Name: Kathy Bolling
Age: 66
Occupation: Academic Librarian
Where are you from? How long have you lived in Ketchikan?
Born here, lived across the state. Cumulative years in Ketchikan about 55.
What is your community involvement, past and present?
Girl Scouting, Ketchikan Community Foundation, First City Players, KAAHC Wearable Art Show for decades, belly dance/bhangra troupes, helped with all my children’s school activities, fostered dozens of animals for Ketchikan Humane Society. Through the Assembly I serve on the Museum Advisory Board, the Library Advisory board, the Investment committee and the Joint Cooperative Relations committee for the City and Borough governments.
Have you previously run for public office? When and what office?
Ran and won a seat on the Borough Assembly in 2023
Why are you running for borough assembly?
I grew up in a family where service and volunteering was valued and modeled. From childhood, I’ve built relationships across the community and work hard to represent everyone who makes Ketchikan home. I am motivated to keep Ketchikan a place where my grandchildren can also thrive.
What are your top priorities if elected?
Using the Comprehensive plan as a guide. This was a community wide effort creating goals and strategies to reach those goals. Examples include under transportation and public facilities: strengthening regional and inter island connectivity. Addressing housing by partnering with employers on workforce housing solutions. Under the health and wellness section you’ll find childcare which is vital to our workforce. We need to do what we can to support working families and ease housing pressures.
What is your position on the ballot proposition asking for the transfer of library powers?
I haven’t made a decision on this yet. It makes sense that an area-wide service would be a Borough department. The creators of the initiative heard concerns about representation and funding battles, so decided to give Ketchikan residents the chance to vote their preference. Bear in mind that non-areawide Borough money comes with a scope of work and a member on the Library Advisory board. Currently Borough residents who live in the City are covering their share of operating funds and the cost of the building bond. Area-wide powers would more equally distribute the cost of the Library. Adding another Borough department will raise taxes slightly because we are adding services. We could do it with property and/or sales tax. We could also take a hard look at the cost of our other departments. It’s weird that some of my fellow Assembly members are so agitated about equalizing the tax burden of one department. Planning and Zoning, Public Works, Parks and Rec, all of our departments have had cost increases. The Borough staff work diligently to keep costs contained. It is clear that folks outside City limits want to pay for Library access. My concern is, if the Library becomes a Borough department, and even if it doesn’t, the Assembly as a whole will cut the Library’s budget so much that the staff will have to make a “Sophie’s Choice” over who will get services and who won’t. Do residents want to remove services for the home bound or toddlers or those without internet at home? Let’s not get in a position where we are making those choices.
Do you think the borough is doing an adequate job keeping up with infrastructure and community needs that come with increasing tourism? If not, what steps should be taken to address it?
One step in the right direction was managing the tour vans at Bugge Beach and South Pt Higgins Beach. Before we talk about limiting visitor numbers we need to talk about distributing their impact. More small businesses, more trails, and more bathrooms should be priorities. We all need to support the Tourism Best Management Practices program that started in Ketchikan in 2021. It gives everyone a voice to share a concern or a compliment.
What are ways the assembly can address the housing affordability crisis?
The Borough has already done a bunch of work to streamline zoning requirements and making land available. Additional unit grants are available for folks to add a living quarter onto their home or lot. On a broader scale the Borough has been active in the Homestead Forest subdivision to extend the Old Dairy Road right of way into a very large parcel of property the Borough already owns which is a prime site for a housing development. We’ve supported grants for housing initiatives in the City of Saxman and establish a partnership with RuRAL CAP’s mutual help housing program. Progress may appear slow, but it is steady.
What is your position on school funding? Do you think the borough should be funding the school district to the maximum allowable by state law?
Should we invest whatever we can into our children’s education? Yes. And we need to lobby for a healthy Basic Student allotment (BSA) from the State.
Describe one piece of legislation you would like to bring forward as an assembly member, and explain how you think it should be funded.
Create a strategy, relationships, and lobbying efforts to inflation proof the commercial passenger vessel tax or at a minimum increase it to the original purchasing power it had in 2016. Our costs for the extra EMS services, transit services, and trail improvements we pay for with CPV funds have increased with inflation and other expenses. We want to be good hosts and need those funds to meet the needs of our guests. We already have lobbying contracts and that with staff time may not require additional out-of-pocket expenses. It may mean that other work by staff would be lower in priority.
