Unalaska City Hall. KUCB file photo.

The only contested race on Unalaska’s ballot on Tuesday is for Seat G on the Unalaska City Council. Former police officer John Waldron is vying for the seat against longtime local politician Frank Kelty.

Both candidates are experienced politicians. Unalaska residents are familiar with Frank Kelty from eight years as a City Council member and his ten years as Mayor. John Waldron was elected to the borough assembly and school board in Yakutat and served as a police officer here in Unalaska. 

For Waldron, the biggest problem is Unalaska is the cost of housing, and in turn the cost of living.

“It’s been a big issue. I think the city needs to look outside the box of traditional building and buying lots and things of that nature and either develop some land or get someone in here that can help develop land,” said Waldron.

He suggested the city could partner with the Qawalangin Tribe to build housing. He thinks it would be a smart investment for the city because more developed lots mean more revenue from property taxes and utilities.

Waldron says if elected, he will also work to foster entrepreneurialism.

“One of the things I think the city could look at is providing loans at lower interest rates for businesses that want to start up if they have a good business plan or something of that nature. And investing in local people to bring some more economy into the city,” said Waldron.

For Kelty, a key issue is not so much the cost of living, it’s the cost of just getting here.

“I think the costs once you get here are manageable but I think the high cost of airfare is going to be a really stumbling block for us,” said Kelty.

Kelty says if elected, he will continue pushing for lower airfares and building the tourism industry.

“I think I’m a very strong advocate for the community and have been for 30 plus years, either as a council member or in fisheries position,” Kelty said.

Both candidates expressed concern for local businesses that may suffer because of Shell abandoning its Arctic drilling program.

“I’m a fish first guy, always have been. So I wasn’t really on the bandwagon of…not totally supporting Arctic drilling because of concerns of environmental protection issues if there were an accident up there,” said Kelty.

For Waldron, there’s no question that climate change needs to be addressed and the city needs to take a proactive stance.

“Even as locals, you can’t just jump in a boat and take a 15-minute ride to catch a crab anymore, as subsistence; you have to go further away. Granted that has something to do with the fishing industry itself, but who knows what else is happening with the warmer waters and things of that nature. We probably need to look at how is that going to affect us in the long run and what are we going to do to change that.,” said Waldron.

Kelty recently retired after 15 years as the city’s Resource Analyst.

“I balanced a fulltime job working as the seafood plant manager plus being the mayor and a council member for many years.  It took a lot of time away from my family, but now that I don’t have a full time job I think my efforts to work on school board and city council will not be an issue,” said Kelty.

Kelty is running for both city council and school board. He doesn’t foresee any conflicts of interest because the school board is a non-paid position. If he were elected to both offices, he says he may want to “stand down” when the council votes on the school budget. 

Waldron says he left his job as a Unalaska police officer this year for “personal reasons.” That clears the way for him to run for political office now. He said he’s been involved in politics – in one form or another - since he was in high school. When he lived in Yakutat, he was elected to the school board and borough assembly at the same time, as his opponent is now seeking to do.

Correction (10/02/15) : A previous version of this story misidentified the tribe Waldron suggested the City could partner with in building housing. He referred to the Qawalangin Tribe, not the Ounalashka Corporation.