Wayne Morgan of Aniak said he’s been mulling over the idea of serving on the Alaska Legislature for years. But his life has been dedicated to public service. He’s running as an independent to replace Alaska’s longest-serving state legislator, Sen. Lyman Hoffman, representing Senate District S.
Morgan has served on an alphabet soup of state and tribal boards, commissions, and committees on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta – from education and health care, to economic development and fisheries. He spent more than a dozen years as board president of the regional Kuspuk School District. He’s the current board president of the Association of Village Council Presidents Regional Housing Authority.
Morgan has served as Aniak’s traditional chief for the past 16 years, and he’s coached high school basketball in the community for nearly three decades.
Morgan spoke to KYUK from Aniak about what he can bring to Senate District S if elected next fall.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
KYUK (Evan Erickson): What factored into your decision to run as an independent?
Morgan: Yes, I am undeclared, unaffiliated, never was into a party, Republican or Democrat ever since I registered to vote, and it's always been, I’ve always been comfortable with that. I do not want to be drawn into a line of, you know, decisions because of your party you belong to. I don't feel comfortable being that kind of representative. I like to be open and flexible with any decision-making moving forward.
KYUK: What are your thoughts on maintaining Sen. Lyman Hoffman's legacy in the legislature, versus forging a new path for your district?
Morgan: If elected, I would build on that legacy coming in. I would be new, but not new to politics, my past experience with numerous boards I have been on. [...] Our schools, continuing and supporting school capital improvement projects [that are] greatly needed within our aging schools. Also new school construction, which Mr. Hoffman was very successful in in our region, is to continue that. [The] Kuspuk School District in my region has some of the oldest schools within our region. Other programs that benefit the kids that are from our rural areas need to be funded, like vocational education, which is not funded, those I would be focusing on.
Weatherization within our region is much needed after this longest cold spell we ever had in many years that I have known, even more so now that is needed, weatherization funding for our current housing stock for privately owned homes. We need weatherization and working through RurAL CAP and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation to make sure that those projects are ongoing. Village Safe Water [is] still [a] continuing need for our region and [the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium], that also does that same thing. Village sewer systems and fresh water within our communities, that is a priority.
KYUK: What are your thoughts on the proposed Donlin gold mine?
Morgan: The Donlin Gold project, I worked for them for eight, nine years [...] from 2010 till 2018 [in] community and public relations. It's traveling to villages and explaining what the proposed project is about, and what the plan is for the project to our villages throughout everywhere within the Y-K Delta, Calista, AVCP region. At the time, I was on the [Aniak] tribal council. Our tribal council passed a resolution in support of the project back in the earlier days, but rescinded that resolution in support and went to neutral with that. And much of that decision was because of the barging coming through the river. I feel it's going to greatly impact our region and our activities that we do in and around our villages, along the river, I feel that it's going to impact us a lot. And for 30-plus years, that's a great impact. So I don't think people know the amount of impact that would cause our residents and our subsistence activities in the region.
KYUK: Do you have any specific ideas for addressing high energy costs?
Morgan: I wish there was more control in the region from the state side. [...] I believe the [Regulatory Commission of Alaska] has control in decisions that are made [...] but they don't exercise their control. I see evidence of that two years ago, when our utility within Aniak raised our cost four times as much as what it would be, and the RCA approved that, which was very wrong in my eyes. [...] RCA could have done more for us in the region, and they have the powers to, but they didn't exercise those powers. Energy is, within utilities, it's much up to the community, left to the community without any state involvement to address [that], [unless] it comes past [an] emergency, like multiple days or weeks without power in some of our communities. That really affects that community when they do not have power, like Akiak and Tuluksak. It's left up to the community to fend for themselves and to ask for help [...] I believe there is [a] policy, but it's not being followed or looked into. A lot of the work within energy is always focused along the railbelt, hardly any focus within the rural areas of our state. And it's up to the rural areas to create ideas, to move ahead and work with private entities to get projects done in their community.
KYUK: What role do you believe the state should play in assisting communities severely impacted by last October's storms?
Morgan: Coordination. The state should be involved [...] Working for the [the Association of Village Council Presidents Regional Housing Authority], being on the board of commissioners, the housing authority [...] wasn't in charge of anything, just had to work with a nonprofit to get things done within Kipnuk and Kwigillingok. The feds came in with a lot of money and didn't know where to put the money to and who's in charge of what. Even the National Guard came in. So there was a lot of [...] who's coordinating what, and what village, and what project in that village. You had the National Guard, you had AVCP, Inc. having a lot of the FEMA dollars [...] flow through to get things done. But there was no leadership and coordination with how you address those kinds of issues to get these communities rebuilt [...] Because we're not going to be done with Kipnuk and Kwig. Which village is next, like up north [...] those communities like Kotzebue, Kivalina, those close to the ocean. A lot of our villages are very close to the ocean, Hooper Bay, Chevak, you know, very large communities. Are we ready for them moving ahead?
KYUK: Is there anything else that you'd like to add?
Morgan: I believe I'd be a great choice for Senate District S, one of the largest districts within the state of Alaska, because of my public service throughout my life, with many boards that I've been on [...] where you have to amend policies, create policies, procedures, ordinances, and laws. So I'm very familiar with that kind of work, with advocating and providing testimony to state, federal, local agencies, committees, and commissions. It's always been my focus, improving not only our sustainability in our region, but for the region as a whole.
