Petersburg Pilot -

Four Petersburg Borough residents submitted letters of interest to fill the two vacant positions on the Borough Assembly and they each had a chance to state, to the Assembly, why they are willing to take the seats during the regular Assembly meeting Tuesday evening.

Candidate choices for the Assembly were Cindi Lagoudakis, Bob Lynn, Jeigh Stanton Gregor and Kurt Wohlhueter.

“I have demonstrated my love and dedication to Petersburg over the last seven years,” Lagoudakis stated. “I helped to form The Petersburg Community Foundation and have been involved with the Alaska Native Sisterhood, the Arts Council and Sons of Norway. I believe my experience with the Forest Service and Land Management Planning and Resource Management will be something that could serve well as an Assembly member.”

According to Lagoudakis, actions speak louder than words and she would let her actions speak as an Assembly member.

Lynn stepped to the podium to speak on his desire to represent the people of the whole Borough.

“I was one of the charter members who helped prepare the charter that is now being implemented,” Lynn stated. “I spent a considerable amount of my personal time to charter formation. We have friends throughout the Petersburg Borough and I am interested in what happens to the people of this area. I believe my participation throughout the Borough formation gives me a unique perspective and provides insight to competently represent all of the residents of this Borough.”

Lynn also explained that, if chosen, he would work to maintain fair and equitable treatment of all who lived in the Borough.

Stanton Gregor wished to show his desire to be a part of the process of making good decisions for Petersburg as a community.

“I believe it is important to be of use in life,” Stanton Gregor stated. “I see this as an opportunity to be of use to the community. I am a diligent and thoughtful decision maker in my personal and professional life and I believe those skills will be useful to the Borough.”

Stanton Gregor is the owner and operator of True North Counseling and Consultation of Petersburg.

As a long time member of the community, Wohlhueter hopes to bring experience to the Assembly and to help with the decisions of Petersburg's future.

“I have been a resident of Petersburg for about 34 years,” Wohlhueter said. “I have had an opportunity to serve on the Harbor Advisory Board for four terms, so I have seen a lot of expansion and economic growth in the community. I think this would be an extension of what I have already been participating in.”

Wohlhueter also served on the Board of the Petersburg Economic Development Committee.

After each candidate had the opportunity to make a statement, Borough Clerk Kathy O'Rear passed out ballots to the sitting Assembly members for voting.

Before the vote was taken, Assembly member John Hoag asked each of the candidates an additional question.

Hoag asked, “If the legislature decides not to fund the new police facility would you, as assembly members, be willing to put a bond issue for this purpose on a ballot for the voters?”

Each of the candidates responded to the question in turn.

Lagoudakis stated she would support a bond issue for the police building and she believes that it has been a long standing issue with the community and a health and safety issue as well.

“I'm not sure what I would do,” Lynn stated. “I haven't talked to sufficient people in the Borough to know where they stand on this issue. It would be premature for me to make that decision at this point.”

Gregor responded similarly to Lynn that it was a bit premature to give proper notice to that question and that he was hesitant to do so and that bonding should be done with care to not put the Borough in long standing debt.

“Yes, I think I would support that,” Wohlhueter stated. “I supported the pool, the gym and the library and we have had a group out there that states that the police department is in desperate need of repair and I think it is a liability issue and I would be in support of it for those reasons.”

The ballots were cast and four votes for two candidates were placed and Cindi Lagoudakis and Kurt Wohlhueter were sworn in and took their seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly.