Published:
September 18, 2002
Wednesday - 11:50 pm

Name: Anna Annicelli

Candidate For: Ketchikan Gateway Borough School Board

Address: 600 Front Street - Ketchikan, AK, 99901

E-Mail Address: jimmany@kpunet.net

Phone: 247-3731

About Yourself - Background:

My husband Jim and I have lived in Ketchikan for almost 9 years, and care a great deal about the success of this community and its young people. My 27-year nursing experience has given me good communication and problem-solving skills and an ability to work constructively with all types of individuals. I am currently a Public Health nurse and in that role am directly working with children, teens, and families with the goal of preventing illness and future problems. I am also the owner of a small business, The Nantucket House Bed & Breakfast, and own and manage rental property here in Ketchikan and in Washington. I am accustomed to balancing many priorities on a daily basis and thrive on staying busy and involved in the community. I make time for the things that are important to me.

List any experience that qualifies you for this elected position:

• I am currently Vice-President of the School Board, elected to a one-year term last October.
• I have served as member and officer on Boards of the First City Players and KRBD.
• I have served in project manangement roles where team-building was key to the success and consensus was the method of decision-making.
• In my Public Health role I am continually in contact with children and their families and in a position to hear their challenges and concerns related to success in school and this community.

State at least 3 reasons why you are seeking a seat on this elected body.

• I have felt that this first year on the School Board has been a huge learning curve, and I would like to be able to now use what I have learned by serving a full three year term. I feel that continuity is very important for the School District right now.
• I am very excited by the opportunities coming with the QS2 (Quality Schools, Quality Students) initiative that we are now participating in, and wish to continue to be a part of that process.
• I want to help make this District one of the best in Alaska, and our students successful. I truly feel that this coming year will be a turning point in bringing the community together as far as common goals for education, and I know that I can contribute positively to that process.

Why should the voters elect or re-elect you?

Voters should re-elect me because I care deeply about this community, respect differing points of view and keep an open mind, am optimistic about our ability to improve opportunities for our students, and can remain calm in difficult situations.

List local, regional and/or state-wide issues that you believe are a high priority and state your position on each.

The most important issue for this district right now is that we as a district and a community have been operating in a crisis mode, responding to situations as they arise without truly following an overall plan for what we are doing. Lack of continuity in leadership roles has led to varying interpretations of the strategic plan that is in place, and we are not consistently basing our decisions on what we have stated is our strategic plan. The QS2 process is providing a framework for re-evaluating our strategic plan, and obtaining community input -- with the goal of having priorities we can all agree on and use as a basis for decision making in the future. I am very optimistic that the QS2 process can help bring us together.

The economy is obviously a major local, regional and state-wide problem, leading to ever-tightening budgets for this district. We have to find creative ways to help our students succeed, and we need a concerted effort to identify additional sources of funding for specific programs.

We need to find ways to attract back into the School District students who have not left town but have "moved" to the PACE program based in Craig or are being home-schooled. Getting a large proportion of these students back into our district will help the financial situation. We have not yet had a concerted effort to find out why these students leave the district and what would bring them back.

General Questions:

How do you determine your position on an issue?

I start with reading the information that is provided and listen to or read the opinions of others. I have my own internal guage of consistency with my beliefs and past decisions, tempered by the realities of whatever the situation is. I do try to consider how the issue relates to our strategic plan, or follows some type of plan. I look at the potential impact of the decision on our current programs, as well as implications for the future. I make the best judgment that I can with the information that I have.

What would compel you to change your position?

The most compelling reason to change my original position is that I obtain new information that gives me a different perspective on the issue. I do not have a closed mind -- I am open to new ideas and new information.

If a dozen people speak at a public meeting on a controversial agenda item with the majority of the speakers opposed and the minority for, how would this impact your ability to form a decision on what is best for the community?

I would have to carefully evaluate who was speaking and who they represented, as well as whether there seemed to have been an effort to recruit speakers from one point of view -- vs. spontaneous outpouring from the community. I would also be looking for actual new information, not just opinions of the speakers.

Where would you most likely obtain more information on agenda items?

Newspaper articles, letters to the editor and talking with people - asking questions.

Who would you most likely talk to prior to making a decision that affects the entire community?

People at your work, private friends, people in the community and other local elected officials.

How would you deal with people whose views oppose your beliefs who want to talk to you about an agenda item or issue?

I am open to hearing about issues from all in the community. It is important to hear a variety of opinions in order to maintain a balanced decision making process. It is also important that we stay with the issue in a discussion of this type, and not resort to personal attack. I cannot respect or consider seriously the opinion of someone who cannot articulate their position without attacking other individuals.

In a public meeting discussion, what would you likely do?

Listen to positions of others and try to reach a compromise.

How do others view you?
Unbiased, reasonable, diplomatic and thorough in preparing for meetings.

Comments - Statement:

I need your support to be elected to a full three year term to continue the work that I have begun in this initial one year period. Continuity in leadership in this district is critical right now, and I wish to be a part of the positive changes which can come in this next year.

 

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