Mako Haggerty - candidate for borough assembly </MCC HEAD>

Story last updated at 9:23 PM on Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Mako Haggerty - candidate for borough assembly

Haggerty wants to give southern peninsula voice on assembly

BY McKibben Jackinsky
STAFF WRITER

Mako Haggerty candidate for borough assembly

Giving the southern Kenai Peninsula a voice is the reason Mako Haggerty, owner and operator of Mako's Water Taxi, is running for election for Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, District 9, areas of the southern Kenai Peninsula excluding the city of Homer. It is a three-year term.

"It felt like our area needed a voice and I'm particularly concerned about the south side of the bay," Haggerty said of his decision to run for office.

His familiarity with Kachemak Bay's southern shoreline -- the people who live there and the issues important to them -- is based on the amount of contact he has with that area year round through his business. It has equipped him with "a good understanding of the concerns of the residents that surround Homer," he said of a portion of the peninsula he believes gets "overlooked in borough politics."

In addition, Haggerty said serving on the assembly was a way he could give back to the area in which he lives and works.

Rather than comparing himself to or criticizing the two other candidates running for District 9, Haggerty pointed to his longstanding involvement in community issues as reasons voters should choose him on Oct. 6. He currently serves on Cook Inletkeeper's board of directors and is president of Friends of Kachemak Bay State Park. In the past, he served on the Kachemak Bay State Park Citizens Advisory Board, KBBI AM-890 Public Radio board of directors, is a past president of the North Pacific Fishermen's Association and is a former coach for Little League.

Having an ear open to voters' concerns is Haggerty's top priority.

Age: 55

Occupation: Water taxi operator

Family: Twin sons, Max and Lance, 25 years old

Education: High school

Organizations and special interests: Cook Inletkeeper board of directors (current); Friends of Kachemak Bay State Park, president (current); Kachemak Bay State Parks Citizen Advisory Board (past); KBBI board of directors (past); North Pacific Fishermen's Association president (past); Little League coach (past)

Previously held elected office and experience: None

Ways for voters to contact you: 235-5104 or mako@xyz.net

"I don't have an agenda and I'm not a single-issue candidate. I have a good ear," he said. "I'm a good listener and I'm open to the concerns of the people that live in District 9."

Choosing not to focus on any one issue frees Haggerty to "represent everybody's interest," he said. "I don't have an ax to grind. All issues concern me."

Looking to outgoing Assembly President Milli Martin, who currently represents District 9, Haggerty said she set an example for being "a very energetic and informed representative by listening to all of her constituents." He intends to maintain that level of contact, recognizing the size and diversity of the district make it a challenging goal, and making it even more important to hear what the district's voters have to say.

"You've got the Native villages of Port Graham and Nanwalek; you've got Seldovia and Halibut Cove which have their own issues. Then, you have the Russian (Old Believer) villages, North Fork, Diamond Ridge, Anchor Point," he said. "I want to bring everybody into the process."

Behind Haggerty's commitment is an abiding belief in "government of, by and for the people," he said.

"I will definitely be making myself more available to the concerns of the citizens," Haggerty said. "Government should serve the people and not the other way around."