13.0°

Occupation: River City Books owner

Education: Kenai High School, BA Sociology, Gonzaga University

Business positions, oganizations and other interests: Original Owner, Four Seasons Restaurant, Northcountry Fair, Gourmet Garden Market and Deli; Organizing Committee for League of Women Voters, 1980; Kenai River Festival, 1990; Kenai Watershed Forum, 1997

Previous political experience: Soldotna Parks Committee, 1988-1990, 1995-1997; Soldotna City Council, 1990-1996; Kenai River Special Management Area Board, 1994-1999

1. With Soldotna developing its new Comprehensive Plan, what would you like to see the city look like five years from now?

The Comprehensive Plan is still being formulated by the Planning Commission. * They are presently trying to put all the gathered community input into an overview document called the Community Vision Statement. There are sections on Neighborhoods, Economic Development, Public Infrastructure, etc. If we work at some of these ideas together, in five years we will be well on our way to an increasingly vital, beautiful city with great places to live, work and play. We will have safe neighborhoods and a healthy river. We will have a growing commercial district and be working at a regional level to coordinate common goals. In addition, I would hope that we would also have repaired some of the loss of faith in our local government and that community involvement will have increased.

2. What should the city do to assist businesses likely to be impacted by the opening of Wal-Mart in Kenai next year?

Soldotna has a health retail sector. Our second quarter sales tax figures are down only slightly. Not bad, considering we're in a world-wide recession. There are many good niche-market shops in Soldotna which attract customers from Homer and Seward on a regular basis. As a small business owner myself (River City Books), I know that we will have to continue to offer a more knowledgable staff, provide better goods and services, remain more creative, and keep working harder to retain customer loyalty. Most of us have weathered this storm before. I'm not sure that the city can do anything directly to soften the financial blow, but it can continue to work on making Soldotna a more attractive place to live and to visit.

3. Should the city's future growth focus on younger families moving in or on more retirees locating to Soldotna as the demographic projections indicate?

A city with a good mix of young families and older people is an exciting place to live. Older people will be supportive of education, art and culture. Youngsters will make music in our lives as they enjoy our public spaces, trails and outdoor activities. Presently, we lose many of our young people to larger cities. We must do our best to lure them back, with good jobs and a clean and healthy environment for families.

4. Having recently failed at annexing four adjoining neighborhoods into the city, how should Soldotna proceed with residential growth and commercial development?

Soldotna's city limits are very small. There is not much space left for commercial development. Since over ninety percent of the city's budget comes from sales taxes, it is important to have additional areas for growth. I would support annexation of the commercial district along Kalifornsky Beach Road, since we have already brought water and sewer out toward the college. There is the potential for a big box locating somewhere along that section of road. We cannot afford to supply services and lose sales tax revenue. It may not make sense to annex a large residential area like Skyline. The cost of street maintenance alone could be more than we would be taking in with our small 1.65 mil property tax. However, if septic systems in residential areas are beginning to pollute ground or surface water then annexation becomes a public health issue and must be reexamined in that light.

5. How can Soldotna capitalize on the fact that it has become the health care center of the Kenai Peninsula?

Many medical professionals say they have come here for the outdoor experience. The combination of good schools, interesting shops and restaurants, and our proximity to great hiking trails and fishing spots should help keep them here! The college is another institution experiencing rapid growth. We must continue our efforts to provide a truly walkable/bikeable city for our residents and visitors. Anything we can do to encourage smart growth and make our city more attractive will certainly benefit all of us!