Image courtesy of Zephyr Sincerny
It’s election season, and in Haines five candidates filed to run for two seats on the Borough Assembly. KHNS is bringing those five candidates to you in a series of profiles that will air in the weeks leading up to our Candidate Forum. Today we’ll hear from Zephyr Sincerny.
Zephyr Sincerny grew up in Southern Oregon. He heard about Haines from a high school friend who told him stories of commercial fishing, and the wildlife he saw in the region.
Sincerny started visiting the state in college and did some commercial fishing. When he finally got to Haines about four years ago he decided to stay. He lives with his partner and their 8-week old daughter at 7.5 mile.
“I am a stay at home Father, I spend a lot of my time I’m in the garden, growingour food and fishing and hunting for food as well,” he said.
“And that’s my big focus right now.”
Previously, he’s worked for the borough as the library’s Cultural and Education Coordinator, serves on the Haines Avalanche Center board, and works with the Chilkoot Indian Association’s Culture Camp. Before that he devoted his time to outdoor guiding and instruction. He spent a decade in Yosemite Valley as an outdoor educator.
He says he’s running for assembly to represent people who depend on the Chilkat River. He’s opposed to a hard rock mine at the Palmer Project.
“I think that there could be times and facilities where mining is appropriate and allowable. The headwaters of a productive Salmon River is not an appropriate site for an industrial scale mine,” he said.
He says Haines should focus on the resources it already has: the pristine environment, clean rivers, and Bald Eagle Preserve.
But there are many issues on his radar. He says Lutak Dock is a lifeline that needs repair, and says that he’d like to see cruise ships help bolster local communication while in port.
“Potentially having them chip in or find ways to offer cheaper WiFi to their guests on board, so that our town is not overrun. We need to be able to have store owners make sales with credit cards and not have their computer overwhelmed by that, so that we can take advantage of that economy,” said Sincerny.
He says he wants to help create an environment of civility and respect in the assembly, protect resources, and promote tourism. He is an advocate of services like schools, the pool, and the library. When it comes to policing outside the townsite, he wants to respect the previous vote. He thinks emergency services should be maintained.
But most of all he’d like to preserve the Chilkat River for generations to come. He says he’s concerned that state officials and regulators chose to visit the Constantine camp rather than speak with constituents.
“The river is our lifeblood, and has been for thousands of years,” he said.
“We need to protect this resource and our future because state regulators will not.”
He says he will speak up for a sustainable future while remaining open to dialogue with opposing viewpoints.
To learn more about the candidates, attend or listen in to our Candidate forum on Friday September 20th at 7 p.m. We’ll be streaming and broadcasting live on KHNS and khns.org.
