Skagway Assembly Candidate Profiles – Roger Griffin

Two seats on the Skagway Borough Assembly are up for election this October. Terms are ending for Assembly Members Steve Burnham Jr and Jay Burnham. Both will seek re-election. Skagway resident Roger Griffin is running as a candidate in the election as well.

Griffin moved to Skagway about 10 years ago. When he first came to Alaska he worked for the U.S. Forest Service as the regional mineral examiner for the Alaska region. Later he worked as a senior geologist for Echo Bay Exploration and Alaska Earth Sciences.

Griffin said that his involvement with marine tailings disposal at the Quartz Hill project gives him a unique perspective on the issue of contamination in the Skagway Ore Basin.

“That has some bearing on what’s going on up here in the Ore Basin in the sense that the physical dynamics are similar, although the regulatory framework is different,” Griffin said. “I think that understanding those physical dynamics is something I could bring to the table. The other thing is that while I wouldn’t call myself an expert, I would say I’m conversant in the federal laws and state laws and regulations that cover pollution in marine waters, such as what we’re facing here in the Ore Basin.”

The waterfront has been a driving issue for Griffin. He first got involved in Skagway politics during earlier efforts to renegotiate the tidelands lease with White Pass & Yukon Railroad Route. At the time he had some difficulties with how it was negotiated and the results of the lease.

When asked about how to move forward with negotiations with the new owners, Griffin said it is a matter of balancing the needs of all stakeholders.

“With respect to the new owners of White Pass, they have to be treated fairly and equally, the same as anybody else who has an interest here in the waterfront. I’m talking specifically about the other cruise lines. And then, of course, there’s other interests here on the waterfront as well and that has to do with short-term industrial uses as well as longer-term uses such as the shipment of ore concentrates out through the port here in Skagway. All of them have a place at the table, so it can’t be one entity or the other.”

Infrastructure is another priority for Griffin.

He said that the possibility of larger cruise ships coming to Skagway could be a good thing for the economy, but the town needs to be prepared to handle a large influx of tourists.

“We need to make sure our infrastructure matches it. By infrastructure I’m talking about our sewage treatment, I’m talking about our incinerator, I’m talking about waste disposal and, of course, there’s traffic issues as well. They did some changes this year, and I think they really improved traffic flow with those changes. They were certainly a step in the right direction,” Griffin said.

KHNS and the Skagway News will be hosting a candidate forum on September 24th at 6 p.m. in the AB Hall in Skagway. Questions for assembly candidates can be submitted by email to reporter@khns.org.

The Skagway Borough Assembly elections take place October 2.