About 60 residents of the Goldhill area of Fairbanks, sometimes called the Ester Lump, gathered Saturday for a bonfire and a meet-and-greet with Republican candidates for the Legislature, mayor, assembly, and school board.
The event, organized by Assembly member Barbara Haney at the home of Karla Secor, included state Senate candidate Mike Cronk, House of Representative candidate Ruben McNeil, mayoral candidate John Coghill, Assembly candidates Miguel Ramirez, Tammie Wilson, and Jimi Cash, and school board candidates Loa Hubbard and April Smith.
Ester has a growing number of Republicans and conservative-leaning voters in the district, but a Republican event in Ester is still a rare thing. This one came shortly after two heavily attended fundraisers hosted by Gov. Mike Dunleavy in Fairbanks for Rep. Frank Tomaszewski and mayoral candidate John Coghill.
For Rep. Mike Cronk, now running for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Click Bishop, this event was like a homecoming of sorts. Cronk has several family members who are long-time residents of the neighborhood, where the Cronk kids were well known and popular. Even though Mike Cronk moved from Ester to Northway while he was young, he’s maintained ties to the area through his aunt and uncle and extended family.
Residents had one-on-one conversations with the candidates about issues that mattered to them, while a bonfire was the center of activity for hotdogs and marshmallows.
The Goldhill area is one that has been hard hit by homeless people squatting on private property, sometimes even inside people’s houses, sheds, or garages, while owners are away. Ester also has a mining community, and some members expressed concern with the “anti-mining” mindset of the current borough Assembly under the leadership of Savannah Fletcher.
Other area residents discussed the challenges in meeting the documentation requirements by the borough assessor for the agriculture exemption, and other assessment issues. Overly aggressive assessments, excessive document requirements, and unreasonable timelines under the new appeal process have been an on-going area of concern by residents throughout the FNSB borough, and Ester residents were no exception.
Under the new appeal process passed under Fletcher’s leadership, it is practically impossible to file an appeal under the 10-day timeline. As one attendee noted, “By the time a person receives the letter to allow the appeal, the 10-day deadline to appeal is passed. It doesn’t seem fair.”
Saturday was an opportunity for candidates to listen to the concerns of Ester residents. Rather than coming in with a platform of ideas, the candidates came to listen to what mattered most to residents.
