Petersburg’s municipal election is next month. Several candidates are running for seats on the Petersburg Borough Assembly.
Incumbent Scott Newman, age 61, is running for another 1-year term.
Newman is a lifelong Petersburg resident and float plane pilot who owns his local business, Petersburg Flying Services. He’s currently an assembly member serving an appointed position, which lasts until the next election, and he’s running to keep the seat. Newman was appointed to Mayor Bob Lynn’s assembly seat last year after Lynn won the mayoral race between the two. He has been serving on the Borough Assembly since 2022.
Newman sat down with KFSK’s Olivia Rose to talk about why he decided to run for reelection for another year.
Listen here:
Petersburg’s municipal election is Oct. 6. The Assembly is the only contested race. There are two 3-year positions, and a single 1-year term, up for election this fall.
Of the six candidates, two people, including Newman, are running for the 1-year seat. The challenger candidate is 87-year-old Don Koenigs.
Find more election info on KFSK’s Voter Guide.
TRANSCRIPT:
This interview transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
NEWMAN: So I’ve been on the Assembly, and I just feel invested in the process and some of the issues that are going on. I enjoy working with the other assembly members to reach consensus on how we should best move forward and what’s best for the community.
ROSE: What have you done in the past that makes you qualified for this role?
NEWMAN: Well, I’ve run my own business — a couple different businesses. I had a guide operation for a lot of years. But being on the Assembly actually is a new and different experience, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot. And, you know, grown in my perception, in my view, of the world. And, it’s been a positive experience for me, and I definitely feel like what I have to offer is necessary and needed.
ROSE: So you’ve served on the Assembly for the past few years. Can you tell me what your priorities would be if you were reelected to the Assembly?
NEWMAN: Well, we have several issues before us. I don’t think I really have any priorities — we’ve covered some big ones the last couple years, you know, tourism, American Cruise Lines and their dock; I had advocated to work in a collaborative way so that we could have control.
And I always try to bring some logic and reason and clarity to the issues. My approach is to get the information, process, work with other assembly members, try to reach a path forward, and sometimes it’s a process. And that’s the whole point of the Assembly, is that you can work together and reach consensus and come up with better ideas and have the best path forward.
ROSE: So, can you tell me [about] one time you think the Assembly got [something] right in the last year or so, something you agree with?
NEWMAN: Yeah, there’s been a couple issues that were super difficult. You know, we went through the last year with these wireless communication facilities.
I’ve advocated from the very beginning for an ordinance, which was basically like the tool in the toolbox that would help us navigate the process in the least detrimental fashion. But it’s just tough ’cause we’re in such a tiny little town, and there’s just really no good place for ’em [wireless communication facilities like cell towers].
And, our hands are kind of tied because of federal law that basically said we cannot prohibit or effectively prohibit through any process the construction of wireless communication facilities. We could create an ordinance that would put them in the least detrimental place, but we can’t really prohibit them.
It’s been a difficult issue, and we’ve been trying to navigate it as best as possible. There was tremendous amount of discussion, a lot of input from a lot of people. And at the end of the day, I mean I didn’t necessarily like it either, but that was the tool in the toolbox, and I feel like we did what we had to do.
ROSE: Okay. Now, what about a time in the last year or so when the Assembly got something wrong that you disagreed with?
NEWMAN: I don’t remember ever voting no against something that the Assembly as a whole agreed to. But, you know, like I said: it’s been a learning experience.
I believe you continually learn. And one thing that I have learned is that sometimes there’s new information in the middle of something and yeah, you gotta, we gotta change course.
None of these issues are simple, and it takes a lot of legwork and getting in and figuring them out. But like I say, it’s something that we reach together. And I feel like, you know, that’s part of the process and that’s why there’s six assembly members. [Editor’s Note: There are seven voting members, six assembly members and one mayor, that make up the body of the Borough Assembly.]
ROSE: Okay. In a nutshell, what do you want for Petersburg?
NEWMAN: I want Petersburg, to remain Petersburg. We love this town because of the culture that we have — the fishing culture, the outdoors culture. We are right in the middle of some of the most amazing country. We’re all kind of a little bit off the beaten path.
I don’t wanna see Petersburg become a huge community with a lot of outside influences. I’d like this to stay kind of the way we are — but at the same time, you know, we do need to be open-minded in how we navigate our future.
We’ve got some commercial fishermen, diversifying a little bit, doing the tourism thing too, you know, and that’s good. Keep it local. I like that. That’s the way it should be.
I want Petersburg to be in control of its destiny and retain the feel and the kind of vibe that we have, as much as possible.
