By SEN. ROBERT MYERS
Four years ago, John Coghill and I were adversaries on the ballot. Today, I am proud to endorse him as the next Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor. He is a man of faith and principle who can lead our borough for the next three years.
After growing up in Nenana, John served our country for four years in the United State Air Force. His service sent him halfway around the world to England. Many young people who grow up here move away on reaching adulthood. John had the opportunity to do so through the Air Force and chose to return to make Fairbanks his home. He has been committed to our community ever since.
After our Senate race was decided four years ago, he didn’t shrink away from public life. He remained active in the community and offered himself for advice to me and others. That humility is the heart of a leader.
Most notably from his subsequent activities, John has been working at the Fairbanks Rescue Mission. He wants to provide hope, dignity, and a path forward for the less advantaged in our community. He is putting the people of Fairbanks first.
Along the way, John’s experience has reinforced his views on what our borough needs. The Rescue Mission is one of many non-profits serving our community. Like its neighbor the Food Bank across the street, the Rescue Mission is aware of being put in the crosshairs of the borough assessor trying to tax the property of our non-profits. This is in contradiction of the explicit wording of our state’s constitution in article IX, section 4 and multiple state Supreme Court decisions.
As mayor, John will have the ability and fortitude to rein in the excesses of the borough assessor targeting these non-profits. He recognizes that we are stronger as a community with these non-profits reaching out to help our fellow community members instead of leaving all the work for government. He knows that, when you write a check to the Rescue Mission or the Food Bank, you want your money going to help people, not pay lawyer bills to fight with the borough.
John’s work at the Mission has also given him perspective on how tough the cost of living has gotten in the last few years in Fairbanks. With food, fuel, and other prices rising quickly, he recognizes that raising our property taxes right now could be the difference between a family being able to stay in their home or not.
As we have discovered over the last couple of years, the mayor has a huge role to play in maintaining the tax cap through responsible budgets that leave some headroom instead of having budgets that always bump fully up against the cap. John recognizes this role and will support keeping our taxes low and not challenging the cap.
Fairbanks needs a mayor who understands our values, stands by his convictions, and is committed to our community’s future. John has planted his roots deep here and will continue to contribute to the best of his ability. Please join me in voting for John Coghill for our borough mayor on Oct. 1.
Sen. Robert Myers serves in the Alaska Legislature for Senate Seat Q. Myers was born in Fairbanks, Alaska. He spent much of his young childhood at the Salchaket Roadhouse, which his parents owned.
