Letters to the editor
Published 4:30 am Thursday, July 2, 2026
Don’t sink half a billion dollars into port expansion
I offer the following comments on the homer Port Expansion Project. I do this as someone that has held the City of Homer lease at the corner of Fish Dock and Homer Spit Road since 1994. I have dealt with seven different harbor masters, port and harbor directors, during those 32 years.
“No! Hell no!” Stop the project as soon as possible while you have only wasted $4.5 million. Wasting another half billion dollars on this dog of a project would be the height of stupidity.
Total cost of $492 million. The Corps of Engineers builds breakwaters and dredges. The Corps does not build floats, so City of Homer has to pony up $142 million for floats. The Port and Harbor Enterprise fund has never been able to afford real maintenance on our existing float systems that were fully paid for by the State of Alaska. Now you want us to finance $142 million to build a harbor and float system for so called “big boats” that are already paying to be in the harbor. Where is the new money?
Assuming the long wait list for slips translates directly into slip rentals in a new harbor is a wrong assumption for many reasons.
Our crab/tender fleet are valued as members of our harbor. I am guessing the average age of this fleet is 40 years old. I don’t think anyone has built a new one in 25 years. Are we building a harbor for a disappearing fleet?
That question has never been asked. We are all going to have to pay for it; believe that. Somebody should be asking.
The explosive growth in the sport charter fleet is over.
Ask any charter skipper. Halibut stocks are in a significant downturn.
Parking was not really addressed. Where are we going to park all the people flocking to all these new slips?
The only real good reason for a new harbor would be to house the Coast Guard boats. If the USCGH wants to build a new harbor I am all for it. Let them pay for it.
Half a billion dollars with no funding source from the state or the feds. With no long-term Spit plan and no parking plan and no uplands creation or development. Half a billion dollars without a plan.
We only get one chance to do this right. I would dredge a big enough basin to provide adequate uplands to provide parking for the foreseeable future. The Corps is not in the business of providing uplands or parking. No consideration was given.
With those uplands I would provide a freight moving facility so we could get direct barge service from Tacoma.
Half a billion dollars with no plans to move freight. That would be something to benefit the entire Kenai Peninsula.
No consideration was given.
We will only get one chance to do this right. This plan is not right for this harbor.
Brad Faulkner
Group grateful for portrait
It is with tremendous gratitude that I write today with a full heart to thank Homer city manager Melissa Jacobsen and city clerk Amy Woodruff for Homer’s donation to Veterans For Peace Chapter 187. The exquisite portrait of Brother Asaiah has now been entrusted to us and we are thankful beyond words.
Brother’s vision of a peaceful, loving world lives on; his philosophy of wisdom, knowledge, faith and love does belong to us also if we choose it.
To all you beautiful Homer souls dancing on the Karmic Wheel of Destiny here in our Cosmic Hamlet by the Sea: A thousand thank yous.
In exuberance and peace.
Michael A LeMay
Homer Veterans For Peace
More transparency needed in campaign finance
I’m concerned about the campaign finance law changes that are included in the upcoming ballot measure to repeal ranked choice voting. Regardless of your opinion on the best method for voting, this ballot measure will significantly change the disclosure requirements for campaign finance contributions and campaign advertising.
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, in the review of the proposed ballot measure, said the following:
Section 6 would amend AS 15.13.074(b) to remove limits and disclosure requirements relating to dark money and true sources.
Section 8 would remove the requirement for paid-for-by disclaimers in a broadcast, cable, satellite, internet or other digital communication.
Section 9 would repeal AS 15.13.090(g), the subsection requiring additional disclaimer on certain advertisements funded by an outside-funded entity.
Regardless of your opinion on ranked choice voting, I think most of us can agree that more transparency in campaign finance is a good thing, and this ballot measure is not doing us any favors there. I would ask Alaskans looking to repeal ranked choice voting to seriously consider if repealing ranked choice voting this November is worth removing many of the campaign finance disclosure laws we have to keep us better informed.
Daniel Kranich
