Municipal elections: Two NJUS board candidates state their case
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Nome voters will be casting their ballots for two Nome Common Council seats, two NJUS board seats and two School Board seats. There is no contested seat in this municipal election. Voters also will be casting a ballot for NSEDC’s Nome representative, also an uncontested as incumbent JT Shermon is the only name on the ballot.
Nome Common Council Seat A’s incumbent Adam Martinson is running with no challenger. Nome Common Council Seat B is held by Maggie Miller, who decided not to run again. The only candidate for that seat is Randy Oles.
NJUS Board Seat B, a two-year seat, is up for election. Incumbent Derek McLarty is the only candidate on the ballot.
NJUS Board Seat E, a three-year term, sees no challenger to incumbent and candidate Carl Emmons.
School Board seat B, a three-year term, is currently held by Meghan Sigvanna Tapqaq. She runs for re-election unopposed.
School Board seat C, is held by David O’Neill, who was appointed and board-confirmed to fill Nancy Mendenhall’s seat, who resigned mid-term. O’Neill fills the position until this election. O’Neill is the only candidate running to fill the remainder of the seat, one year, until the next year’s election cycle.
There are no ballot measures in this year’s municipal election.
Tuesday, Oct. 6 is municipal election day and in-person voting will take place at Old St. Joe’s Hall at Anvil City Square, starting at 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Registered voters must reside in Nome to cast their vote for municipal office candidates. Registered voters residing outside of city limits can cast their votes in the NSEDC election.
To give voters a better understanding on where candidates stand, the Nugget sent questionnaires via email to each candidate.
Nome Common Council candidates Randy Oles and Adam Martinson, as well as school board candidates Meghan Sigvanna Tapqaq and David O’Neill have not returned their answers to the Nugget by press time.
Utility Board
Seat “B”, Two-year term
Incumbent and candidate: Derek McLarty
Nome Nugget: Could you please state your motivation to run again for the utility board and what your interest is to continue serving on the board?
Derek McLarty: I wouldn’t say interest. I would say duty. I have lived in Nome for 20+ years. I believe the people of Nome should navigate the ship. NJU is a vital part of life in Nome. Being a part of the planning and advancements of our utility are rewarding for myself and the community at large.
NN: What are your goals or what would you like to achieve on the NJUS board, if winning the election for another term?
Derek McLarty: Winning will be a current budget and all NJU audits completed by year end. From there, I would like to hold that trajectory and keep NJU current and transparent.
NN: What are the most pressing issues facing NJUS and how do you propose to help solve them?
Derek McLarty: The most pressing issues for NJU are financials/budget. NJU is operating just fine. There is no reason to claim nefarious spending/billing or reasons for outcry. But… we desperately need to get current to prove that statement.
NN: Cost of energy is at the forefront of NJUS customers’ minds as fuel prices have increased significantly. What solutions do you propose to make power generation and consumer cost of energy predictable, affordable, and sustainable?
Derek McLarty: I believe this question is a little misleading. The cost of energy in Nome has stayed very consistent throughout the last five years. The price of fuel is not controlled by NJU. NJU has not made a tariff/rate increase in many years. Of course, the price of fuel is on everyone’s mind. That isn’t something that NJU has control over. NJU has made advancements in wind and energy storage. All without an increase to the customer. Both of those things save the rate-payer money.
NN: Given that the NJUS has been behind on multiple years of audits, do you think the board should play a bigger role in oversight?
Derek McLarty: The current state of audits rests solely on the board, period. There are many things that led to the current shortfall. Stripped to its axiom, the board/staff made sure the lights stayed on. Now we need to get current and stay there.
NN: Would you be amenable to hold NJUS board meetings at Nome City Hall instead of the powerplant? If not, could you give a reason.
Derek McLarty: I have no issue holding meetings anywhere. Historically the city of Nome had issues giving NJU reliable vacancy at city hall. I recall a few meetings at the XYZ and other places due to scheduling conflicts. The powerhouse was a location of necessity, not choice.
Utility Board
Seat “E”, Three-year term
Incumbent and candidate: Carl Emmons
Nome Nugget: Could you please state your motivation to run again for the utility board and what your interest is to continue serving on the board?
Carl Emmons: That’s pretty easy: Nobody else will. Unfortunately, if nobody runs for city council, for the utility board, the school board that’s an indication that your community is dying. I know quite a bit about the sewer and water system, as I was involved in the building of the powerhouse, so I want to make that knowledge available to the community.
NN: What are your goals or what would you like to achieve on the NJUS board, if winning the election for another term?
Carl Emmons: I want to not lose any more local control and involvement in our utility system.
NN: What are the most pressing issues facing NJUS and how do you propose to help solve them?
Carl Emmons: The most pressing issue right now is our financial situation. I think that we’re adding cost to our ratepayers’ rates by not paying attention to business.
NN: Cost of energy is at the forefront of NJUS customers’ minds with high fuel prices. What solutions do you propose to make power generation and consumer cost of energy predictable, affordable, and sustainable?
Carl Emmons: I think just running the financial end of it as efficiently as we can, is really the best thing we can do. That means: getting fuel loans in a timely manner and getting a bond for them and not making the financing cost more by putting it off.
NN: Given that the NJUS has been behind on multiple years of audits, do you think the board should play a bigger role in oversight?
Carl Emmons: Yes, I think so. It’s way too easy just to say ‘Let somebody else do it. You know, oh, we’ll just let management do it’. Well, when management doesn’t do it, then we’ve got to do something else. I’m just tired of being lied to. The board, without a doubt, is going to have to be more involved. It’s not working the way it is.
NN: Would you be amenable to hold NJUS board meetings at Nome City Hall instead of the powerplant? If not, could you give a reason.
Carl Emmons: I really don’t care, and this is why: After years and years of serving on the utility board, I see that nobody is coming to our meetings. When there is interest, it helps the board. And when nobody shows up, meeting after meeting after meeting, then it becomes really easy for management just to cancel the meetings. What the board understands, me included, is that we can’t have a meeting without advertising it 24 hours in advance, and of course that’s been left up to management. The meetings were moved to the powerhouse because sometimes the city would give away our meeting space at council chambers and moved our meeting elsewhere. But if council chambers are more convenient for the utility or people to do it, I don’t mind that.