Assembly Candidate Profile: Rebecca Skinner

(Photo by Carol Smith)

Mitch Borden/KMXT

There are eight people running for three seats on the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly this year. To help our listeners get to know the candidates, KMXT will be airing profiles of them every Tuesday and Thursday leading up to the election. KMXT’s Mitch Borden sat down with current Assemblywoman Rebecca Skinner to discuss her bid for reelection.

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Rebecca Skinner says the number one issue driving her campaign to be reelected to the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly is the region’s financial situation.

“I think over the next three years the dealing with the fiscal situation is going to be the biggest issue.”

She believes keeping the borough’s budget balanced is going to be a constant task because Kodiak can’t expect to get as much funding from the state as it has in the past.

“The uncertainty at the state level, reduced levels of revenue. We’re just going to have to be prepared to roll with the punches.”

After already serving a three-year term on the assembly, Skinner believes she has the experience and know how to confront the coming challenges. Which is important in her opinion because financial instability could especially affect Kodiak negatively.

“Especially since we’re an island community I think the decisions we make can have an even bigger impact because we can’t just drive down the highway and do our shopping at a different location or if we want to pick up and move it’s very expensive to move off the island. So I just think we do need to keep in mind how our decisions will affect people.”

Skinner was born and raised on Kodiak. She runs her own law office and works for the Alaska Whitefish Trawlers Association. If re-elected, Skinners says she can help the assembly govern effectively and efficiently.

She’s very aware of the power the assembly wields over the lives of borough residents and says It doesn’t matter what the assembly is working on, she always takes her job as an assemblywoman seriously.

“Every issue that comes and in front of me, every issue I have to vote on it’s a big deal. There aren’t any decisions that I haven’t put thought into or that are kind of throwaway decisions. They’re all around important.”

The election for the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly will be held on October 3rd. You can vote at your local polling place.

 

 

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