The best way to deal with growth is for the city to stick with the codes it has and work with developers instead of fighting against them, he said.

But growth without limits is a bad thing, especially in a town like Homer where one of it’s biggest selling points is quality of life, he said.

Zak said he would work on more positive, planned and progressive growth including interlocking trail systems and subdivisions with aesthetic requirements. He pointed to the town center as an example.

Zak has lived in Homer for nearly two years and in Alaska for eight. He owns Alaska Adventure Cabins in town and said he has watched the community change in a short period of time.

“We are on the cusp of something in Homer. It’s changed a lot in the past two or three years,” Zak said. “Now that we have a road down here a lot more people are coming. We have a lot of views and beauty and vistas, and we can lose it (without proper planning.)”

Homesteaders and people who own large tracts of land should not be forced to subdivide and sell because property taxes get too high, he said, so he will work to cap the existing tax.

And he wants to work to boost jobs and the educational opportunities for the area’s young people in order to make Homer an even better place to raise a family.

As the population base increases, more businesses like Fred Meyer will want to set up shop in town. That will provide more jobs and better prices on every day goods, he said.

And as technology increases, more people will be able to come to Homer and work in a variety of different fields.

In order to realize this vision, infrastructure, like a natural gas line to Homer and an improved city and water system are key, he said.

To accomplish this, Zak said council members must remain vigilant.

“You need to listen to the voice of the people, have a duty to the residents of Homer, not allocating spending funds unnecessarily,” he said. “The budgetary process is the main concern. And we’re going to have to provide services at the same time.”

Zak said he would bring working knowledge of preparing budgets and understanding covenants to the council, but he also understands people. And they need to work together to find a common ground.

People who have never voted before should become involved because change is inevitable, Zak said. And with its natural beauty and a more business friendly environment, more people from various backgrounds will come to town.

The council needs to listen to these people.

“You need to have compassion for those folks and find out ways that we can help them,” Zak said.

He also would like to see quarterly surveys of the council asking the public to weigh in on how the city is doing.

“The city council is there for everyone in the city,” Zak said. “A lot of people feel like the city council can’t do anything for them, and I’d like to change that.”