Petersburg’s municipal election is Oct. 6. Several candidates are running for seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly.
Tom Kowalske, age 55, is running for a 3-year term. He’s a commercial fisheries assistant area management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. After a decade in Wrangell, Kowalske moved to Petersburg in 2020.
He is serving an appointed position on Petersburg’s Planning Commission, and his seat expires this fall.
Kowalske sat down with KFSK’s Olivia Rose to talk about why he decided to run for election to the Borough Assembly.
Listen here:
The Assembly is the only contested race in Petersburg’s municipal election this fall. There are two 3-year positions, and a single 1-year term, up for election. Of six candidates, four people, including Kowalske, are running for a 3-year seat.
Find more election info on KFSK’s Voter Guide.
TRANSCRIPT:
This interview transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
KOWALSKE: I didn’t wanna be a candidate for the Assembly. I didn’t wanna be a Commissioner. These are not things that I was driven to do when I moved here. These are things that I feel that I can fill the role, and can help this town grow. And I’m very passionate about it.
ROSE: What have you done in the past that makes you qualified for the role?
KOWALSKE: I’ve done extensive review of the comprehensive plan, the charter, and municipal code, so I feel that I am very ready to go here on the Assembly.
My job with the Department of Fish and Game, I deal with regulations. And so I have an extensive background in research in the regulatory aspect of business, and Borough business.
I am currently sitting on the Planning Commission. And I’ve learned that there’s a lot more than just what is available in the Commission. I have been involved in the assembly meetings for the past 10 months. I’ve gone to almost all of them. And a lot of the decisions that are made are contentious. And there’s a voice from the people that I feel like I represent. And so I just wanna continue, carrying that voice into the regulatory arena.
ROSE: Now, what would your priorities be if you were elected to the Assembly?
KOWALSKE: My priorities would start with improving the housing crisis issue. Creating more areas where we can build more homes. That’s number one, and a real close second would be to improve quality of life here for residents. Getting to the issues that are concerning residents now. The bears in the trash, that’s a big issue. The cost of living.
And I also want to improve the confidence that residents have to make a place where they wanna stay and, in particular, our younger generation.
And now the Borough has done some good things along the way to help with that, and I wanna build on that. And try to be a productive member of the Assembly to deal with a much larger range of issues.
ROSE: Can you tell me, Tom, about one time you think the Assembly got something right in the last year or so, something you agree with?
KOWALSKE: Uh, I do think that a lot of what the Assembly has done right, has been years in the making. So working with PIA they’ve created some new housing areas. Um, I think that is a great step forward and I’m very glad that the Assembly has made ground on.
[Editor’s Note: Petersburg Indian Association initially got funding to expand the Airport Subdivision, and then passed the project on to THRHA. The Petersburg Borough and Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority formalized an agreement in April 2025. ]
ROSE: And what about a time in the last year or so when the Assembly got something wrong that you disagreed with?
KOWALSKE: I think the Assembly got it wrong when they didn’t seek expert advice in dealing with these [communications] towers that are going up. We could have done a lot more having a say in where these towers go without having fears of a lawsuit. Everybody’s idea of how to deal with these towers comes from the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and that act is very complicated. There’s some elusive ideas in there that you need expert attorney advice to sort out, and that’s something I feel like the Assembly missed their shot there on that. And that’s something I do hope to do is come back to this and better protect the people with better zoning restrictions.
ROSE: So in a nutshell, what do you want for Petersburg?
KOWALSKE: You know, I really didn’t know what I wanted for Petersburg. I knew what I wanted for myself and as I talked to residents and concerned citizens that feel like their voices weren’t being heard, I came to the understanding that there’s a lot more out there that people wanna see change.
I think we lost our way somewhere along the line. [Roughly] 20 years ago, Petersburg got together and came up with a plan, it’s called the Comprehensive Plan, and was created during a time that fisheries business was very strong and our fiscal situation was much better than it is today. So, it does need updating. But, a lot of the goals and ideas in there are solid. So I wanna get back to the plan.
I wanna take care of the people that live here now. Once we do that, then we can try to attract more people to move here. And that’s where I’m trying to take my candidacy. And I’m fired up. I’m really fired up to get involved. So here I am.
