Listen to this interview:
Bill Hill is running for Alaska’s single house seat in U.S. Congress, currently occupied by Rep. Nick Begich. We spoke with Hill the day after he returned from a trip to Nome and Kotzebue over Google Meet.
Ben Townsend (KNOM)
Most of your life you've lived in rural Alaska. You're from Lake Iliamna area, you grew up in Kokhanok, you've spent time in Juneau. Your most recent stop is Naknek. Can you tell me about the perspective that growing up in all of these rural parts of the state has given you?
Bill Hill
I'm a lifelong Alaskan Dena'ina Athabascan. I did grow up in Kokhanok on the Iliamna Lake, it was a real bush frontier upbringing in a community of just over 100 people, chopping wood, packing water, running dog teams, taking steam baths, and running 40 yards to the outhouse on that cold, frosty night. Really good way to grow up, really fortunate to have had that. Been a lifelong commercial fisherman starting at age eight. I've been a construction worker, and I was an educator in our state as a teacher, principal, and superintendent over the course of 25 years in communities large and small. I'm also a small business owner with my wife, Diane, in Naknek, trying to keep some of the money and some of the jobs in our hometown that the commercial fisheries tends to extract.
But most importantly, I'm the father of four and grandfather of seven, and I'm really worried about our nation, and I think we deserve some representation that truly understands what Alaskans are about, what our hopes and our dreams are, and what our challenges are. And I hope that I can represent that in Congress for the Alaskan people.
With that, I decided to jump into this congressional race and work to defeat Nick Begich. But I think back to your question what my life story really tells is really a life that has intersected with a majority of the ways that Alaskans live, work, play, and the places that they do it, starting with bush Alaska. Kokhanok was my hometown until I was a sophomore in high school, and it's been my home base ever since. I did spend a couple years in Fairbanks going to school, I spent some time in Anchorage going to school, and then I spent six years in Juneau teaching and getting my admin certification while I was in Juneau, and had two of my children graduate from Juneau Douglas High School, and two of my children graduated from Bristol Bay Borough High School. So my older kids got a bush-urban experience, and my younger kids got a urban-bush experience. I think that reflects a little bit about who I am, how I can connect with bush Alaska, particularly, you know, knowing intimately the challenges we face just looking at fuel costs, which are becoming untenable. Our spring fuel barge showed up here a couple weeks ago, and we went from paying $6.70 a gallon for gasoline to over $9 a gallon. That really hurts.
KNOM
You talked about your decision to run, I want to talk about the race itself. The incumbent, Nick Begich comes from a political family, so he's been in the arena for quite some time. You've had positions in administration, can you talk about your experience and how that equips and prepares you for a career in politics? And then tying it back to some of your experience in rural Alaska, how has that shaped your political worldview, and I think you and I both know politicians in Alaska have this really weird – they're not blue or red – there's this funny color in between that politicians tend to fall into.
Bill Hill
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head. Alaskans don't like to fit into a neat little political box that's red or blue, or "R" or "D". The statistics show that 60% of us do not affiliate ourselves with a major political party. And I've been a lifelong independent, I call it an independent, I'm really listed as a nonpartisan on the ballot, but I've been a lifelong independent, and every cycle I voted for the person I thought was best for my community, and for my state, and my family. And I think that's the way most Alaskans are, and I don't think we fit into neat little categories, like you can be pro-choice and pro 2A (second amendment) at the same time, and I think many Alaskans can identify with that.
To the larger question in terms of having any sort of political experience in Alaska, my only real experience would be being elected from my village corporation, Paug-Vik, in Naknek, and I spent 15 years on that board, the last 10 as the president of the board, and I did resign my position to take on this challenge, because I'm putting 100% of my effort into this. And I feel like when you're taking on a big challenge, you need to be able to do that.
So, I think my worldview has been shaped by Alaska and by the people I've been surrounded by my entire life. The education space is pretty progressive in nature, but then commercial fishing communities like Bristol Bay has, we're very conservative in nature. So I've been surrounded by all aspects of the political spectrum, but I remain independent to this day, and I vote based on what I think is best for Alaska, my community, and my family, and that's the work that I intend to do in Congress as well. I know I do not have a family name to rest my laurels on like Begich does, but I don't think that that's necessarily going to play the most important part in this election cycle. I think people are looking for a change and they want somebody who can truly represent Alaska, and I hope I can be that person.
KNOM
You were just in Nome and then Kotzebue after that. What were some of the things that were on your mind on that flight home?
Bill Hill
Oh, cost of fuel, right up there. I read, I think it was the Nome Nugget had posted posted a story about the cost of fuel and whether or not people would be able to continue living in Nome, and it showed that you know within their small poll that 25% of the people who responded said that once fuel got above $8 a gallon, that it would be very difficult for them to stay in Nome. And just knowing that the spring fuel barge is coming and seeing the ice go out in Kotzebue while I was there the ice was going out, knowing that fuel barge is coming, communities are going to be hit with a real wake-up call on what the next winter is going to look like, or even this summer, or subsistence fishing, or subsistence hunting. So that's top of mind.
You have some really interesting issues in your region. You've seen a lot of benefits from the Red Dog Mine, and the work that's been developed through that, and some of the support for communities and families and people who have jobs. But then you have some other big projects which have some conflicting viewpoints. The Ambler Road, for instance, in Kotzebue, last night during my meet and greet, there it was very apparent that there were some very strong views on either side of the Ambler Road project. And so you guys have a lot going on, and you have some very difficult challenges to face. But wow, what amazing communities. 3,000 people in Kotzebue, and I don't have the count in Nome, but I imagine it's very similar. You guys have very robust communities for being so far out in remote Alaska, and I was really impressed with the services and the people and the friendliness,
KNOM
You said in an interview with KYUK about a month ago that you’re pro-development. One of the issues here in Nome and for Teller and Brevig Mission, two villages to the north of us, that’s top of mind is Graphite One. They're developing a graphite mine about 35 miles north of here. Like you said, these are really polarizing issues. Some worry that it's going to harm subsistence, others are excited for the economic opportunities. So, again, you've said that you're pro-development. My question is, is all development good development?
Bill Hill
Yes, I am pro-development, but a great example sits in my backyard, the Pebble Project we've been talking about that for well over a decade now, and people have been fighting that for over a decade. But it really took a lot of conversation and years and years of discussing, ‘Okay, we've got this major, major prospect in our region, but it threatens 1,000s of years of subsistence and 1000s. Of small small businesses that's every year come to the bay to make money to support their families, many of them are family-oriented operations out of Alaska’, and the idea that we would threaten a resource in hand like that with another resource that could potentially wipe out the sockeye salmon runs, that doesn't, that doesn't match up with us. But it took a lot of conversations with our villages, our tribes, our communities, the regional association, and the regional corporation before we came to sort of a consensus that said no, you know, we don't want Pebble Mine to be built and so I understand that. And many of those conversations were very, very difficult, because some of our communities had seen early on the benefits of having that project, but most saw that there was a real risk there of losing what we already had. But we got to the point where we said no to Pebble Mine, and that's where it stands to this day. In my mind we've always got to keep fighting that one, and our kids have to be prepared as well.
But in a larger sense, my perspective on bringing resource development to Alaska is that Alaskans have got to be the primary beneficiary of anything that comes to Alaska. If you bring a project if your congressman brings a project that will last 10 years and is primarily going to serve a workforce that's flown from out of state, you know, and cycles in and out on a two to four week basis, and then we're left with a mess in our hands, or our environment is disrupted because of that project then maybe that's not the right project for Alaska. Bottom line, we have to be held harmless in terms of our environment, and we need to make sure that Alaskans are the greatest beneficiary of anything that happens here, because these are our resources, and we're the ones who live with whatever's been developed here.
KNOM
I want to stay on the topic of subsistence for a minute longer, because subsistence is kind of an existential topic. Again, people are worried about losing access to it, or it outright going away. An issue I get in my inbox often is trawler bycatch. As you've said, you've been a commercial fisherman for much of your life. What's your view on the government's role in regulating fisheries? And I guess if elected, are there any changes or things that you'd like to be seen done differently to balance protecting subsistence resources while also enabling commercial fishermen to have a prosperous business.
Bill Hill
Alaska is such a complicated state, and when you start talking fisheries, you start talking one of the most complicated subjects in this state, between subsistence users, commercial users, sports users, the wildlife photographers, all the people that want to have access to that resource, and a healthy resource. I mean, it's just a very mixed bag. But I'll say with bottom trawling and industrial grade bottom trawling, I think we need to have very strict limits, and we need to maintain those limits, because if the only thing we can affect to increase the runs that should be going to communities that you know are no longer having them, we need to make sure that we find ways to improve that. I was fortunate enough about eight or 10 years ago, to fly to Napakiak, and at that time they were still able to catch king salmon and chum, and I had a great meal where we feasted on some fish, and they shared with me some of their smoked salmon, and it was delicious. But now, they don't have that anymore. I think that's maybe where my perspective is helpful, because I understand it's not just food, right? It's a culture, it's a way of life, it's something we've been doing for 1000s of years, and it breaks this chain of ownership of land and being on the land for 1000s of years when a resource like that disappears.
So, we need to protect those resources to the greatest extent possible, and they're difficult conversations, because there are a lot of user groups, but I am for a subsistence priority. I am for a subsistence, a rural subsistence priority, and maintaining the one that's set in ANILCA. I have first-hand experience, we used to have amazing caribou herds in Bristol Bay, and those disappeared about 20 years ago, and that really hurt our communities, because we used to be able to rely every year on getting three to five caribou to fill the freezer, and that's no longer the case. We just recently were able to start hunting those again, but it's based on a limited basis, one per year per resident. We lost that, and we feel that every year. I got out in January and got my mom a caribou for subsistence purposes, and it's an important part of our life, and I understand it deeply.
KNOM
You talked about gas prices being a problem in rural Alaska, or at least a potential problem looming on the horizon, right. You've already seen some of the impacts down there in the Bristol Bay area. Here in Nome, as you said, we get just basically one massive fuel delivery a year, meaning we could be stuck with incredibly high prices for an entire year. Those elevated, volatile prices are a consequence of President Trump's war in Iran, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Members of Congress, mostly Democrats, have tried and failed to restrict or limit President Trump's war powers. So to come back to you, you're running as an independent, which is pretty unique for the state of Alaska. How would you go about deciding who to vote with on issues like that when you're not necessarily attached or assigned to one side or the other?
Bill Hill
Yeah, absolutely. Well, I think you know when you roll out haphazard tariffs, tariffs can be a very good strategic tool to improve the working conditions and the businesses that our people can work in America and Alaska, but the way they were rolled out just ended up being a tax on on the American people. We all see that with our food prices already. And then another war in the Middle East that's disrupted all of the supply chains is increasing the price of fuel just dramatically. I mean, we've seen it with our own eyes, right? I went one week filling my truck up, and it was at 140 some dollars to fill my truck up, and then the very next week was $175. That is a huge impact to a family's budget, and knowing that we rely on diesel and gasoline, we're all really concerned about it. I'm thinking about my commercial fishing operation this summer. I have a gill netter that has twin jets, two engines, and it really likes to eat diesel, and so that's going to be a major hurt on my operation.
But in terms of how you align yourself, I think we've had some really good examples of what an Alaska congressperson should be like, and that's thinking of Alaskan lives first. I don't believe in falling in a party line for your vote. I believe you need to think about Alaskan lives first and make your decision on what's best for Alaskans. And you need to build coalitions across the party spectrum, and I think that's where the power of an independent can be felt, is building relationships with both sides, so that you can get things across the line for the Alaskan people and the American people as well. Because right now when you're so stratified that you can't talk to each other it's very difficult to get it to get the business of the people done. You see it in our state legislature right now, there was a time when they were so far apart that it was very difficult for them to get the business of the Alaska people done. We instituted a new way of voting in our state, it pushed people together, and that's what I base my perspective on, is what were the outcomes of our new voting system, and it's very clear that now that we have multipartisan coalitions in the state, coalitions that are powerful enough to even overturn governors veto when necessary. That's what we want. We don't want people down there just flinging things at each other all day and all day long. We want them to get the work done, and so I think building coalitions that can do the work for Alaska's people and America's people is going to be very important. And it's a part of the work that I commit to doing,
KNOM
It's an interesting approach, because our representative, time before last, Mary Peltola, had a similar model. She was one of the least loyal Democrats, if you will, in terms of her voting record. She, I think, as you would put it, she voted in the interest of Alaskans, which turned out to be a losing strategy this last election cycle, she was unseated by Rep. Begich, who for the most part has been lockstep with Republicans, lockstep with President Trump. What's going to be different for you in now flipping it back the other way and defeating Rep. Begich?
Bill Hill
Well, what will be different for me? I think I'm a completely different person than Mary Peltola to start with. And I think I have some different viewpoints in life, I'm sure. I've met her a couple of times, but I can't say that I have a long-term relationship where I really know who she is and what she's about on a daily basis. But I think by and large that's what people from Alaska need to be doing. If you're just falling in line with the party, whether it's left or right, that's not what the Alaska people want. And yes, Mary did lose, but it was very, very close. In a year where there was a presidential campaign at the top of the ticket that drove a lot of voting, in any other part of the election cycle, she would have won that race.
KNOM
A lot of money was poured into that election. So far, you're off to a pretty decent start. Give me an assessment, a progress report of your campaign so far, what's coming up around the bend, and to put a bow on things, where do things go from here?
Bill Hill
First off, we're running a very strong campaign, and I think it really reflects the Alaska ethos. We're independent-minded, we can speak to people across the spectrum. Some of the metrics, of course, that campaigns always use are money, right? Money is a big one. So, we broke a record for a non-incumbent for first day fundraising of over $200,000. Our first quarter was over $780,000. We expect to reach close to a million by the end of this month, which shows very strong fundraising. No corporate PAC money in there. And then the other metric that's really important in Alaska is you've got to make sure that you have the working people of Alaska on your side, and unions are very powerful force in Alaska elections, and our campaign is the only one that's endorsed by unions.
We have the firefighters [Alaska Professional Firefighters] that have endorsed our campaign, the National Education Association has endorsed, the Iron Workers [Pacific Northwest Iron Workers District Council] have endorsed, the Plumbers and Steamfitters [UA Local 367] have endorsed, and the Carpenters [United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America] have endorsed our campaign, and so we have a very strong contingent of unions back in our campaign. We expect more to come as their cycle of endorsements comes through.
Additionally, I think we're a campaign that can truly represent the coalition needed to beat an incumbent, and we've seen this historically, that this coalition needs to include the coastal fishing communities, the bush communities, the Alaska Natives of Alaska, the Alaska Native organizations. Of course, the urban communities are a very strong part of it, and then the working people of Alaska, of course, are a part of it. So we're building a strong campaign. We're trying to make sure that we have the coalition necessary to beat an incumbent, and I think we're doing the work that's required to do that, and so I'm looking for your support, and anybody who's out there and would like to learn more about my campaign and how to support it, go to billhillforalaskans.com and there's more information there.
KNOM
You have experience in education, serving as a superintendent. What will that add to your repertoire as a representative, and what are some of your priorities as we look at schools in Alaska crumbling, we look at educational outcomes going in the wrong direction. What do you hope to see accomplish if elected to the House?
Bill Hill
I'll start with a lot of what happens in Alaska education is up to the state and what the state does, and I personally believe that education has been underfunded for decades. And I believe the fact that we do not have a defined benefit program has really hurt Alaska students because I would hire these great young teachers, and we'd spend a lot of money and time training them, and in the first five years they'd start becoming very proficient at their craft, and then just when they became proficient at five years, they would exit.
They would reap all they could from the state's retirement system, they'd start wanting to buy a house, they'd start wanting to build a family, and realistically looking at their options, they'd look at the lower 48 see that there are higher paid teaching jobs there with defined benefit retirement programs and a lower cost of living in terms of making decisions for your family, it's the right decision, right. 'I've got to cut and run, I've got to go to the lower 48 where I can establish myself and build a family. And Alaska, it was fun, but you know, five years is all I can give you'.
So that's been going on for quite a while now, and now we have a dearth, or we have very few of the middle career teachers that we really need. We need those 25 or 30 year teachers. That's where your value really comes in. And if you lose those, your students are losing. We need to rebuild that in this state.
But as a representative in Congress, there are some things that I could start with. Number one, we need to make sure that we have a Department of Education. Right now, it's being dismantled. We need to make sure we have a strong Department of Education, and we also need to make sure that it's up to speed on what the current day education should be, but it should not be dismantled. We need to protect things like Indian Ed and Migrant Education, which are being targeted as DEI initiatives, those are very important funding sources for our state.
And then one of the big ones that we can really tackle is Individuals with Disability Education Act funding, IDEA. So that's the law that said you have to serve special education students with the services designated, designated by their IEP, but within that lot also said that we'd be reimbursed at a 40% rate for the services we provided, but up to this date only 15% of that reimbursement has been coming to school districts. So there's some places that I can start working immediately when I hit Congress. I am pro public education, I think it's a cornerstone of our democracy, and I'll be as supportive as I can from my seat in Washington.
