I am a mayor, a husband, a father, a fisherman and a friend. In each of these roles I experience what it’s like to be in a mutually beneficial partnership with others, as well as a daily appreciation for the respect and hard work that contribute to their successes.
When I wrote about my town earlier in the year (“We’re still fighting for our lives in King Cove”), I described the brutal storm of events that our community had endured — and continues to contend with — beginning with then-“new” Peter Pan Seafoods processing our fish in 2023 but neglecting to pay many of our fishermen for their catches and the city for utilities and taxes. Then news came that the plant would not be open for 2024 winter fish processing, and eventually an admission that the plant would never be open for fish processing again. Peter Pan Seafoods left King Cove, leaving nothing but debt and ill will.
Bitterness grew after Peter Pan filed for bankruptcy, leaving creditors in King Cove and all over Alaska in the lurch. The final grim twist came when one of the original investors — Rodger May — ended up being the “winning” bidder for the auction of Peter Pan’s assets for pennies on the dollar.
We did not want this outcome. It was anything but a win for our community, as expressed by the 90 fishermen who wrote to the court to plead their case for why they never wanted to do business again with Rodger May. As one letter to the court said, signed by 200 King Cove residents, “We are a proud, hardworking people, and what happened under Mr. May’s leadership broke something inside of us that may never fully heal.” Despite these strong objections, the bankruptcy court judge overseeing the liquidation approved the sale to May. Thus, the future of King Cove’s plant is now in his hands and sits empty to this day.
So here we are with our city savings being used at an alarming rate, our primary source of tax revenue gone, our school enrollment at the lowest it has been in decades, and grants for improvement projects left to languish as we figure out where we go from here. Yet I know that it is exactly the right time for a squared-shoulders, uniquely Aleut moment of equal parts stubbornness and pride. It is a moment to proclaim that King Cove is open for business and seeks experienced, ethical, long-game thinkers to serve as partners in the processing and sale of a year-round seafood harvest. Must want to work hard, dream big and ride the economic tide with equanimity.
We will take our place across from you at the negotiating table, understanding that it is incumbent upon us to demonstrate that we have equal skin in the game. We work hard and make good on agreements. The following is a sample of what we have to offer a new operator:
• Sale of our surplus hydroelectric power and additional diesel generation support to help operate the plant in a more cost-efficient manner;
• Potential negotiations for local tax incentives;
• Discussions to include possible assistance with the plant’s tank farm and fuel delivery systems;
• Partnering on ways to increase and improve worker housing;
• Significant improvements to water and solid waste utility systems that could be available to a new partner; and
• The city is willing to support efforts to help find new financial partners to help this new venture succeed.
Bear in mind that we bring to the negotiating table a résumé that spans decades, existing as we have as a vibrant fishing community since Pacific American Fisheries opened a plant here in 1911.
We know that we can’t afford to sit idly by and wait for things to get better on their own terms. We must do what we have always done, which is to go out and make things better. We are a small town capable of doing big things.
To our potential business partners: We’ve done our part; we upgraded and modernized our first boat harbor, built an impressive deep-water port and dock, then built a second, bigger boat harbor. We built and maintain important utility infrastructure, and we continue to be principled financial managers of our assets and income sources.
We understand the risks. We know that global and domestic seafood markets are volatile places. We also know that as the plant has been closed for three years, King Cove-based quota shares are going elsewhere. These facts, combined with overall resource abundance, escalating costs and constantly changing markets, can vary dramatically one year to the next. And yet we’re still here. When business and government work together, everyone thrives.
You need to never wonder what the face of stubborn looks like — it looks like my Aleut neighbors in King Cove. We belong here, and we know it. We’re lucky that way. We’re not just a good bet, we’re the best bet.
Warren Wilson is the mayor of King Cove.
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