Longtime Ketchikan City Council member Judy Zenge is running for reelection. Zenge is currently vice mayor and has served on the council for over a decade.
She is running for a three-year term on the council. There are 3 three-year seats up for grabs in the upcoming municipal election.
KRBD’s Hunter Morrison sat down with Zenge to talk about why she’s running — and what she hopes to accomplish if reelected.
Hunter Morrison: Why are you running for city council?
Judy Zenge: Well, you know, I think that now that we’ve seated a manager, we can get down to work. I mean, we’ve had a lot of really good people working as acting [managers], but now we have one that we’ve seated. He’s familiar with the community. He’s taking this seriously. I think I have something to offer there.
Morrison: And could you elaborate on some of your priorities?
Zenge: First and foremost, of course, there’s a budget, and the hospital lease review. I think that’s going to take some work. I’d really like us to focus on this debate on tourism. You know, I was instrumental in starting the tourism advisory board, which I think, once it’s all set up, is going to be great. I think we need to look at the numbers. Do we really need to limit it, or do we just need to learn how to manage it better? I think those are very important questions that we need to answer. Community grants — the number is increasing. We need to take a look at how we’re going to fund that. And yeah, those would be the main ones. And of course, there’s homelessness. There’s a plethora of topics that we are going to have to cover this year, and none of them are going to be easy decisions.
Morrison: Gotcha. And you know, during your time on the council, what is something that you’ve done that you’re proud of?
Zenge: You know, I don’t know that I’ve done anything personally. I think as a group, we focused on a lot of things. I think this year, one of the things that I’m really excited about is the tourism advisory board. I’m excited about the work that we’ve started doing on the hospital lease review. That’s going to take some time, and of course, seating the new manager would probably be my top priority. Being a part of that was really important.
Morrison: And outside of your tenure on the council, what other community engagement roles, leadership roles make you equipped for this role?
Zenge: You know, I’ve worn a lot of hats in this community. I’m a court reporter. I’ve been a guardian ad litem, a court visitor, small business owner, a foster parent. I advocate for seniors. I’m the mall manager, and I’ve been a councilwoman for 12 years. So I think if you combine all of that and all the different folks that I’ve had the opportunity to deal with and talk to and advocate for, I think I have the experience to continue my work, and I enjoy the work.
Morrison: And outside of what you’ve already mentioned, what is something that you’d like listeners to know about you?
Zenge: I come prepared to every council meeting. I take the work seriously. I’m very approachable. People come into my office all the time to discuss various things. I’m going to vote for the community. I’m very independent. I look at each issue separately, and I go out and do my homework. And I still love this community.
