LETTER: Not pleased with borough’s priorities

To the editor:Recently, I found myself looking at a photo online of Mat-Su Borough Assembly member Randall Kowalke and mayor Vern Halter handing a check for $25,000 to the Iditarod Trail Committee at the organization’s annual musher “sign-up” event. Immediately, I was appalled and called Randall Kowalke to express my dissatisfaction with his “embezzlement” of taxpayer dollars to a private “non-profit” organization that operates for sport. He told me, “that money was from the state of Alaska and intended to go to trail use.”Well, to further fan the flames in this scenario, the ITC’s release stated that the money was going to be spent to improve the trail through the Dalzell Gorge. First and foremost; the Dalzell Gorge appears on my map to be outside the Mat-Su Borough’s governmental boundary. How can the assembly appropriate state money to projects outside of their borough?Second, what process was used to involve the public tax payers in Kowalke’s district of this financial decision?Third, Randall’s district includes Willow, where the money could have been spent to improve the trails in the Sockeye Fire area — an area that is highly concentrated with damaged trails due to the disaster. No money has been spent by the borough to mitigate the burnt spruce trees and decrease the chance of a “flare-up” in the future. In Willow, our EMT’s are told not to respond after 29 hours of work a week, since the borough will not pay their health insurance. An EMT told me that they must “stand down” an emergency dispatch if they are over 29 hours. The victim must wait for mutual aid to take the call. The borough has hired a fire chief in Willow who lives 45 minutes away and does not respond to calls on the nights or weekends.Does this sound like the borough is wasting our precious tax dollars and tossing the cash at their “good old boy” buddies? You bet they are. So next time you hear a politician tell you that they are trying to lower spending, you can rest assured knowing that the back-door avenue of cash flow is open and ready for business at the Mat-Su Borough.— Stephen StineWillow