Borough needs five full House Districts

Editor’s note: Katie Hurley sent a copy of this letter to John Torgerson, chair of the Alaska Redistricting Board on April 30. She sent a copy of the same letter to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman as a letter to the editor.

To the editor:

Please include five full House Districts within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough boundary when you adopt the Redistricting Plan for our great state.

Growing up in Juneau when it was still our Territorial Capitol and going to work for Gov. Ernest Gruening as a teenager, I have a lifelong appreciation for the importance of legislators who are dedicated to our needs.

As chief clerk of the Constitutional Convention, I watched Bill Egan make certain each representative’s voice was heard and respected. As a retired secretary to the Senate and member of the House of Representatives, I have an abiding appreciation for the value of legislators who connect with their constituents and their needs.

With your years of service to the Kenai Peninsula Borough and two terms in the Alaska Senate, you must also have a keen sense of the importance of effective representation.

Ever since I moved to the shores of Wasilla Lake in 1963 I have been startled by the pace of growth in our Valley. When my borough was created in 1964 there were fewer than 150 residents in Wasilla and fewer than 1,200 in Palmer. My borough’s population grew to more than 90,000 last year. Our population grew by 50 percent in the last decade alone.

Our core area is becoming urbanized, with little of the infrastructure needed to support all this growth. We live in the Eden of Alaska. Our moderate climate, accessible land and proximity to rail, port, road and air transport make continued growth inevitable. We are going to need all the help in the Legislature that our population warrants.

I understand our borough population entitles us to five full House Districts. Our borough assembly has unanimously endorsed a plan to establish five districts, completely within our borough boundary. We need all five fully committed to helping us solve our problems. Please do not make us share our House Districts with other regions.

Thank you for undertaking this sacred duty on behalf of all Alaskans.

Katie Hurley

Wasilla