Dustin Stone is one of three candidates running for Skagway Borough Assembly. (Photo courtesy of Dustin Stone)
Dustin Stone says he and his wife first visited Skagway while working at a fishing lodge on Prince of Wales Island.
“We had some friends in town here who we would visit at the end of those seasons. Just absolutely fell in love with the town. We were back in California for a winter and decided to just pack up the station wagon and start driving for Skagway, and we’ve been here ever since,” Stone says.
That was in 2012. Since then Stone has worked as the bar manager at the Elks Lodge, and he just started a new job in Human Resources with the National Parks Service. In his spare time he DJs for KHNS, serves on the station’s board of directors, and performs in a few bands.
He says his interest in local politics stems from a part-time job he had with the Skagway News.
“A lot of the stories I was working on in the winter were about the gateway project and the original White Pass lease that was voted down,” Stone says. “Attending those meetings in the winter, I got this idea that maybe my voice might help out in these situations.”
Stone says his schedule with the Elks Lodge prevented him from serving in the past, but he has more time with his new job. When he saw that Assemblyman Tim Cochran was not running for re-election he decided to throw his hat in the ring.
One of the municipal issues at the front of his mind is Skagway’s housing crisis.
“I believe the housing crisis could be alleviated a little bit at least if we were to start incentivizing property owners in areas that could be zoned for high-density housing to build efficiency apartments, kind of like what Mike Healy did with his employee housing next to the runway.”
As for the future management of the port, Stone says he would love to see Skagway to take more control over operations, but he says that the assembly was smart to request proposals from potential management partners.
“Because I think the more voices and the more ideas that are thrown into the pot from people that really know what they’re talking about is going to benefit the town. And I also think that doesn’t necessarily preclude White Pass from offering the best proposal. I think competition, especially in situations like this, is very healthy for us.”
Dustin Stone is one of three people vying for two open seats on the Skagway Borough Assembly. Residents can learn more about the three candidates during a forum hosted by KHNS at Skagway City Hall on September 23rd at 6 p.m. To submit questions for the candidates email reporter@khns.org.
