It’s election season, and in Haines there are four candidates running for two open seats on the Assembly, vacated by Carol Tuynman and Jerry Lapp. KHNS is bringing those candidates to you in a series of profiles that are airing in the weeks leading up to our Candidate Debate on September 16. Today, we’ll hear from Richard Clement who is running for a three-year term.
Richard Clement, retired from Alyeska Pipeline and moved to Haines from Anchorage with his wife in 2017.
“We chose Haines because it’s the most glorious place in Alaska,” he said. “I mean, it’s just drop dead beautiful.”
Photo courtesy of Richard Clement
The 66-year-old says when he arrived he was struck by the lack of economic and community diversity, and feels more could be done to attract and keep young people in Haines.
“We came from Anchorage, which is very prosperous and diverse. And after coming here, it was interesting to learn that Haines isn’t all that prosperous and or diverse. We have a very aging population, and that’s something I’d like to address if I’m on the assembly.”
He declined to say what sector specifically he’d prioritize, but said he’s heard from the community that good, year-round jobs are needed, and he thinks the assembly can help facilitate that.
“There are many opportunities, and we really need to list those and prioritize them. And then work together as a team, to direct the borough manager to to direct the staff to accomplish those things. So right now, I would really like the assembly to update the comprehensive plan, which hasn’t been updated for almost 10 years now,” Clement said.
Clement’s background is in geology, GIS mapping technologies, and risk management. Before retiring from Alyeska Pipeline, he was a contract manager overseeing survey work on the 800-mile pipeline, and a multi-million budget. He says he’d bring those strategic planning and analysis skills to the Haines assembly.
“Because we were always looking at all the possibilities that could or couldn’t happen on the pipeline, and we need to do the same thing for this borough and look 5, 10, 20 years ahead and position ourselves with a good balanced economy,” he said. “So that we don’t end up like other communities and you know, one leg of the stool drops out and the whole thing just becomes a huge problem. So a real balanced, diverse economy.”
Since moving to Haines, he’s been working on renovating their new home, which was the medical sergeant’s house in Fort Seward. He volunteered on the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay board, and with the local chapter of the Alaska Miners Association. He’s also volunteering with the Haines borough emergency operations centers, on the logistics team.
“That work was very, very busy in December, we were procuring all kinds of materials that were used by operations, for responding to the big landslide and all the washout that occurred along the Lutak Road, and out the highway. There was an initial response that a lot of people jumped on to, to safeguard people who couldn’t get out of their driveways, for example, and then I jumped in, and we did some of the longer term planning and logistical work for the people out on Beach Road,” he said.
He’s currently working on logistics for the Haines EOC responding to the COVID outbreak, and planning for the Southeast Conference in mid-September.
Richard Clement is also an underwriter for KHNS by helping sponsor a weekend syndicated program.
A live debate with the four candidates for borough assembly at 6:30 p.m. Thursday September 16, and will be broadcast live on KHNS. Questions for the candidates can be submitted in advance to reporter@khns.org.
