By Mayor Kristin Smith
Hello Cordova!
Thank you for all the well wishes I’ve heard from so many of you – I’m buoyed up by the votes of confidence and excited for the chance to help facilitate the public dialogue that’s so critical for moving our community forward.
Please join us for a meeting sometime and support our new and continuing Cordova City Council members. Hearing from you is so helpful in making decisions about city resources!
At the state level, the most pressing topic is school funding and revenue for the state to pay for it. Several bills are being considered to help raise revenue (SB 112, SB 113, HB 52) along with the main education funding and policy bill, HB 57. We need to show our state legislators and our governor that we value education and our teachers, and we’re willing to pay to support our schools. Phone calls or emails to Senate Resources Committee (SB 112), House State Affairs (HB 52), and Senate Rules Committee (SB 113) members can let our legislators know how critical these efforts are to our and all Alaska communities.
A lot of attention was given to the eight U.S. Forest Service jobs Cordova lost – and then regained – in February. But what we won’t have in town this summer are the 14-16 recreation and fisheries/wildlife positions that are usually hired for the Cordova Ranger District, or another 5-6 intern positions going unfilled, people who maintain our trails and fish and wildlife programs, and shop in our stores. Our trails have already sustained plenty of damage over the winter with rock slides and trees blown down. You will likely be seeing invitations from USFS staff to help out with volunteer trail maintenance days, please consider pitching in to help with keeping our network of excellent trails open!
We all know how critical a need child care is in Cordova. Chugachmiut, the nonprofit social services organization for the Chugach region, was awarded a Head Start expansion grant that is planned to serve 20 Cordova children ages 3-5 free of charge, and hire and train four local staff. This funding is threatened to be cut in the federal FY 2026 budget. Please tell Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Dan Sullivan, and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III that Cordova desperately needs this support. Right now, we have capacity for 35 children to receive full-time care and 18 receiving part-time care, out of potentially 82 children ages 3-5 – that means more than 1/3 of preschool-aged children are not being served in any structured early childhood program. Parents who need to stay home to take care of their kids are people who are not able to join the workforce, and we are all hearing about how hard it has been to fill jobs around town.
We should also be talking with our delegation too about maintaining Essential Air Service, Secure Rural Schools (roads and schools), Medicaid (for our hospital), and USCG funding in the FY 2026 budget.
The city will be holding a mug up session to talk about the breakwater fill lot and what uses you all want to see there, please look for public notices in the coming week or two.
Finally, I hope you can join in the fun during the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival. There is something for everyone this coming weekend – the Bay to Bay bike/walk/run, field trips, art workshops, presentations. Take a look at the schedule at coppershorebird.com, and head out to Hartney Bay to experience Cordova’s “avian aurora.” This year marks the 35th year of a festival that has led the way for many others in Alaska, on the west coast, and in South America, that’s something to celebrate!
Sharing your love for Cordova,
Kristin Smith
Smith was elected mayor in March 2025.
