Your community needs you today

Most private citizens don’t have enough money or celebrity to attempt to weigh in on the debt ceiling debate or the national health care law; the voice of a lone voter would be drowned out by the hurricane-force bloviating going on in Washington, D.C.

But today, you get a chance not to be a voice shouted in a hurricane, but a voice that has a good chance of being heard.

Even though it’s an odd-numbered year with no state or federal elections, there’s a lot at stake locally in today’s elections.

First of all, there are 13 elected seats up for grabs this go-around. That breaks down to three on the Mat-Su Borough School Board, two on the Mat-Su Borough Assembly, three on Wasilla City Council, two on Palmer City Council and three on Houston City Council.

Four of those — two in Houston and one each on the school board and Wasilla council — feature candidates running unopposed. Still, that’s nine elections seeking input from you and your neighbors.

Local elections draw the smallest number of votes, yet these are the contests where each vote carries the most weight. City of Houston races are often decided by just a couple of dozen votes.

The items on the ballot with the biggest local impact are ballot propositions that ask voters to determine how they will be taxed to pay for roads, a new library and whether to increase the alcohol tax.

We’ve thrown our support behind the alcohol tax increase, though we question whether the taxes generated will actually be dedicated to emergency services and schools long-term. We like the idea because it diversifies the local tax base and because our neighbors — as gauged in polling data and in a lack of strong local opposition to the tax — also seem to favor the change.

Also on the borough’s ballot is $16.2 million in bonds to fix access problems to local schools.

The borough has asked for road bond money with increasing frequency lately. A few of these access problems were foreseeable and might have been better addressed when the schools were built.

But while it may be hard to stomach seemingly endless bonds for roads and schools, it is important to remember this is part of the cost residents pay for being the fast growing region in Alaska for the past 20 years. The reality is we need more roads and schools because of population growth.

Finally, the city of Wasilla is asking its voters if they want a new library. Wasilla is in a unique situation where it brings in enough sales tax revenue that it doesn’t need to levy property taxes. And just a 1 percent bump — for even a couple of years — would build a pretty nice library. We also see this as a good idea. The Wasilla library is a regional asset, serving residents from all over, not just in the city. It makes sense to build a larger, more modern facility to serve its large number of users.

We don’t need you to vote with us on these issues, we just want everyone to vote. Tuesday is an opportunity for Alaska voters to have their voices heard. To vote to directly impact our own governance is the privilege and responsibility of every citizen. Your community needs you today.