(Sage Smiley / KSTK)
Read KSTK’s other local election coverage here.
Two experienced candidates are running for a short-term seat on Wrangell’s borough assembly. And they’ve got different priorities for the single-year seat, if they’re elected.
Assembly member Dave Powell has sat on Wrangell’s assembly since he was appointed in 2015. He’s been re-elected twice since.
“Looking into the future, I just thought ‘One more year,’” Powell says. He adds that he knows from his assembly experience that some issues take years to resolve. Still, he has a main couple of priorities he wants to stay on the assembly to see through. One is selling off the borough’s lands for development.
“I don’t want us in the real estate business,” Powell explains. “I don’t think the city should hold lands unless we’re going to do something with them. And one of the biggest reasons I really got on there was to try to get the Institute Property sale and get it on our tax rolls. It’s a big process, and now we have a little hiccup with the Bureau of Indian Affairs with doing graveyard research and all that stuff.”
But it’s not just the former Wrangell Institute property he’d like the borough to divest itself of — it’s all of its land holdings. Three lots in the Etolin-Spruce subdivision are currently up for public auction, and they’re going for higher than their appraisal value. That means there’s a market for Wrangell’s lots, Powell says.
“I’d really like to see our lands that we have up, get surveyed, done, marketed out there and sold,” he says.
Another issue Powell says he wants to focus on is seeing through the ongoing union negotiations with city workers, before he’s done serving on the assembly.
“We actually are going into mediation with a mediator, which I think is going to help us a lot,” Powell says, “Because you’ve got two teams and each team has different ideas, and I think with somebody on the sidelines looking in and saying ‘Okay, let’s push this through’ — I think that’s going to help us a lot.”
Powell says he feels like he plays an important role in Wrangell’s assembly: being extra accessible. He manages the Bay Company, a marine and power sports store downtown.
“Where I’m located, and everybody knows me, I have a lot of people come talk to me,” Powell says. “All the other assembly members go, ‘I can’t believe everyone comes and talks to you!’ and I go, ‘Well, everybody knows where I’m at,’ Other assembly members are either retired or don’t have a Front Street job.”
Powell often brings up thoughts in assembly meetings that start with the phrase: “People have been asking me,” or something similar.
“A lot of people won’t come out and just go to assembly meetings to talk,” Powell explains. “So I feel that that’s part of our job is to listen to what they’re saying, and I do listen well. If you talk to a lot of people, I take a lot of what they say and I take it to the meetings, and I will say it.”
But even though Powell is running for a contested seat, he says he isn’t feeling cutthroat about it: “I don’t see it as a competition at all. I think either one of us would do really well.”
Powell’s challenger is Don McConachie Sr., a former Wrangell mayor and assembly member. But McConachie says it isn’t personal.
“I’m not running against anybody, I’m running for a seat,” McConachie says. “I think David’s doing the same thing. He’s running for a seat, happens to be the same one. So what? Doesn’t bother me.”
McConachie has lived in Wrangell since 1984, and spent 13 years on the assembly or as the community’s mayor. He says he’s running — after taking a break after a heart attack and other health issues — because he felt support within the community.
“I didn’t make up my mind that I was going to run for the assembly. People made it up for me,” he explains. “Even though I’ve been off the assembly for a lot of years, I still get phone calls. It’s just the nature of the beast, I’m sure there’s other ex-assembly people that get phone calls also. But it prompted me to run again.”
McConachie spearheaded an effort earlier this year to recall Wrangell’s Mayor, Steve Prysunka, over an alleged violation of state and local law when Prysunka called an emergency meeting and, with the assembly, passed the community’s first mask mandate last November.
Wrangell’s borough clerk rejected the petition in February, saying it lacked legal standing. McConachie didn’t appeal. But he says that whole backstory isn’t why he’s running.
“I’ve been portrayed as a dissident that just wants to get back to everybody. But that’s not true,” McConachie says.
He’s not trying to blow up the assembly from the inside, he says, but rather, take it in a different direction: “I love Wrangell, it’s a great town. I’m not mad at anything, I don’t want to be portrayed as somebody who’s got a grudge and he wants to go in there and do something stupid.”
What direction, he says, he’s not sure. That’s why he wants to get back on the assembly.
“I’ll tell you right off the bat,” McConachie says, “I don’t agree with the direction that the city is going at the moment. But I hope to be able to understand why it’s happening. And if I think it needs to be changed, I’ll do what I can to change it.”
McConachie does say he wants the community to be more proactive in going after projects and funding. He says this is a good time to leverage federal aid, especially with the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that’s already passed the U.S. Senate.
“I realize, of course, they haven’t passed that as yet. But why not give them a reason to pass it? You know, say, ‘Hey, this is what the city of Wrangell needs. This is what.’ We’ve got three things in town right now — the dam, the public safety building, and the old hospital — that would qualify for some sort of infrastructure funding. Why aren’t we doing it? We need to be,” he says.
Even while he hasn’t been on the assembly, McConachie is vocal about his opinion at assembly meetings and in local discourse.
“I don’t think I’ll bring any surprises,” he adds. “I am very pro-infrastructure. I’m very pro-making making things happen. I’m very pro-having jobs and job opportunities in this town.”
Early voting is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wrangell’s City Hall, up until Election Day. Qualified voters can also apply for a mail-in ballot.
Wrangell’s local election will be held on Tuesday, October 5. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with balloting at the Nolan Center.
The transcripts below have been edited for clarity and flow. Content has not been changed.
FULL TRANSCRIPT OF KSTK’S CONVERSATION WITH DAVID POWELL:
(Sage Smiley / KSTK)
Sage Smiley (KSTK): First things first, tell me about yourself. How did you make your way to Wrangell?
David Powell: Basically, I’ve lived here all my life. We moved here when I was three years old, from Bellingham, and have lived here ever since.
KSTK: What’s motivating you to run for assembly again?
Powell: I got appointed a little over five years ago, and I’ve gone through two elections. I raised four children here, so after they were gone, I just wanted to give something back to the community. And I was approached and asked if I thought about being on the assembly, and I thought about it and said, ‘Yes,’ so they appointed me, and then I ran twice and have been elected. Looking into the future, I just thought ‘One more year.’ There’s a lot of things I’d like to get done, but it takes a long time. I found that it’s not like you go in there and say ‘I’m going to get this done.’ And it just gets done. There’s a lot of politics to it, a lot of money that you don’t have — that you find out that you don’t have and you can’t do the jobs until we find the money or get grants and stuff like that, and that takes a long time too, so when you get on the assembly, you find out really quick that things don’t run as fast as you want them to run. Basically, why I got on there is just to give something back to the community.
KSTK: So then what issues are you kind of hoping to continue working on. The seat you’re running for isn’t a full-term seat, it’s a one-year seat, so what do you feel like you’re wanting to try and see through in another year?
Powell: The one I really got on assembly for was to get us out of the real estate business. I don’t want us in the real estate business. I don’t think the city should hold lands unless we’re going to do something with them. And one of the biggest reasons I really got on there was to try to get the Institute Property sale and get it on our tax rolls. It’s a big process, and now we have a little hiccup with the Bureau of Indian Affairs with doing graveyard research and all that stuff. I don’t know exactly all the terms of that, but that’s gonna put a hold on too. But I’d like to see that. I’d like to see that go keep moving forward. There’s been delays on it, I’m sure that you’ve seen some of the stuff that’s been delayed. But I’d really like to see that get on our tax rolls. We’ve done a lot of work on that. There’s been a lot of plans drawn up on it, and we just got it re-surveyed. So hopefully after this other thing goes through and we get a clearing, we can get it sold. But I’d really like to see our lands that we have up, get surveyed, done, marketed out there and sold.
KSTK: Do you think there are markets for those?
Powell: Oh yes. I don’t know if you know about how we are selling lands now online. There are three lots that we just put up for sale that have gone above what they are appraised for. So I would say yes to that, that there is a huge market for land here. Every time that somebody comes and talks to me about it, I hear ‘You guys are holding lands, you’re not selling them.’ We need more people to buy lands and build houses. So yeah, there is definitely a market here.
KSTK: Are there other issues other than privatizing those lands, basically, selling them off, that you find especially motivating in terms of wanting to still be on the assembly and be involved in that process?
Powell: I’ve been through two negotiations with the unions. Well, actually one, and now we’re into another one. I would like to see us get that cleared up and get it done. It’s been over a year since we’ve started negotiations, and I wasn’t on it at first, but now I’m on the negotiation team, and I would like to see us get that cleared up and done before I leave.
KSTK: Hopefully in a year that will be done.
Powell: I’m hoping it gets cleared up within a couple of months, actually. I would like to see it done right away.
KSTK: What do you feel — I mean, you might not be able to talk about this — but what holds that up? Is there a way to streamline that process?
Powell: We actually are going into mediation with a mediator, which I think is going to help us a lot because you’ve got two teams and each team has different ideas, and I think with somebody on the sidelines looking in and saying ‘Okay, let’s push this through’ — I think that’s going to help us a lot.
KSTK: Definitely. What do you feel is the most important function of the borough assembly?
Powell: One of the biggest things is listening to our people, and listening to the people that we employ. Where I’m located, and everybody knows me, I have a lot of people come talk to me. All the other assembly members go, ‘I can’t believe everyone comes and talks to you!’ and I go, ‘Well, everybody knows where I’m at,’ Other assembly members are either retired or don’t have a Front Street job. So I think the biggest thing is listening to what people are saying and trying to get it across the board, what they’re saying to get things done.
KSTK: Last question, what would you say to someone to explain basically why they should vote for you?
Powell: Wow, that’s a hard question. Why are you vote for me? I feel that I’ve done a lot. I feel that I listened to the people really well. And I tried to take that to the assembly meetings, and express what they want to be said, because a lot of people won’t come out and just go to assembly meetings to talk. So I feel that that’s part of our job is to listen to what they’re saying, and I do listen well. If you talk to a lot of people, I take a lot of what they say and I take it to the meetings, and I will say it. So if you want a voice, you can talk to me, and that’s one of the biggest reasons why I would say that you would vote for me is that I will listen to you and I will take it to the assembly meetings.
KSTK: Do you see this race as a competition with Don McConachie [Sr.]?
Powell: No, actually, I don’t. I think either one of us will do really well. Don’s been on assembly before. I’ve been on Parks and Rec board when I was younger. I coached basketball and umpired for 20 years with the kids, but I don’t see it as a competition at all. I think either one of us would do really well.
KSTK: Is there anything else you’d want to say about priorities, issues you think are important, or candidacy for the assembly?
Powell: I see candidacy for anything — I know you probably read the paper, and one of my lines to people is ‘Don’t run for something if you have a grudge or if you’re mad at something, run to make things better.’ That’s the one thing, it’s been a philosophy of mine forever. I’ve always told the kids ‘If you run for something and you do something, finish it.’ Don’t get in there and get something done and then resign because you don’t want to do the rest of the job. I feel that if you’re going to take it on, you take it on and you finish the whole term.
KSTK: That’s pretty good philosophy. Thanks so much for your time this morning.
Powell: Thanks.
FULL TRANSCRIPT OF KSTK’S CONVERSATION WITH DON McCONACHIE SR.:
(Sage Smiley / KSTK)
Sage Smiley (KSTK): First of all, tell me a bit about yourself, coming to Wrangell, and what’s motivating you to run for the assembly.
McConachie: Well I have been in Wrangell since 1984. I’ve lived here and raised a family and kids and all that sort of stuff, and I have been on the assembly before; I spent 13 years on the assembly over the years. But because I had a heart attack and health problems I stepped back, and I haven’t been there for a substantial number of years now. But I didn’t make up my mind that I was going to run for the assembly. People made it up for me. Even though I’ve been off the assembly for a lot of years, I still get phone calls. It’s just the nature of the beast, I’m sure there’s other ex-assembly people that get phone calls also. But it prompted me to run again. I love Wrangell, it’s a great town. I’m not mad at anything, I don’t want to be portrayed as somebody who’s got a grudge and he wants to go in there and do something stupid. I know the rumors that I’ve heard, [but] I don’t believe in rumors, I investigate rumors, I go to the sources, I see what words match up to what actions match up and make up my own mind as to what’s true or false. But being on the outside of the assembly and listening in, you really don’t get the full view. I plan on using both my ears to begin with, and try to understand the inner workings of what’s going on in the assembly right now. I’ll tell you right off the bat, I don’t agree with the direction that the city is going at the moment. But I hope to be able to understand why it’s happening. And if I think it needs to be changed, I’ll do what I can to change it.
KSTK: So what specific issues then motivated — you said it wasn’t necessarily your individual decision — but what issues motivated either people to ask you to run or you know you to ultimately make that decision then?
McConachie: My family didn’t want me to run right off the bat, because I have been talking about it off and on for years, but when there was a seat open for one year, I convinced my family that I could handle that. And then if that was successful, I would continue on. And that’s what I plan on doing.
KSTK: How about specific issues, though?
McConachie: When I was on the assembly before, we had a cohesive group of employees. I can remember quite a few years ago, when we had two garbage trucks here. Something happened, an accident happened and I thank heavens, the employee that was running that truck got out of the way, but it smashed up one of our trucks. We had one truck left in the city of Wrangell, which was basically held together by baling wire. And I saw people within the city come together over a weekend. And by the time they finished they had a complete new garbage system that we have today. And that happened over a weekend. That happened because we had a cohesive group that was working together. I think that togetherness is somewhat diminished at this point in time.
KSTK: How do you feel like you might be able to help bring back that togetherness then?
McConachie: That’s a tough question. And I’m not sure that I am prepared to answer it right now because I want to be knowledgeable in what I do, and that’s one of the reasons for running and getting on the inside and understanding what is going on. You hear all sorts of things — I’m sure you as a reporter get barraged by all sorts of opinions. And I know the radio station in general gets barraged by all sorts of opinions, because I’ve been involved with the radio station for quite a few years, off and on. But until you investigate what’s going on, you know, the way you report the news, you don’t just say, ‘Oh, my goodness, I heard this, and I’m going to report it,’ you don’t do that. You investigate, find out what’s going on, and then you correct it.
KSTK: Are there other problems that you want to try and address or bring to the forefront, if you’re elected to the assembly?
McConachie: I want to be a lot more proactive. I don’t believe you wait for things to happen. I believe you make things happen.
KSTK: What is that referring to? Infrastructure —
McConachie: In Washington, D.C. right now, we have what I’m going to call a giveaway government. They are more than willing to give away money all over the place. I realize, of course, they haven’t passed that as yet. But why not give them a reason to pass it? You know, say, ‘Hey, this is what the city of Wrangell needs. This is what.’ We’ve got three things in town right now — the dam, the public safety building, and the old hospital — that would qualify for some sort of infrastructure funding. Why aren’t we doing it? We need to be.
KSTK: Proactive is a good thing. You spearheaded an effort to recall Wrangell’s mayor last year –
McConachie: I did.
KSTK: Do you think that that involvement will have an impact on the dynamic of the borough assembly, if you’re elected?
McConachie: It won’t have an impact on the dynamic of the borough assembly. It’s already had a dynamic on the election process, because in some ways, I’ve been portrayed as a dissident that just wants to get back to everybody. But that’s not true. I really don’t have a mean bone in my body. Every once in a while I get mad, but everybody does. I can remember at least two times over the 13 years I was on the assembly last time that I got mad, but I did apologize afterwards to certain individuals. I’d rather say that I am not trying to destroy something, I’m trying to take us in a different direction.
KSTK: And that direction is…
McConachie: Being proactive.
KSTK: What do you think the most important function of the borough assembly is?
McConachie: Basically, the borough does two things. It passes a budget, which is their most important job. And it provides for the City and Borough — the citizens of the City and Borough of Wrangell, Alaska through that budgeting process. We need to keep our town safe. And we do that through a police force. We need to keep our town educated. And we do that with money towards the schools. And we provide services such as electricity, water, sewer, and that’s what the borough does. We provide resources, such as a swimming pool, and a library, and all of those things are important to the livelihood of this community. We used to have a lot of input towards the hospital because we owned a hospital at the time. The hospital is now a private enterprise, and rightly so, I think it’s a good thing. I’m sure there’s going to be people that have complaints about the way it’s run, but we had complaints about the way the city ran the hospital. I think if you look back in your history you’ll see quite a few little problems that happened over the years with us owning a hospital. So why not allow our new hospital to do what hospitals do and that’s what they do is save people’s lives. They saved my life many times, let the city do what the city needs to do: run the borough.
KSTK: What would you say to an average Wrangell voter to explain why they should vote for you over Dave Powell, who is your opponent?
McConachie: I don’t have an opponent. I am running for a seat. I’m not running against anyone. That’s the way I look at it. Within hours of having the opening to put your name in, I put my name in. Actually, I was in City Hall the first day right after nine o’clock when their doors open. And I had my names, and it was turned in — I didn’t turn it in that day, I waited till the next day and turned it in the very next day. So I’m not running against anybody, I’m running for a seat. I think David’s doing the same thing. He’s running for a seat, happens to be the same one. So what? Doesn’t bother me.
KSTK: Anything else you’d want to say? Priorities, issues you think are important.
McConachie: Most people in town know me. I’m pretty visible. I’m not so much now that I’ve retired and even less because of COVID, but they still know me, and I don’t think I’ll bring any surprises. I am very pro-infrastructure. I’m very pro-making making things happen. I’m very pro-having jobs and job opportunities in this town.
KSTK: Awesome. Thanks so much for your time.
McConachie: You’re welcome.
Get in touch with KSTK at news@kstk.org or (907) 874-2345.
