Local Ballot Proposition 1
Week of September 23, 2002

I would like to explain the ballot proposition that Borough voters will be considering during the local election next Tuesday. Approval of the proposition would ratify an ordinance passed by our Borough Assembly to amend our Charter relating to the description of our election districts.

The change is really quite simple. The current boundaries of the Kotzebue district do not correspond to the actual residences of many Kotzebue residents. Many residents live at camps in the surrounding area. Approval of the proposition by a majority vote would change the description of the Kotzebue election district to include the campsites of those Kotzebue residents.

It is the intention of our Assembly that a majority of the eleven Assembly seats remain available to village residents. If John Schaeffer, for example, lived a majority of the time at Ivik, which is 26 miles east of Kotzebue, he would compete against people from Noorvik in an Assembly election. Under this change to the Kotzebue district, he would compete for a Kotzebue seat, as the Assembly believes is more appropriate. If a Kotzebue resident lived at camp at Sesoulik for a majority of the time, that person would run against residents in the Noatak/Kivalina district under present law. Again, this is an example of why the charter needs to be changed. We should do everything possible to assure that the interests of the entire region are well represented at the Borough level.

Prior to the Tuesday vote, either I or a member of my staff will have visited each village to conduct a public hearing on this proposition. It is important that everyone understand all the issues on which they vote. If you have questions about this proposition, please don't hesitate to call me at 442-2500 or 1-800-478-1110.

While this is a busy time of the year for all of us, especially with the caribou moving through the area, it is still important that you find time to cast your votes in our local election. The people who serve on the Assembly and regional School Board have a great deal of responsibility and their actions can effect your lives and those of your children for a long time to come.