hearts that you are telling them the truth. Once anyone starts to become dishonest they lose all credibility and they will no longer be able to make an impact until they earn that credibility back again.
Caring is a must when running for any office. It is hard to be fully engaged in any action when it is not a high priority in daily life and that is one reason so [many]items seem to fall through the cracks. I do think anyone running for school board has [this] principle or at least I hope they do because there is to much at stake to go at this half way.
I think what makes a community a great place to live is the people. When looking at the involvement of those around the community and the different kinds of fund raising that takes place for a variety of causes I would have to say Fairbanks is one of the kindest communities I have ever lived in.
This is the first time I have done anything in the way of politics so I am unsure if I have taken any missteps yet or not but one thing is for sure, we will find out in October.
I would say experience can be a great asset or a great hindrance depending on the office one is seeking. When it comes to the School Board I don’t see experience as any kind of golden goose. The test scores for the school district have been stagnant for years with very little movement up or down. I think it is time to try something different. As an academic advisor up at UAF, I think I am the only person running for the School Board that actually has experience with these students once they get out of the system. I see the test scores and I know how college ready the students really are. I know for the engineering department (where I work) of the students that are not college ready only 7% graduate with an engineering degree. That is a real life vision of what happens when students are not held to a higher standard while they are in school, a more profound vision is the fact that about 40% of our students are not college ready when they get here. I see the results of a just pass them through system and I feel I can help get things back on the right path.
As I said above I am new to this so I don't have a blog of anything set up but once I find out how to do that I will pass it along to you.
Thanks for being part of the election process and if you have any additional questions or know anyone that does please fell free to send me another message.
Ryan
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