No Candidates

Here's the piece from the Nome Nugget I referenced yesterday:

There are issues and concerns. Nomeites have never been without opinions. However, it takes a special person to dedicate their time to the democratic principles of city government and run for office. It can be intimidating to fill out all the forms and step into the public spotlight, but few Nomeites have ever been scared off by stage fright. Good citizens can step up to the plate and help the citizens of Nome take on some serious long-term issues.

As of the close of business yesterday, here's how the races look. All three incumbents are running for their city council seats uncontested. No one, not even the incumbents, is running for the two seats on the school board or the two on the utility board. Only one person is running for the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.

The deadline for filing is this Monday at 5pm. I know there might be some sort of advantage to be gained by waiting until the last minute before filing but this is more than a little pathetic and ridiculous.

I mentioned yesterday that cyanide is an important issue but there are so many more. A lot of people in Nome showed up this spring to voice their opinions on the school's budget for this year. There was one meeting where more than 20 people took time to address the school board during the public comment period. I go to every school board meeting and that never happens.

Nomeites are now paying 31-cents a kilowatt hour for electricity. That's a 6-cent increase from last year. Alternative energy is drawing a lot of attention from the landlords and the Chamber of Commerce. Doesn't someone want to promote it on the Utility Board?

NSEDC is on the verge of becoming a 100-million dollar company and is already the economic powerhouse in the region. I would love a seat on its board. Surely someone else does too.