Family backs Arvin

To the editor:

Ron Arvin has a solid and positive attitude and reputation. He will be a premium borough assembly person. Last week his opponent had a former borough assembly person do her bidding for her by poisoning Ron Arvin’s well — such a fallacy. We feel compelled to defend our friend.

Ron Arvin’s employer, NPI LLC, paid the Mat-Su Borough $3 million dollars in cash just for the opportunity to invest at Port MacKenzie. That money was used to purchase the heavy steel components of the deep water dock. NPI then invested approximately $15 million of private sector assets for industrial conveyor belts and other equipment.

NPI developed the gravel export business, the cement import business and the steel products import business at Port MacKenzie. NPI is hope for Alaska to move toward a more diversified economy. NPI’s activities turned the port profitable for the MSB (residents) during this fiscal year, ahead of schedule. It has taken the private sector leadership of Ron Arvin to make the new port a profitable community asset.

Mary Kvalheim, who slung the proverbial mud last week in the media, was the author and co-sponsor of the timber harvest moratorium that was passed while she was on the borough assembly. Our borough’s renewable timber resources continue to rot on the stump while unemployment continues to rise. The timber harvest moratorium is still in place (nearly four years now), which has caused legal disputes about promises that were made to NPI. The outcome of the litigation will tell all. Did Mary Kvalheim and the existing borough assembly put the borough in a position to incur thousands of dollars of unnecessary legal fees?

In our opinion, Michele Church is currently controlled by the anti-development and special interest group Friends of the Mat-Su. Truly an equitable balance of our diversified community is in order as we have previously opined in the Frontiersman (9-18-09). The radical anti-development minded voting record on the assembly over the last three years has not been beneficial to the community.

Ron Arvin will represent every constituent equally. He is fair to all concerned.

Dan F. Kennedy and Janet C. Kennedy, CPAs

Wasilla