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Giants stomp Pirates in wild card
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CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
Vol. 45, Issue 2
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Revenue sharing grant deadline looms
Question Would you like to see a greater law enforcement presence in the borough’s unincorporated communities? n Yes n No To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com. Results and selected comments will be posted each Tuesday in the Clarion, and a new question will be asked. Suggested questions may be submitted online or e-mailed to news@peninsulaclarion.com.
Peninsula communities put funds to good use By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
In the news No confirmed cases of unusual respiratory illness
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JUNEAU (AP) — The manager of Alaska’s infectious disease program says it wouldn’t be surprising if an unusual respiratory illness that has affected children in the Lower 48 is detected soon in Alaska. So far, Dr. Michael Cooper said Alaska has not had any confirmed cases of enterovirus 68. The virus can cause mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties. Kids with asthma have been especially vulnerable. The state health department says infection occurs through close contact with someone who is infected or by touching one’s mouth, eyes or nose after touching a contaminated surface. The department says there are no specific anti-viral medications for the illness. To guard against respiratory illnesses, the department recommends good hygiene and getting a flu shot in early fall.
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Sweeping beauty Alika Hammerle sweeps a concrete pad near Sedona Florist Wednesday in Soldotna.
Mayoral candidates report finances Bearup, Navarre outpace Martin on campaign spending By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
As the Oct. 7 municipal election approaches, two candidates for borough mayor have far outspent the third contender for the seat. According to recent reports filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission, the campaigns for candidates Mike Navarre and Tom Bearup have both made and spent more than $20,000 as of Sept. 27. In seeking re-election to the seat, Navarre’s campaign has raised $29,195 and spent $24,268. Bearup’s campaign income totals $35,692 and he
has spent $30,961, according to a report filed on Tuesday. Candidate Carrol Martin, who filed to be exempt from campaign disclosure reports, said his campaign has spent about $3,400 on radio and newspaper advertising. He said the campaign received some funds, but returned them because he isn’t accepting donations. Exempt candidates cannot raise or spend more than $5,000 while seeking election. According to the commission’s records, Navarre has put $300 toward his campaign. Bearup has contributed $18,000 to his own campaign.
The largest single sum check he filed was for $10,000. However, he filed a notice that he intends to reimburse himself $5,000 of that check, according to commission records. A candidate can file a candidate reimbursement notification within five days of the expense. After the election, candidates can repay themselves. Alaska statute allows candidates to make payments with personal funds and for the campaign to repay them within three days. Navarre made $1,917 in other contributions such as buttons, shirts and pens, to his campaign, and Bearup recorded contributions of advertis-
ing, food, travel, office rent and supplies totaling $5,458 toward his campaign. Campaign expenditures show both have been reimbursed for non-monetary contributions. The seven-day report to the commission prior to Oct. 7 was due on Tuesday and accounted for Sept. 6 through Sept. 27. Campaigns must file 24-hour reports now through Oct. 6 when they receive more than $250 from a single source within 24 hours of receiving a qualifying contribution. Kaylee Osowski can be reached at kaylee.osowski@ peninsulaclarion.com.
‘The Oversight Committee will continue to examine clear and serious agency failures at the Secret Service.’ ... See page A-6
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Business................ A-5 Nation/World.......... A-6 Sports.....................A-7 Arts........................ B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-7 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
See SHARE, page A-3
Three vie for Kenai borough assembly seat Jake Thompson
Stories by KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
Inside
It’s time again for the 27 qualifying unincorporated communities within the Kenai Peninsula Borough to apply for a portion of the $545,000 in Community Revenue Sharing grant funds available this year. In the past, the state grant funds have been used for everything from scholarships, firefighting equipment, trail maintenance and library supplies to support for food banks and building upkeep. “It’s all community things,” said vice president of the North Peninsula Community Council Dave Phegley, of Nikiski. “It’s just these little things that come up, like the Nikiski Neighbors or maybe a little bit of something to the public food pantry. It’s not a lot of money, it’s not enough to do a lot with, but it’s enough to do something with.” Phegley said the Nikiskibased community council has funded scholarships and bought equipment for schools and other small projects that need money. “They’re just these little things that come up, little pieces of things or people that fall through the cracks of other, larger funding programs,” Phegley said.
Candidate for the Kenai seat on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Grayling Bassett Jake Thompson is running to provide a balanced and fiscally conservative For Kenai resident Grayling Basvoice to the assembly. sett, being elected to the Kenai PeninThompson, program director for sula Borough Assembly for the Kenai the KSRM Radio Group, has publicly seat would mean putting his backbeen a part of the discussion on local ground and passion for public policy politics for years on his radio shows to use. He is confident not only in his The Tall, Dark and Handsome Show ability to look at a complex system and and Sound-off with Jake Thompson. find the best possible outcome, but the He is looking to put is well-rounded analysis is a process he enjoys from a knowledge on the issues to use. local to international level. The borough needs to spend more Bassett, an Alaska resident of 36 time on spending responsibly, he said. years, graduated from Occidental ColThe assembly should be focused on not lege, in Los Angeles with a bachelor of overturning the public in every issue. arts in East Asian Studies he also grad“I spend three hours a day talking uated from the University of Chicago’s with the public about politics,” ThompHarris School of Public Policy with a master’s in Public Policy. He is running Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion son said. Listening to the people is the for public office for the first time. Grayling Bassett, Blaine Gilman and Jake Thompson are running for the Kenai first step in being able to create policy and make decisions that are on par with Bassett views having a seat in pub- seat on the borough assembly. the their wants and needs, he said. lic office as an “echo chamber to reThompson is a life-long resident inforce thinking.” He said he believes Blaine Gilman of Alaska. He is raising his two children with wife the best way to improve how the assembly responds Rhonda Thompson on the Kenai Peninsula. to issues, is by increasing public discussion. He said Contender for the Kenai seat on the Kenai PeninWith the possibility of a major boom with the he wants to see more real dialogue. sula Borough Assembly Blaine Gilman is running on Alaska LNG Project on the way, Thompson said it is “People going into politics are ideology driven,” a conservative platform. He believes in limited gova chance to build better infrastructure, but not to do Bassett said. “Part of the reason I am running is to ernment, and maintaining a borough that is focused so on a spending spree. prove myself wrong.” on its most basic responsibilities. The 2015 fiscal year expenditures exceed the On the issue of the Central Peninsula Hospital deIf elected it will not be Gilman’s first time in pubamount of projected revenue the borough will be takclining to enter a transfer agreement with the Surgery lic service. He served on the Kenai City Council from ing in, Thompson said. He said he doesn’t encourage Center of Kenai, more discussion between hospital 2003-2005, which he recalls as a contentious term. the concept of an organization spending more than it administration and the assembly would improve the When he entered the race that year, he knew he would is making. situation, Bassett said. The more two sides talk the be dealing with the hole left in sales tax revenue when “Expenditures exceed projected revenues by easier it is to come to a compromise, he said. Kmart went bankrupt and closed its Kenai location. $2,021,869, According to the FY15 adopted budget Bassett suggested opening up the discussion fur“It was not a fun time for the city council,” Gilfor the Kenai Peninsula Borough,” Thompson said. ther by putting more, unofficial advisory votes to the man said. See BASSETT, page A-10
See GILMAN, page A-10 C
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See THOMPSON, page A-10