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Assembly signs off in principle on Whiteside joining D.C. lobbying delegation
Summary
Assembly members expressed general support for Assembly member Whiteside joining a federal lobbying trip to press for infrastructure tied to Coast Guard icebreakers and spaceport activity; members asked for coordination with the borough’s delegation and noted the trip cost is roughly $3,000 and will be covered within the travel budget.
Assembly member Whiteside requested formal concurrence to join a municipal delegation to Washington, D.C. to lobby for infrastructure related to recent Coast Guard and spaceport developments. Whiteside framed the trip around securing funding for roads, water and sewer, landfill expansion, and other infrastructure and said the community could leverage members of the federal delegation (Senators and Representative Begich) and committee assignments to pursue targeted appropriations and projects. He noted the timing is urgent given recent approvals and activity in Kodiak.
Members debated whether it is appropriate to send a member who has said they will not seek reelection, but many cited the value of additional voices in meetings with staffers and members of Congress. Member Woods said the cost is modest—“approximately $3,000 to do this”—and Mayor and other members described coordination of message points through one-pagers and the municipal delegation. Clerk Nova confirmed there is budgetary cushion to cover travel; the assembly reported consensus to proceed with Whiteside participating as part of the delegation and to finalize travel logistics ahead of the meetings in D.C.
