Unalaska will have a seat at the table in helping Bill Walker get ready for the governor’s office.

Mayor Shirley Marquardt will head up Walker’s transition subcommittee on infrastructure. And city manager Chris Hladick is part of the subcommittee on Arctic policy. They’re volunteer positions, leading up to Walker’s inauguration Dec. 1.

Marquardt says she’s worked with Walker in the past. She also showed support for him during his campaign.

"We’ve talked to each other over the years about a lot of these issues," she says. "We’ve talked a lot about visions for the state; we’ve talked a lot about process and things that work well within the state for municipalities and things that don’t."

That’ll come in handy with the infrastructure group, she says -- as will two decades of experience with public works development in Unalaska. But she knows the state’s budget is tight. So she hopes her committee can give Walker a long view on what upgrades are needed.

And she thinks this will be a more productive transition process than the last one she took part in. That was for outgoing Gov. Sean Parnell, six years ago. Now:

"I feel much more confident that we’re going to come out with some good products, with a good vision, with some good ideas, that are actually going to see the light at the end of the tunnel in the legislature," she says.

The 17 transition groups will meet all weekend, compiling advice and ideas for Walker’s administration. After that, Marquardt says she’ll know more specifics about the plans he’s bringing into office.