(Courtesy: Dennis Robinson)

This week, KUCB is profiling candidates running in the Oct. 7 municipal election. This profile focuses on Dennis Robinson, who’s running against Yudelka Leclere to keep his seat on City Council.

Dennis Robinson’s four terms on city council span four decades. He’s seen a lot of transformation in that time – first, the growth of the fishing industry, and now, shipping and oil. Through it all, Robinson says one concern has risen to the top:  

"The housing issue will make or break our ability to capitalize to our fullest on these new developments," he says, "because without the housing, we won’t have the workers to handle the work required to support new opportunities."

But he doesn’t want to see the city itself building any more new housing. Instead, he has ideas for how they can help others do the job: like tax breaks for new housing complexes, or city-funded utility extensions into places people could live.

Robinson wants to make it easier for developers to give back to the community – but he doesn’t want to boost one group more than any other. He says he tries to be fair to everyone in his decision-making.

"I have some strong opinions. And the people that support me, that call me, have opinions also," he says. "I try to represent all aspects of the community -- and there are some things that just stink."

He’s talking mainly about the city’s process for hiring contractors. Robinson doesn’t like that council tends to pick the same low bidders for every city project. He voted in favor of a recent change giving council more tools to choose different companies, but he thinks they can still do more.

"Possibly what we can look at is not taking the lowest bidder, but … the company that bids right in the middle, to be the preferred contractor," Robinson says. "And that’ll require an awful lot of work and sharpening of the pen of all contractors that are going to be bidding. Basically meaning they’ll have to do their homework."

That would have big implications for people like Bill Shaishnikoff, who owns Bering Shai Rock and Gravel. But all in all, Shaishnikoff says he’s agreed with Robinson’s approach to contracting at recent meetings. He likes that Robinson isn’t afraid to be the dissenting vote -- and he likes who Robinson represents on council: 

"He’s a local. He’s Native. He was born here and raised here. He has seen all the changes," says Shaishnikoff. "He’s got a great history of where we’ve come from and where we think we’re going – and not that the other council members haven’t, I mean, most of them have a long history here as well. But Dennis has been through it, and he’s always been concerned about the local people."

Shaishnikoff and Robinson served together on the Ounalashka Corporation board, and Robinson says they're also distant cousins by marriage.

Robinson is fond of pointing out that Unalaska’s locals lived on the island before industry developed here, and that they’ll be here once it’s gone.

"Just being Native, I have a little more of a soft spot for the history in this community than most do on the council. My definition of long-term differs than theirs," he says. "My long-term is not 20 or 30 years. My longterm is my great-grandchildren’s great-grandchildren in their time. What are we doing now that will affect them is very important to me."

That's why he’s aiming for his fifth term on council -- hoping to see some of the changes he’s worked toward for years come to bear.

Dennis Robinson is running to keep City Council Seat D. He’ll face off against his challenger, Yudelka Leclere, and answer your questions live on KUCB or Channel 8 Thursday at 7 p.m. during our Candidates Forum.

This story has been updated to clarify Dennis Robinson's family ties to Bill Shaishnikoff.