The Kenai Peninsula Borough is facing a multitude of changes in the near future. An economic boom which will impact the lives we currently live here and influence the future of our children and grandchildren. Look around; land is being cleared from corner to corner, without any provision to save a percentage of existing vegetation or new landscaping. Shops and industrial are being built faster than houses. Next will be the demand for more services, new schools, and roads.
I’ve always been proponent of resource development and a believer in good, local jobs. I also believe we need organization to the chaos that a boom can bring. After any boom, comes a bust breaking local businesses, loss of jobs, home foreclosures, and the tax burden of empty schools and public buildings. We’ve experienced it after the building boom on the Kenai in the late 1960s and at the end of construction of the Alaska pipeline.
The Kenai Borough has to assume the role of leadership for our community’s lifestyle; it is a very important time to have strength and experience in our local government.
Mike Navarre and I, as an active Republican, have had our political differences over the years. But, I respect Mike and know he has the experience and knowledge to advocate for our community with a strong hand.
We need a Borough Mayor that is respected by industry and that can be trusted to ensure that we have an economic future which can be sustained for many years. I urge you to take the time to vote on Tuesday, and to please vote for the experience Mike Navarre offers us.