For 2015, resolve to be a better community member

  • Saturday, December 27, 2014 6:55pm
  • Opinion

With the New Year just a few days away, many of us are contemplating resolutions. Setting goals in your personal and professional life are important, and we hope you’re able to stick with them. But we’d also like to encourage civic-mindedness in 2015, and with that in mind, here are some other things we encourage Kenai Peninsula residents to resolve:

— Vote. The election calendar is much lighter this year than in 2014. The city of Soldotna will hold a special election Feb. 3 to decide whether to form a charter commission to write a home-rule charter, and to elect commission members. City and borough elections are the first Tuesday in October. Seats on the borough assembly, board of education and city councils will be on the ballot. A proposition regarding sales tax collected on groceries will be on the ballot; additional measures may qualify for the ballot, too.

— Attend a public meeting. Or several. All too often, it seems people show up for meetings only to complain after a decision has been made. Meanwhile, there are plenty of good seats available at most public meetings. There are plenty of public meetings in addition to city council, school board and assembly meetings — service area boards, Fish and Game advisory committees, city commissions, legislative town hall sessions, just to name a few. These are the bodies that influence policy or make decisions that hit closest to home. Be there to keep an eye on the decision-making process. It’s much more effective than complaining after a measure has been passed.

—Submit public comment. As many public meetings as there are, there are even more councils, committees and agencies looking for input on everything from fishing regulations to budget priorities to pending legislation. Chances are that someone is looking for feedback on a topic with which you are familiar. Share your opinion. Public officials frequently make decisions based on input from just the few people most passionate about an issue. The vast majority of Alaskans are silent on most issues. We’re fortunate to live in a place where government officials are accessible and responsive. Take advantage of that access to help shape public policy.

— Last, but certainly not least, volunteer. There may be no greater way to contribute to the community in which you live than to share your time and talent. Volunteer opportunities abound on the central Kenai Peninsula. Commitments can be as little as an hour or two here and there, or as involved as joining the board of a non-profit organization. Every contribution helps. Participate in a community clean-up day, read to children at a school (you don’t have to have kids that go there), help at a water station for a local race, walk dogs at the animal shelter, help organize a community-wide event, spend a day helping at the food bank, drive patients to cancer treatment sessions, coach a youth sport (you don’t have to have a kid to be involved in that one, either), get involved in your church, spend a few days swinging a hammer on a Habitat for Humanity house — there’s plenty to do, and many hands make light work.

We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous 2015. And we encourage everyone to take the time to make our community healthy and prosperous in the year ahead, too.

More in Opinion

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, to discuss his decision to veto an education bill. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: On fiscal policy, Dunleavy is a governor in name only

His fiscal credibility is so close to zero that lawmakers have no reason to take him seriously.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in support overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 69 at the Alaska Capitol in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Capitol Corner: Finishing a session that will make a lasting impact

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.