Contributed by Dolores “Dee” McKee
I am Dolores “Dee” McKee, candidate for Borough Assembly Seat 3, a lifelong Alaska raised in Fairbanks. My husband and I operated a couple of small businesses both in Fairbanks and the Mat Su. We adopted two toddlers from El Salvador and 28 years ago, my husband, two sons, and I moved to the Mat Su with an assortment of cats, dogs, and other critters. I was blessed to be able to be a stay at home Mom, attending UAA in the evenings to add a Special Education certification to my teaching credential and Bachelor’s of Business Administration, minor in economics, from UAF.
I am beginning my 25th year of teaching middle school at PJMS – having taught math, science, social studies, health, and Spanish. I was honored to be selected as a British Petroleum Teacher of Excellence and KTVA Teacher of the Week, both of which awards resulted from student nominations.
Things that matter to me? I am a fierce defender of our First and Second Amendments. Every voice should be heard without fear of retribution, and our Second Amendment rights are second nature to Alaskans. As a teacher, I am devoted to sending my students along their life journey prepared not only with the subject I teach but with life and employability skills, a passion for patriotism, and a desire for excellence. The majority of our budget is allocated to the School District and I support that; however, as a teacher in the trenches every day I am not sure funding is always allocated in a way that best supports our students. Our performance expenditure for each student is among the highest in the nation and Alaska’s performance is last or near last. While the Mat Su does better than some parts of the State, with our funding we should be top of the heap. We deserve a better return on our investment and our kids deserve better. I guarantee you, the teachers give it everything we have but there is a disconnect somewhere. We need to identify the problem, look at what’s happening in the more successful regions of the U.S., consider the solutions, and git ‘er done!
Wasilla is open for business and has been open throughout the pandemic, but it is time to examine the necessity of all the permitting, licensing, qualifying, and other restrictions that make it difficult to do business or enter the marketplace.
Road Service Areas - Some of our roads were built decades ago and have fallen into disrepair. We have to come up with a solution to pay for the multi-million dollar bond for repair of borough roads. Will it be sales tax, alcohol tax, gasoline tax, increased mill rate?
Port MacKenzie - I won’t belabor the Port MacKenzie issue- it has gotten a lot of press; however, if we are to continue with a project that has cost us tens of millions of dollars, has an annual maintenance fee of $2.5 million, an $8.3 million debt we owe to the feds, and a $7 million grant from the feds for piling sleeves (which didn’t come for free – the borough taxpayers are out $1.9 million in matching funds), has severe geologic restrictions such as ice buildup and heavy currents, and is in competition with the safer, more easily accessible ports of Anchorage and Sewar, and has only made $1.9 million over the last ten years, perhaps we need to proceed with the $200,000 appropriation set aside by the Assembly for a study to see if there is even a market for the port before we continue to pour taxpayer dollars into what seems to be a money pit. Not saying we shouldn’t do it – but if all we have going for us is magical thinking, we need to rein this project in and evaluate it objectively. If we don’t, it could go the way of the ferry which cost our taxpayers $70 million and was ultimately sold for $2.5 million without ever having been in service.
Finally, you can probably tell I am a fiscal and constitutional conservative – government has to tighten its belt so you can hang on to your wallet. But as a teacher, I have become a bit more moderate on social issues. Our student clientele comes from many diverse backgrounds and I generally have a live and let live perspective, with some exceptions - Critical Race Theory which our school board has determined will not be taught (bless them!), appreciation for the Constitution and love of country, accountability by students, community, and government, an appreciation for the environment borne of a deep love for this incredible Alaska, and a determination that we can develop the borough responsibly so that our kids and grandkids can call this place home for at least as long as I have.