The City of Valdez Municipal Election is May 7th, 2019

KVAK Radio asked the candidates running for the City Council Candidates to tell us a little bit about themselves and share their thoughts on several questions.  Find below their exact responses as provided to KVAK Radio.

There are two vacancies (three year term) available on the Valdez City Council.

CLICK HERE for Election Information

Candidates listed in order they appear on Ballot.

Sharon (Crisp) Scheidt

Biography

I was born and raised in Valdez, graduated from VHS, and ventured into the sun to attend college at Arizona State University. I graduated with a BS in Business/Marketing and went to work for Kmart Corporation; first as an assistant store manager, then as a buyer and merchandise planner at the corporate office. I returned to Valdez with my two children, Jacob and Jordan, in 2001 to become the Executive Director at the Valdez Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, until 2007. During my tenure I served on the statewide marketing committee, and as VP and President of the AK Society of Convention & Visitors Bureaus. I became the Director of Communications at Copper Valley Electric, where I remain today. I’ve been an active community volunteer and have served on many local committees, task forces, and workgroups. My children are also both products of Valdez schools. My son went on to attend college and will graduate with a degree in Exercise Science/Athletic Training from Eastern Washington University in June, Jordan will graduate from VHS in May. I was married to Eric Scheidt, a lifelong Valdez resident, last September. We currently live in town with Jordan and our dog and kitty.

Question #1: What are three main challenges for City of Valdez in the next five years?

I do not presume to know  everything about the challenges we face or the inner workings of every department of the City of Valdez. I’m sure I’ll know more if/when I’m actually elected to City Council. I will share a couple of things that concern me.

• Budget: It seems that we’ve been dealing with concerns over TAPS money, and how it affects our budget for years and years; whether it be litigation over the amount of taxes we’re due, concern over eventual throughput reduction in the future, and now, the frightening possibility of SB57. This has been a concern for years, and will be a concern for years to come until we prepare ourselves to be successful with less reliance on TAPS dollars.
• Housing: The lack of affordable housing remains a big issue in Valdez.
• Relationship between City Council, City Administration, and the public: I believe this is an area where we need work, as evidence, in part by the fact that we are yet again replacing our City Manager.

As a Council member, how do you plan to address these challenges?

Budget: It will be my goal to stop ‘saying’ we need to plan for our financial future, and actually start building that plan. I would like to ensure budgets are designed not utilizing how much money we have, but what we need to accomplish based on long-term goals. We need to be more strategic in implementing future projects and necessary spending. Additionally, I will encourage economic diversification and business growth strategies.

Housing: Work is being done here and I’d like to keep focus on it. We need more affordable homes in our community. We need to assess what land we have available and encourage and support such development, which includes working with developers and removing obstacles that impede their efforts.

Relationships: I feel like there has been somewhat of a disconnect between Council, Administration, and the public. I believe in good old fashioned team work and think it starts with treating each other with positivity and respect. I’d like to see less of a ‘them’ and ‘us’ mentality. I think this can be improved with better communication and transparency. We have an opportunity to address these issues as we look for and develop a relationship with a new City Manager.

Question #2: What experience do you have with budgeting, investments, and finance? 

I have a lot of experience working with budgets; development and implementation, some experience with finance, and not much experience at all with investments, so I have much to learn.

I was responsible for a very large budget as a merchandise planner for intimate apparel at Kmart Corporation, I managed the entire budget for the Valdez Convention and Visitor’s bureau, and now I am responsible for my departmental budget at CVEA. I believe in responsible budgeting at any level, I believe a budget should be built from the bottom, up, based on what is needed, not what you think you have or what you spent last year. I believe budgets should be developed based on strategy and utilized to work toward defined goals.

Alan Sorum

Biography

Alan Sorum and his wife Ruth Knight are longtime Valdez residents, who are committed to this community. Alan is the Maritime Operations Project Manager for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council. He was the last City Manager in Skagway, Alaska, helping them form a borough form of government and become their first Borough Manager. He is the

past Port Director and Harbormaster for the City of Valdez, Alaska and has worked for the ports of Wrangell and Whittier, Alaska.

Alan Sorum is a past president and life member of the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators. He is a former Valdez City Council member and currently a Board member with the Valdez Fisheries Development Association and Valdez City Schools, and is Chair of the Valdez Ports and Harbors Commission.

Alan holds a Bachelor of Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Alaska Southeast and a Master of Art in Rural Development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In 2005 he qualified for the Certified Marina Manager designation from the International Marina Institute.

Valdez Issues:

Three key concerns for Valdez are intertwined, they are support of our public schools, housing and economic development. This support must be consistent and steadfast to insure future success.

Promoting quality education and providing access to affordable housing are precursors of future economic development and growth. Most residents of Valdez realize that factors like the cost of energy, living in a remote location, and our winter weather can discourage economic development. I would argue a bigger impediment of growth in Valdez is a lack of foresight action. Development of an overarching vision is vital to our economic growth.

Whether it’s a marine center concept that promotes growth of the fishing industry or expansion of winter recreational opportunities like downhill skiing, development of individual projects depends on having a well thought out framework to support their funding and construction.

Economic development in Valdez that can overcome our negative factors will involve creatively taking advantage of the community’s unique natural resources. Abundant snowfall, a friendly and educated citizenry, a beautiful setting and waterfront access to Prince William Sound are significant resources for the community.

Budgetary Experience:

Alan Sorum is very familiar with the public budgetary process. He was the Valdez Harbormaster and Port Director for eight years and is well regarded for proposing and implementing vast improvements to the harbor. Alan has experience as a chief pilot, assistant airport director, director of training, city manager and has served on our School Board and City Council. Alan is an experienced marine and construction project manager with extensive experience in management and operations of local government. Sorum has advanced degrees in rural development and public administration. Additionally, Alan has experience lobbying for better financial support of our community at the state and federal levels.

James “Jimmy” Devens

Brief Biography:

I was born in Valdez, and have lived here all my life. I went to school here, including college, and I intend to stay here. I work currently as a broadcast journalist. I’ve worn many hats here in Valdez, from a handyman, to a camp counselor, a business manager, to a charity organizer, and many more. My interest in city government was sparked by my observation of the housing and economic conditions in Valdez, when I first ran in last year’s election. Those worries remain unaddressed and unchanged. I now have an additional concern for the longevity of our community, considering current legislation that could decimate our budget, by removing municipal authority to tax properties where oil is produced, stored, or transported. I remain informed on state level events and developments as part of my job, and I travel the state regularly for educational opportunities pertaining to state government.

What are three main challenges for Valdez City Council in the next five years? As a council member, how do you plan to address these challenges?

The three primary challenges in Valdez are each economical, and all three relate to infrastructure. The first is our limited economic diversification. We’ve relied too long on only a few industries. To incentivize business development, we can facilitate adaptive use of existing space and facilities, and enact a business diversity ordinance, which would limit the incursion of major chains into Valdez. We can also offer development incentives, give preference to local business, and open a Small Business Office within the city administration. These have been tested in other communities, and proven to work. Second is housing. Our housing is the most expensive on the Alaska Road System. This is due to limited developable real estate, and this can be solved with new infrastructure to support more housing, zoning to allow multifamily apartments to be built in larger buildings, or reconsidering of municipal codes to include varying types of structures. The third issue is crumbling facilities. This is already being addressed, but I believe this needs to be at the fore-front of city planning. We either need new, purpose built, facilities and infrastructure to replace what exists, or intelligent repairs, that take into account the type of damage we see here repeatedly.

What experience do you have with budgeting, investments, and finance?

I have taken accounting, bookkeeping, and business management courses, as well as on-the-job training in budget management. I work currently for a non-profit organization, that relies partially on state and federal subsidies, that have dwindled significantly in the time I have worked there. We have met the challenge not only to maintain the same standard of service, but also to expand our services, while having a significantly lower budget, through intelligent use of resources, and innovative utilization of means. I serve on a fund-raising committee, that has seen great success, and I help to prepare an annual charitable gaming report. I also recently attended a symposium on local government in Juneau, which focused primarily on municipal budgeting.