Time to work together to solve borough problems

Something important is missing from our Mat-Su Borough, and people sense it.

As I knock on doors across Mat-Su running for borough mayor, people often tell me we need to be thoughtful how we develop so our communities can be healthy and thriving. During my years of public service, people and businesses worked together to solve problems and guide decisions that affect our communities and economy. These volunteer voices have now been replaced by top-down micromanagement.

Recently, people discovered tall towers being constructed in neighborhoods without notification or an opportunity to provide input. Guidelines that were carefully developed by communications companies and residents over two years were thrown out by the borough. A way to expand the system of communications towers had been worked out that included notification and participation from neighborhoods. Now people are understandably angry that their voices and views are not considered.

Now the issue has returned to the planning commission, where it was more than two years ago. Unfortunately, time was wasted, the hard work by people and companies was disrespected and confidence in borough government has gone down.

The same sort of thing happened when business people and regular folks developed a Borough Economic Development Plan that identified the most promising sectors for economic development and specific ways to help grow them. The plan has been largely ignored. Sadly, there are many more similar examples of this sort.

What we really need to do now is restore accountability and get moving on the many economic opportunities that have been missed.

As a fiscal conservative, I’m also concerned that Mat-Su Borough budget reserves have been reduced from more than $12 million to less than $5 million in just one year. This may hurt our bond rating and cause future loans to be more expensive. If I am elected mayor, the borough’s checkbook will go online for all to see where our taxpayer money flows.

Now is the time to grow some of our exciting economic opportunities to help strengthen our great mix of communities. I’m excited to encourage living-wage jobs related to affordable energy, higher education, health care, tourism, local food production and processing, and clean technology and manufacturing. Many of these are identified in the Economic Development Plan, and all are rooted in the fact that we can encourage growth and remain a great place to live.

My own experience in helping to build the new community recycling center, which now has eight full-time employees, has attracted several new businesses to the Valley. These “clean tech” jobs also save us money on landfill costs.

Affordable energy is critical to building a resilient and diverse economy. There may be good potential for a North Slope gas pipeline to Mat-Su or more gas from Cook Inlet, but both are years away.

We don’t have to wait for politicians, companies or other decision-makers. We can help ourselves right now with energy efficiency — which is pays for itself, saves money and creates good local jobs. And when energy costs are lowered, businesses have more money to create even more new jobs.

We face critical decisions, despite all of our positive opportunities. Federal spending is declining and state spending may follow. Meanwhile, we still need to meet our basic needs for schools, roads, emergency services and the like. We need to make opportunities to grow our economy. For business owners to invest, they need a well-educated workforce and predictability in development rules. I want to make sure people have easy access to their government, and that their advice is considered and respected. I will work my hardest to connect people, business and other government decision-makers to make our wonderful Valley the best place to live, work and play.

I have been running an adult hockey group for 17 years. We play no-check hockey, which means you focus on working together to get the puck in the net, not taking out opposing players. Teamwork yields scoring opportunities, and that’s what I’m about. As mayor, I’ll bring my skills to the forefront, but I’ll be playing on only one team, that of the people of the Mat-Su Borough.

Mark Masteller is a candidate for Mat-Su Borough mayor. He can be contacted through his website at masteller4mayor.com.

All official candidates for statewide, national and Mat-Su Borough elected offices are invited to submit one, 800-word submission for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman’s Opinion page. Candidates may share information about themselves with readers, but they may not use the space to attack one another. Email submissions to news@frontiersman.com. No election-related content will be accepted for publication after Aug. 20. No election-related content submitted will be published after Aug. 24. We will resume printing election-related content following the Aug. 28 primary vote.