Alejandro "Bong" Tungul

This week, KUCB is profiling candidates running in the October 1st municipal election. Today, we hear from Alejandro “Bong” Tungul, who is running unopposed for his first full term in city council seat F.

Tungul had thought about putting his name in for city council for almost a decade.

Then, Zac Schasteen’s seat opened up this spring. At the meeting where council was supposed to elect a replacement, they couldn’t agree on a candidate. So Tungul took action. He stood up and announced his wish to serve, and was sworn in on the spot.

It’s been six months since Tungul took office. And he says the short term was an ideal introduction:

"If you think you don’t like it, you always not run when November comes, you have a couple of months or three to decide. I think I’m starting to like it now that I’m starting to understand the council’s role in the community, so I’m going to give it another couple years and run," said Tungul.

Tungul is running unopposed. He emphasizes that he’s still learning the ropes and figuring out how to be an effective council member. Tungul’s got a long history in the community. He moved to Unalaska in 1979 and took a job at Aleutian Mercantile.

Now, Tungul manages the Gas ‘n’ Go for North Pacific Fuel. He says he meets a lot of different people in the course of his work. And with a wide network of contacts, he thinks he’s ready to represent the city’s diverse population base.

"My main objective is just for the community, it’s for everybody," said Tungul. "I’m not participating in there for one company, or, I’m in there for the community, for the people of the community."

That’s why Tungul’s focused on big-picture issues, like infrastructure. Tungul says that as Unalaska continues to expand, it’s going to be important to maintain the city’s roads.  

"It’s a good start, the city is doing a lot now before I even got in there. I want to make sure it continues in there.  I want to see more guardrails put alongside on the water side. That’s pretty much to make all the people driving safe," said Tungul.   

Other priorities for Tungul are transportation and shipping. He says the city should do everything it can to encourage more airlines to serve the area. He also wants to see Unalaska make better shipping arrangements, to help construction progress progress smoothly and on budget.

And he wants to make sure there are lots of economic opportunities in town for the next generation.

"I want to see them come back here after leaving the place after graduating, make sure they can come back and do something for the community too," said Tungul.

That hits home -- Tungul is married with four kids, ranging from age 11 to 30. He wants a bright future for them and all of the young people who grow up here. After they leave the island to pursue an education, Tungul wants to make sure Unalaska can recapture their talent.

And in case you’re wondering, the nickname Bong comes from his family in the Philippines. Middle names and nicknames were crucial growing up because Tungul and his five brothers are all named Alejandro.

"And then the seventh one is my dad," said Tungul.

Plus, it’s the middle name of one of his grandchildren.

Alejandro “Bong” Tungul is running unopposed for City Council seat F.  He will appear live on KUCB and Channel 8 on Thursday at 7 pm to answer your questions in this year’s Candidates Forum.