My name is Jim Arlington, and I am running to represent Eagle River in the Alaska House of Representatives. I am a 40-year resident of Eagle River. I raised a family here, and my daughter and grandchildren still live here. I love my community and I love Alaska. Eagle River is a unique and beautiful community, and I will fight hard to keep our Eagle River way of life intact and thriving.
I'm a homeowner, and an entrepreneur with many years in business. I'm a fiscal conservative who is pro resource development. I'm also pro infrastructure. We need to maintain and expand our infrastructure to get our resources to market. I am a champion for working families, children and education.
I am troubled because Alaska is losing tens of thousands of people every year to outmigration. They are leaving because our jobs are not competitive, our schools are underfunded and declining, our streets are not safe, and housing costs are skyrocketing. There are better opportunities almost everywhere in the Lower 48, and Alaskans leave to pursue them. More than 25 percent of our young people leave Alaska, never to return. Alaskans are independent people looking for a chance to make our own way. We take pride in meeting challenges. Today, Alaskans wonder what's going to happen to them and their families, their homes and jobs. I offer this encouragement: we've been through it before. The answer is people, people with imagination, energy, and a real stake in Alaska's future
