September 30, 2022
Friday

I wanted to take the opportunity to express my continued support for Rodney Dial in our upcoming local election, October 4th. Over the years, I personally watched Mr. Dial in our community raising his children, providing support to locals, and protecting our community in law enforcement. He treats others with dignity and respect. Mr. Dial has the experience we need for Borough Mayor, with six years of local elected experience and many more working for the State legislature.

Mr. Dial continues to advocate for the protection of our constitutional rights. He is concerned about private businesses and other issues important to our community when the government wants to overreach, impose mandates, or create hardships. He is willing to listen, meet you where you are at, and address issues locals have.

He has been assigned to three boards by the Governor, two E911 boards and currently the 911 Advisory board.   These assignments improve public safety statewide and in Ketchikan.

Two of the national boards he sits on, he is an active voting member; the Rural Action Caucus and the Public Lands Steering Committee.   After four years of hard work, commitment and dedication he was able to get on these boards. As far as I understand, he is only Alaskan on those boards.   Mr. Dial is allowed to have input on recommended legislation that goes to Congress.   With a wide range of topics from Rural Internet support, Federal PILT payments, Secure Rural Schools funding, Federal land access issues, etc.   Reelecting Mr. Dial as Mayor will allow him to remain on these boards. A new Mayor would have to have a strict focus and dedication; it would likely take several years for them to get on these boards.

During his term as Mayor, he has fought to keep our taxes low, provided creative ideas to address deficits without raising taxes; including the dedication of all tobacco tax revenue to the local education fund. He has helped bring in millions for projects like the NOAA dock facility while helping save millions by being able to delay FEMA flood plain implementation in Ketchikan. He developed a plan that got the borough in the White House on several occasions that helped solve long standing borough problems.

During Covid, Mr. Dial actively participated in over 200 policy meetings. If he had a job, this wouldn’t have been possible. He was able to spend several days at a time in those policy meetings.  Without that support and participation by Mr. Dial, Ketchikan could have seen further lockdowns that would have further negatively impacted our local economy. Businesses and families were already struggling to with the lockdowns, loss of income and inflation.

Mr. Dial created a plan to conduct a community wide risk assessment. The City and Borough joined, working together to identify all impacts from the pandemic to the community providing a document that our City Mayor and Borough Mayor, together, used to advocate for additional money and support from the state.

All the while, Mr. Dial advocated that the Borough remain objective and stay out of divisive issues, to remain focused on quality services and affordable costs for our community. Including cutting his own Mayor’s budget and not spending it since being elected. He has remained a strong advocate for public safety, ways to reduce the Opioid Epidemic, using his experience as a Commander of the Troopers in SE Alaska.

We have continued to face difficult times, as inflation continues to soar, costs of fuel, food and basic needs rise. We need a Mayor with the experience and proven ability to bring in State and Federal funding to have a balanced budget.

Respectfully,

Sharyl E. Yeisley
Ketchikan, Alaska  

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Received September 29, 2022 - Published September 30, 2022

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