Community Perspective
Experience needed to lead the borough
Published Thursday, October 1, 2009
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Stumble It!I believe the mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough has three main tasks: to be a strong manager of our borough’s employees and services; to be a good steward of our community’s taxpayer dollars; and to be an effective leader for residents, willing and able to solve our borough’s issues. I have a strong record on these duties, and as your mayor I will put my experience to work making the tough decisions that move us forward.
I moved to Fairbanks 43 years ago from Connecticut to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I started working as a carpenter at UAF shortly after I arrived, and during my 30-year career worked my way up to superintendent of maintenance, where I made decisions every day that kept the doors open at five campuses, managed a staff of nearly 100 and was responsible for multi-million dollar budgets. I worked with union and non-union employees, negotiated construction contracts and kept services available to local groups. This is not unlike keeping a small city government afloat. The experiences I garnered and the lessons I learned there make me ready to lead our community forward from day one.
Alaska is blessed with natural resources that have allowed it to prosper without taxing its residents. Our borough is in a different position. This makes it even more important that our mayor be a good steward of the budget and keep a close watch on taxpayers’ dollars. During my five years on the assembly, and two as presiding officer, I delivered budgets that came in $20 million under the tax cap during the past five years, including $7 million under the most recent year. Our mill rate is at a 21-year low and property taxpayers put in fewer dollars overall than last year. I pushed to reassess the value of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, bringing an additional $983,000 to the borough — another direct savings to taxpayers. As the steward of your tax dollars, I will build on my record of solid fiscal planning and responsible budgeting as I hunt for ways to make your money go further.
Alaska is still a young state with a bright future, and our borough is younger still. Yet, while many states have fallen into financial difficulties, Fairbanks is stable and strong. Because of the assembly’s recent savings, planning and fiscal prudence, Fairbanks was one of 22 western communities to see its bond rating increase. I’m also proud of the steps I’ve taken to strengthen local recreation and family opportunities, such as Tanana Lakes Recreation Area and opening more multi-use trails across Fairbanks.
Fairbanks has an energy problem. This isn’t a mystery. We have an affordable energy problem, and we have a clean energy problem. Our next mayor must bring more affordable, clean-burning energy sources to our community or risk an economic downturn. As a member of the Alaska Gasline Port Authority board, I understand the energy choices ahead of us. As mayor, I will keep all options on the table to get gas to our homes and businesses. Whether this is a pipeline delivering gas to Fairbanks, which is still many years into the future, or a more immediate increase in the line of trucks bringing gas from available fields, we must move forward boldly and quickly. This solution will also address our air quality problem.
It’s also not a mystery that I’m voting “yes” on the advisory vote in October. My family’s been burning wood for 30 years, and I wouldn’t want anyone telling us we had to give up the warmth of a wood fire in winter. The next mayor must put the borough in the driver’s seat and work with the state to craft a plan that will keep us burning wood and clean our air on our terms. I don’t want Juneau or Washington forcing us into a mold we don’t fit.
While all of these issues are important, the quality of our leaders and the values they hold are paramount. In 2005, I worked to rewrite the borough’s ethics code, which limited gifts and bribes to public officials. We all know that you cannot legislate conduct, but as your mayor I will hold myself and my staff to the highest standards and bring respect and trust to your local government.
Many tasks face us and our next mayor. I am up to the job. Together, we can lead this community forward.
I would appreciate your vote on Tuesday.
Luke Hopkins is in his second term on the assembly and serves on the Alaska Gasline Port Authority board. His Web site is www.hopkinsformayor.com.
Community Discussion
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The woodburning position contradicts his public address on the matter.
Nowhere, until here, has Mr. Hopkins indicated he would protect woodburning. Yesterday, in fact, he said he was willing to sit down and talk with the EPA and eventually agree to changing the borough's existing woodstoves. More Hop-kins.
Luke speaks to several fundamentally important issues here- the need for clean, affordable energy, ethical conduct, and the need for responsible spending.
Luke's work record is consistent with supporting these objectives.
He has been working to advance the voter mandated All Alaska gas line and sincerely believes in the voter mandate- a project that recent polls show that 75%- to 80% of Alaska voters support. (If our legislative 'leaders' had listened to the 1999 and 2002 voters' mandates we would have gas already).
Luke voted to advance the initiative to increase the residential property tax exemption. (One of the best things the Assembly has done in a long time). For almost two decades the legislature has failed to adequately increase the residential homeowner exemption. Due to inflation residential property taxes have increased significantly as a result.
Luke's effort to ensure the oil pipeline is assessed at fair market value is on the mark, too. For way too many years the pipeline was under- assessed, and that meant local homeowners had to make up the difference and pay millions of dollars more in property taxes than they should have had to. That local homeowners had to pay more property taxes while Exxon, British Petroleum and the other pipeline owners got a break is sickening- especially since the pipeline owners were crowing about record profits.
Other candidates should explain what, if anything, they have done to try and reduce property taxes.
Luke is the worst, most arrogant of all candidates. Deep down in his heart, he believes his brand of big government is best for you. Please vote for ANYONE else. As for me, I'm voting for Tammie Wilson.
Flopkins is a power-hungry, money-hungry, wanna-be despot...
if you value liberty, private property, and less government intrusion into such, Tammie Wilson is your candidate...
What experience are we talking about? 30 years of aboondogle IM
program that robbed and inconvienced the citizens and we still had
ice fog when it was 40 below or colder and always will have. We dont
need this kind of experience!!
Luke Hopkins chases after what is fashionable; one week he's for the bag tax, the next he's against it. He's for woodburning, but he's awfully cozy with the environmentalists who would greatly interfere with woodburning. The guy is all over the map. Do we really know where he truly stands on each issue?
How does collecting campaign funds from unions equate to efficient and honest government? Is Hopkins going to do for us what Begich did for Anchorage? God help us.
Luke listens alright. Its who he's listening to that worries me.
Tammie Wilson for is the best choice for mayor. She's consistent and not going to sell us out.
Luke, I DO NOT want nor need any more of your experience!
Your voting record is that of a sheep following a bag lady!
The union bunch backing you only look to you use the mayor's position to fill their pockets with my money by protecting their labor contracts.
YOU DON'T REPRESENT ME, NOR MY NEIGHBORS!
Luke- I'll be the first to throw this out there:
You're not leaders. I know, I know. The commoners have been conditioned to think of you elected representatives as something more, but the fact is you're not. You don't wear little medals, you're not telling anyone what to do, and you and your cronies need to get yourselves off your self appointed pedestals.
"Leaders".
You're public servants! Emphasis on "servant"! You represent the wants and needs of the people. You work for me! Anyone arrogant enough to equate that somehow with being a "leader" pretty much has lost my interest.
Besides, given your track record you can't seem to choose a position to stick to. That's not exactly indicative of a strong vision, but indicative of someone interested in keeping their do nothing job!
Tammie Wilson for mayor!
Hippity-hop, hippity-hop.....
Hip-hop....flop!
No thanks Luke.
I'm voting for someone who is HONEST and understands the mayor is an EMPLOYEE.....OURS!
Tammie Wilson for mayor!
Luke will also make sure that funding from the Borough will continue to flow unchecked to the Port Authority. Of course that has nothing to do with PAF's endorsement....
Anyone who listened to Luke Hopkins on the Michael Dukes show yesterday will not vote for him. His answers to questoin totally amazed me. You would have thought he would have prepared himself better.
People will will have to reach their own decision on who to vote for Borough mayor. I am sure if you employed by UAF, the school district, or a local union, you have been instructed to vote for Luke. Hopefully the rest of us can make sure he doesn't become Mayor.
Have your kids written letters yet?
Hilda listens!
Hilda hears!
Hilda doen't like what she hears!
Hilda is voting for Tammie Wilson!
O- Power, yeah, we know all about you. Your racist wing nut comments (changed your blog name to conceal that didn't you?) have virtually ensured that anyone you do not like will be the one the rest of us vote for. Maybe if you lost about 80 pounds and you'd have better self esteem and you would not be spending all your time in front of your computer espousing your brand of hatred.
Gee you figured me out again? Darn I will have to go back to my old name (Doobieman)
So I have the kind of power? ANYONE I don't like will win? So if I pretend to not like someone I can assure their victory? If I could figured out a way to make that work in Vegas!
April Showers you forgot to take your "nice pill" as you seem mean today. April showers are suspose to bring May flowers, not hatefull
speech.So, be nice for a change.
I get a chuckle out of Luke's adv.s
Talking about his 13 years learning something while working in P&Z and on the assembly.
Kiss up to the unions and the UAF bunch has not done me any good, nor can I see that it may done my neighbor any good.
So the next question is did he do me any harm? Well he helped keep the sweet heart way the burro elevates the intent of tax cap which allows property tax on new construction to go strait in to the NEA's pay check. If the ITA ballot prop had passed, we would have lower property taxes.
And then there is the bag tax,--
I voted for it and now after I talked to may neighbored I am against it. Ya, sure!
A representative is to represent at least 51% of all the people in burro. Pinching our pocket book is not representation; and shows me you did not lean any thing in 13 years.
One retirement income is enough!
Go listen to yourself as you talk into the mirror.
No tHank-s, No Luke-s, No Nadien-s your attitudes and values don't represent me.
And if your bored with retirement, Wal Mart needs new greeters! You can BS, talk to yourself and get paid for it!
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