Anderson: With growth comes challenges

  • By Marty Anderson
  • Wednesday, October 1, 2014 8:22pm
  • Opinion

I have been a resident of Sterling for 23 years and Soldotna for 10 years (33 years central peninsula). I graduated from Soldotna high school in 1982. I am blessed to be married to Deedee Anderson and have four wonderful children; Tom, Jessie, Heather and James and two grand children Kazin and Jacob. Being a small business owner, for over 14 years, has provided experience and insight to the challenges companies and organizations face each day. I provide consulting for large and small companies such as oil & gas, utilities, aviation, railroad, manufactures, underwater dive companies and more that function in Alaska, the lower 48, Canada and overseas.

I have also served as a president for a chamber of commerce, board member for a radio station, baseball team and the Alaska Workforce Development board appointed by Governors Palin and Parnell. This experience, coupled with eleven years of service on the KPBSD school board as your representative in Sterling/Funny River has provided me with knowledge to help keep our communities as wonderful as they have been.

We face several changes that will challenge us as a community. Industry growth of mining, oil & gas, fishing (dip netting) and tourism are all healthy and growing but this will also require us to consider the impacts on our communities and how we should prepare for this change. I do not support growing local government or putting unfair taxes on a single group of people. I am a conservative, both financially and politically. I had a young middle school girl ask me in class this week if I ever thought I would be a politician when I was her age. My response was, “No, and I still don’t think I am one. I prefer to believe I am a elected public servant” I am entrusted with your vote to be your voice and your representative.

If you trust me with your vote, I will do my very best and bring all that I have to bear, to assure we preserve the lifestyle we enjoy in our communities and to assure an economy that will keep our children and grand children hear if that is what they desire.

Thank you and God Bless our communities.