New District Representative Holland Ready to get to Work

Girdwood Vote Key in His Election, Helps in Flipping House

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Though November's election saw a Republican takeover of federal offices, a more local race that sent independent Ky Holland to Juneau had the effect of tilting the state house in a more progressive direction. 

Holland won District 9 which e. Girdwood overwhelmingly approved Holland and, he said, the margin not only gave him the win, but his election helped give a bipartisan coalition a slim majority in the state house.

Holland, 62, beat Republican Lucy Bauer by roughly 1,000 votes and will take over a seat vacated by Republican Laddie Shaw. Nearly 700 voters from Girdwood and Indian picked Holland on Election Day. 

Representative Ky Holland will be representing Girdwood.

Girdwood resident Lee Ellis withdrew from the race after a primary election and endorsed Holland. 

Holland said though the District, which encompasses Anchorage's hillside and stretches along Turnagain Arm to Whittier, is diverse—he called it "purple". He said many residents share the same views on issues like the economy, getting a secure natural gas source for home heating, and education. Holland's wife, Sharon, is a school librarian in Anchorage.

For communities outside Anchorage, Holland said as a legislator he will help Whittier chart its future in light of a new terminal, scrutinize a plan to overhaul the Seward Highway, and will look into "pathways" of increasing local control in Girdwood. 

With the completion of a dock this summer, residents of Whittier are faced with dramatic changes that could add almost double the amount of visitors.

Holland said that along with its present harbors in town, construction of a road to Shotgun Cove and the new $80 million cruise ship terminal at the head of Passage Canal, expansion could result in three "nodes."

"To me the question is does Whittier turn into three spots ... or is there a Whittier that somehow connects those pieces together?" he said. 

Holland also said a state plan to redesign the Seward Highway raises questions, particularly the transportation department's proposal for a divided highway between Bird and Indian.

"On one hand I recognize that that's probably a safe, fast, efficient way to move people through there, but, on the other hand, I've seen a lot of communities around the country where, over time, the highway builders end up taking over the whole waterfront," he said. When communities want their waterfronts back in later years, the highways are then dismantled, he said.

"To me, Bird and Indian are beautiful, unique communities that are part of Turnagain Arm. What does it look like when it's done for those communities to have essentially six-plus lanes of highway between their community and the Arm they live on and their connection to that place with the tides and view of the mountains? I just wonder where do we draw the line between this infrastructure getting built out to the point where it is now the dominating feature of those communities rather than Turnagain Arm itself," Holland said.

Meanwhile, he said he "mystified" there is no turn lane for vehicles to turn off the highway onto Indian Road.

"Right now, you have to stop in the middle of the highway with your blinker on as people come flying down the highway around the corner," he said. "All it takes is a couple feet of asphalt to create a turn out pocket so people can get out of the travel lane. There's still simple things that also need to get addressed in addition to this billion dollar set of projects they're proposing."

Whether Indian, Whittier, or Girdwood, Holland said he wants to help give voice to community decisions. 

"It's important to me that communities are able to create the future they want for themselves," he said.

"I want to explore how do we help Girdwood create the community they want for themselves, whether that is finding ways they have more autonomy." He alluded to land managed by Anchorage's Heritage Land Bank and local bonding that requires an Anchorage-wide vote.

"A little more control over the land they used to have would be nice, maybe a little more control over some of the bonding and some of the activities they could manage would be nice and if there is a way I can help with that I'd love to do what I can," said Holland.

He called for a "healthy synergy" between civic and business interests in Girdwood so they each are supporting one another.

Holland said he will have as many as three legislative aides and hopes someone in his district from outside Anchorage will apply.

He said constituents can contact him via phone, (907) 727-2735, or through his ky@kyholland.com to talk about concerns or issues.

"I want to use the next 60 days [before the start of the legislative session] to learn as much as I can about the issues. I've probably learned where the tip of the iceberg is through the course of the campaign, but I realize there's a lot more for me to learn."