September 28, 2010
Tuesday AM

People of Ketchikan I have a few unanswered questions. Is our City/KPU manager really worth more than 65% of the governors of the country who run their whole state? His wage is now over $170,000 a year. Check out the pay scale for the governors online. In my opinion, I don't think so.

Why is KPU have hard time keeping good people? Why are the people who work under him (City) and have for years gone without raises? When they, are the true hard workers of this city,and make him look good.

When we sell KPU phone division taking away 1/2 of his responsibility's with the KPU managers position will his pay go down? No, I believe in his contract his pay will stay the same. Any other city employee, if their responsibilities go down so does their pay. Why can't we save some money and put him on a wage freeze for 10 years or more, like he has done to others in the system? He would leave in a heart beat like many others.

How much in debt is the city with bonds that aren't paid for yet?

Shouldn't most of these things have been in the budgets long ago, for capital projects?

Fire station #1 downtown over 20 years on the back burner, Library same thing. There was at one time a .5% sales tax put in place for public safety where has this money gone? Not for the fire hall, I'm sure.

Why is our infrastructure so bad?

Spending thousands on docks that have been upgraded, seems like every other year. Now we are going to spend more money to go to cement docks, when it should have been done the first time.

Now that the ships are dwindling, we are still spending on the berths 1 & 2 and not our own roads & bridges. Bridges now, after the state came in and said something, are getting a band aid. Mill street pilings coming up through the pavement for how many years?(those little bumps just cover them)Water street bridge just cover the cracks for now, will get to it later.

Small boat harbors are in bad shape and are now also in the last couple of years, just getting fixed, was there a bond for Thomas basin?

Bar Harbor south still in need of repair.

Where did the study go and information on a new harbor to accommodate the ones still on the waiting list for 2-3 years? No new harbor, just remodel city float and take a few away to make room for a few bigger transit ones, forget about the ones who had stalls there.

Sidewalks make them bigger to make more room for the tourists, less room for the traffic,and taking away valuable parking. Plowing in the winter will be a nightmare.That's ok we can just repair them again next summer and tax the locals.

Our water system, we give it to the ships, then we pay a diesel surcharge when its low in the winter and can't supply our power grid. Why aren't we charging enough to cover for the shortage?

Where is the water & sewer systems to go out north through the Shoreline area? The tax payers there were lead to believe it would happen with in a few years after the take over of the area.(many years ago now) Try and build a building there in the area, to meet the city fire codes, for they have no water system, depending on the size of structure you my have a water tank bigger than your building.Then if the city does put the systems in, your stuck with a very large water tank. This area is developing and the city has done very little for the tax payers in this area. Is the reason why no improvements in this area, because all the business would move from downtown? There are free shuttles to the area.

Have the lawsuits against the city gone up since his hiring? How much has been spent on settling out of court or payoffs? Have we won any? Was the increase in parking tickets fines enough to pay him his $20,000 a year raise? Just wondering.


Ken Holmes
Ketchikan, AK

Received September 28, 2010 - Published September 28, 2010

Viewpoints - Opinion Letters:

Webmail Your Opinion Letter to the Editor

SitNews ©2010
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska