Unalaska, AK – On October 2, Unalaskans will go to the polls to pick a mayor and two city council members. Nine candidates are vying for the three positions and next week, Unalaska Community Broadcasting will be giving you a chance to ask them the questions that matter to you as a voter at our Candidate's Forum. That event will be held live in the Burma Road Chapel on September 27 and broadcast on Channel 8. If you have questions for the candidates, you can ask them in person that evening, or you can submit them ahead of time by e-mailing us at news@kial.org.

This week here at KIAL News we're briefly introducing you to the candidates in the mayor's race. Incumbent Shirley Marquardt is facing off against challengers Katherine McGlashan and Shannon Morrison. We profiled Marquardt yesterday. Today, we look at Katherine McGlashan.
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Katherine McGlashan is in her sixth year as a member of the Unalaska City Council, to which she was appointed before being elected to two terms, the second of which ends next October. She also spent two years on the Qawalangin Tribal Council and the Parks Culture & Recreation Advisory Board, and served on several local committees.

McGlashan is making communication the theme of her mayoral campaign. She says she can do a better job of reaching out to the citizens of Unalaska, and that if she were elected she would start a regular newsletter for the community from its elected officials.

"I think that I'm approachable, and that I can communicate much better with the community, the employees and the council," she says.

McGlashan has one of the most fiscally conservative voting records on the city council, and in meetings she has often called for tighter budgets for proposed projects like a citywide recycling program and bathrooms for Unalaska's small boat harbor. She says that as mayor she would work with the council to ensure that any budget surpluses the city ends up with would be at least partially set aside for the city's numerous capital projects. She also wants to see the city continue pressing on with geothermal exploration around Makushin Volcano.

McGlashan faces a tough battle against the incumbent Marquardt and challenger Shannon Morrison, who has the support of the city's unionized employees in the midst of a contentious contract negotiation with the city government. But she says she's still confident, and welcomes the competition.

"I think it's wonderful that there's two other people running for mayor, along with the other two council seats," she says. "I'm just excited there's more than one choice--it's going to be a good race."

The election is October 2. We'll be profiling the third candidate, Shannon Morrison, tomorrow here on the Evening News.