Volume 8 number 9, September 2006 Tending his Garden: Mike Musick Runs for Borough Assembly In an interview on September 8 Mike Musick said, “When I was in college I took a philosophy class and the one thing I remember best is a quote by Voltaire: he said, ‘Tend your own garden.’ Years later, that has still stuck with me.” Musick is one of two candidates running for Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly Seat G, which the winner will hold for three years. Musick’s competition in the race is Bonnie Williams, whom he describes as having very different views from his own, though he appreciates the work she has done in office. Musick has been in Alaska full-time since 1961, and a resident of Ester since 1974. In that time he has been very active in community projects, particularly in Ester. He said, “I moved to Ester during the pipeline days and since then I have seen it really grow and develop.” Some of the projects Musick has been involved in include serving on the planning committee for the construction of the firehouse, which led to the creation of the Ester Community Park, and serving on the repair/planning committee for the local community hall, Hartung Hall. Today he is involved in planning for the future John Trigg Ester Library building. Musick said, “I’ve had a longtime interest in building my own home community and now that my children are grown and living in other parts of Fairbanks, that community extends to the entire borough.” With that in mind Musick coined his campaign slogan, “Building Community,” which he proposes to accomplish through work on education, taxes, economic development, and land use. He believes that education should be the number one priority for the borough and he would like to see local schools fully funded to the extent possible. He also advocates for closer coordination between trades and secondary schools. He said, “I don’t want this [the coordination] to happen at the exclusion of going to college, but I want our local youth to know what their options are and know what local trade unions are looking for in workers.” Musick also supports collective bargaining agreements, which he believes promote honesty on all sides. He said, “When someone makes an agreement, it’s important they stick to it.” In Musick’s opinion the best way to increase tax revenue is through economic development. He proposes that the borough focus on creating a greater tax base, not new or higher taxes. But, he said, “I think sinners should pay,” referring to so-called “sin taxes,” which include taxes on items such as alcohol and tobacco. Musick believes the best way to promote economic development is for profits from current resource extraction to be invested into sustainable development programs and renewable energy. As a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professional, Musick has experience working toward such goals. LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Musick is currently working as the project manager for the Cold Climate Housing Research Center being constructed at UAF. The last focus of Musick’s platform concerns land use. He believes that Fairbanks needs to plan for growth. As a longtime resident he has seen a tremendous change in the local population. He said, “During the pipeline days people came here to make money and then they left, but now they are staying. People are here for the long run and we need to look to the future. I’ve been here for nearly fifty years and my children will probably be here for fifty more. We need to plan for their generation.” Musick believes that local population levels are already reaching the limits for healthy community impact. However, he also believes it is possible to protect community resources while promoting long-term sustainability. He proposes to accomplish this through a three-tiered approach in which community, economy, and environment are considered on equal terms. He said, “Balance is the key. If we go astray in any direction it is not sustainable.” What this means is that any proposition that comes before the assembly must benefit all three elements (community, economy, environment) or it will not gain Musick’s support. When asked why he would be a good addition to the borough assembly he said: “I have the time and interest to support sustainable economic development and at the same time protect the environment for the benefit of the community. I’m here for the long run.” Editor’s note: Bonnie Williams is also running for seat G, but did not respond to the reporter’s attempts to contact her for an interview. | ||
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