Three candidates, and one certified write-in candidate, have filed to run for four open seats on Bethel City Council this year.
Ahead of the Oct. 7 election, KYUK has been airing interviews with each of the candidates.
Candidate Mark Springer is a longtime resident and two-time former mayor of Bethel, and one of two candidates running for reelection on the council. He said that the council has been responsive to the community and has stepped up when it comes to the people’s most pressing needs.
Springer spoke with KYUK’s Sage Smiley about his candidacy on KYUK’s morning show, "Coffee at KYUK," on Sept. 17.
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
KYUK (Sage Smiley): Can you please introduce yourself first? Who are you and what occupies your time here in Bethel?
Mark Springer: Sure. Good morning Sage and thanks for having me on, and good morning to everybody out there in KYUK land. I'm Mark Springer. I've lived in Bethel for, goodness gracious, what year is this? Twenty-five years. Lived in Hooper Bay 20 [years] before that. I worked for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation as a behavioral health services coordinator over at Ayagnirvik Healing Center, formerly known as [Phillips Ayagnirvik Treatment Center]. And you know, plenty of things keep me occupied, mostly driving from Kasayuli into town, whether it's for the store or whatever.
KYUK: What's your favorite thing about Bethel?
Springer: You know, it's probably easier to answer that question when I'm in Anchorage than it is when I'm here. But it's just, you know, it's a small town. It doesn't have too many amenities. You know, after 20 years I guess they just kind of get used to it. And, you know, no particular hustle and bustle, unless the jet’s coming in or something.
KYUK: So you're currently on city council. Why are you running for reelection to city council?
Springer: I've served on the city council for a number of terms. I can't, can't even remember when I, when I first got elected. It's been a while. I enjoy it. I enjoy public service. City council does play an important role in Bethel, on behalf of all the members of the community. We have, you know, fiscal responsibilities to the taxpayers, and we have responsibility to make sure that, you know, services are delivered. And I just think that it's, that being on the city council is an important role for anybody.
KYUK: In this particular run for city council, is there an issue that you're trying to highlight or that you're really focusing on as you think about wanting to continue for another two years in this elected position?
Springer: You know, I've been thinking about that, and we've had a kind of a quiet year. The city council has nothing, nothing, you know, no real barn burners. And it's just, it's just a matter of, you know, continuity. I think I bring a lot of institutional memory to the council. We have, you know, folks that have only been on for one term, and you know, I just want to try to be there to help things along.
KYUK: Other than your experience on city council, what other municipal elected positions, have you had, other board experience, those sorts of things?
Springer: My goodness gracious, let's see. I was the city administrator in Hooper Bay for many years. I was a member of the, Gov. [Wally] Hickel appointed me to the Alaska Board of Marine Pilots a long time ago. I served as a member of the first marijuana control board, appointed by Gov. [Bill] Walker, got reappointed a couple of times with legislative confirmation, and served as the chair of that board for a couple of years. And, of course, we started out writing the regulations for commercial marijuana in the state and then started the licensing process. I've been on the public safety and transportation commission here in Bethel. I'm currently on the public works committee. I'm on the board of directors and [a] past president of the Alaska Municipal League. So, you know, the president of the Bethel Amateur Radio Club, I may still be, because we haven't had a meeting for how many years now. So I've, I guess I could say I've done a lot.
KYUK: What do you think is the biggest issue facing Bethel in the coming years?
Springer: Well, I know there's people that would slap me upside the head if I didn't say dust. You know, we're looking at things that affect people's lives every day. I mean, the issues are making sure that water and sewer gets delivered on time, making sure that the city-owned roads are maintained as best we can, making sure that the dock is working and the boat harbor is working. I mean, again, the city is kind of a big piece of the fabric in the community. And I think, you know, I think the city is doing a good job in those areas. And I don't, again, I don't see anything real hot button coming up. We try to, I think we try to stay, I think the city of Bethel tries to stay kind of low key compared to other communities around the state. You know, there's usually nothing to get too excited about, you know, and part of that is not just the council, but the folks that the council has working for them.
KYUK: What do you think the city council has been doing well in recent years?
Springer: Everything. We've been responsive to the community. We've hired an excellent city manager, we've hired an excellent city attorney, we hired an excellent city clerk. So we've got the human infrastructure, certainly, in place, and because we have been kind of, kind of fiscally conservative, we still have a substantial balance of money in the bank that we're able to use for capital projects when they come along. I mean, we've gotten, we got a grant from [Alaska Housing Finance Corporation]. We're putting up two triplexes over there, the old Kilbuck land. We also as part of that got a contractor and a manager to build three units of low-income housing out in Blue Sky Subdivision. We're getting [an] addition onto the pool. We've done some substantial road work out on Ptarmigan, you know, we've got two culverts in this summer. We're gonna have to wait till next summer to do the other two. But we're, I think that we, you know, kind of quietly are making Bethel progress pretty nicely.
KYUK: The flip side part of this question is, of course, what do you think the city council should improve on?
Springer: You know, I mean, that's kind of a, it's kind of a, I won't call it a loaded question, but I, you know, I don't sit there and go, oh man, you know, we, I think the city council does a does a good job with everything it works on. You know, there's no rancor or acrimony. And again, we don't have, we don't have big political things, you know, coming in front of us that gets, you know, council members excited or the public excited. So I really honestly, having been, you know, listening to city council meetings on the radio long before I ever ran in the first place, I think that these last, you know 10 years of city councils have been doing a pretty darn good job.
KYUK: Two years from now, at the end of your prospective city council term, what accomplishments or progress in projects would make it feel like you've succeeded in your position?
Springer: I mean, we've, I've been involved in things in the past with the council that make me feel pretty successful.
KYUK: Tell me about those.
Springer: Oh, we kicked in $250,000 to KYUK for the new AM tower, which I think was a real important piece of local infrastructure, regional infrastructure. We did that with, I think, with [American Rescue Plan Act] money. You know, we got the community through [COVID-19], which is something everybody who was involved in, in that process back in a year we'd like to forget, 2020, you know, can be real proud of. We are, again, we have some big infrastructure and small infrastructure improvements coming along, right? We're going to be leveling the courthouse, which we own and lease to the state. We're going to be leveling the city office. It's just, it's just little things, you know, well, I introduced the resolution for the city of Bethel to file amicus in the, make sure I pronounce it right, the mifepristone Supreme Court case, because that's actually a very important medication out here on the [Yukon-Kuskokwim] Delta for managing miscarriage. And I think that was, I think that was pretty important, that we were the only community, only municipality in Alaska that stepped up on that one. So it's just been a lot of, just been a lot of little things. You know, I don't walk in on a Tuesday night saying, “Oh, man, we're gonna, we're gonna do this, we're gonna do that.” You know, we've had, we've had good, successful agendas over the years.
KYUK: Is there anything else you feel like we should know about you or your run for reelection to city council?
Springer: I, you know, I hope folks will vote for me. And given the timing of this broadcast, I hope somebody decides to file to run as a write-in because we only have three candidates for four seats. So I'm looking forward to the opportunity to serve the community again. You know, a lot of people know me. I'm not hard to find, and so I appreciate the opportunity to be on "Coffee at KYUK" this morning.
