July 16, 2014

Golden Days, WEIO, Picnics! It's a Fairbanks Summer...

Dear Neighbors,

It’s going to be a busy weekend! Although this Fairbanks summer has been up and down with record rains interspersed with beautifully sunny days, we have reached the weekend that everyone looks forward to: Golden Days. In 2014, we have a double-dose of excitement as the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics will take place this weekend as well. I look forward to meeting and visiting with neighbors as we celebrate the Golden Heart City!

Picnic in the Park

It’s that time again! Join me at South Fairbanks Park on Wednesday, July 23rd, at 4:00pm as we continue to enjoy the free parks around Fairbanks. Unfortunately, our picnic on July 1 was canceled due to the torrential, record-setting rain. However, we will make up for this missed picnic by having a great time next week! If you can’t make Wednesday’s picnic, you have plenty of time to plan for the next one. I will be hosting a FINAL picnic on September 6th at the Fairbanks Lions Recreation Area on College and Danby.

World Eskimo-Indian Olympics

I am humbled and honored to give the opening remarks at tonight’s WEIO Opening Ceremony. It is always amazing to see how many world-class athletes assemble each year for four days of competition, culture, friendship and tradition. I first went to WEIO as a young Fairbanksan and have returned each year to witness history in the making. I believe it is critical to learn about and celebrate Alaska Native culture and history. WEIO provides an avenue to do just that as the Arctic focuses its attention on Fairbanks. I look forward to watching more events and see which records fall during the 53rd annual World Eskimo-Indian Olympics.

Voter Registration Deadline

This Sunday, July 20, is the deadline to register to vote, update voter registration or change political party affiliation for the upcoming August 19th primary election. The Fairbanks Division of Elections regional office will be open on Saturday from 10am to 4pm and on Sunday from 12pm to 4pm for voter registration. If you haven’t registered to vote, or wish to change your registration information, please make sure to swing by this office! Voting is a fundamental American right and the basis of our democracy. I strongly encourage you to exercise this right and make your voice heard. The August 19th election has an extremely important voter initiative to repeal SB 21, the Oil Tax Giveaway. Additionally, numerous important primaries will be decided. I will see you at the polls!

Xerox Problems

As many of you have heard, Alaska’s Medicaid payment system, administered by the Xerox Corp., has been plagued by problems since it went live last year. Xerox has only been paying roughly 60% of the claims submitted under Medicaid. Alaskans deserve better than this. I have been working with my Democratic colleagues over the past several months to try to fix this problem. We saw last week that the Governor’s office has now requested mediation with Xerox in hopes of finding a solution. Feel free to contact my office if you’ve had any problems with Xerox and I will keep you informed as we move forward in this process.

Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,

Scott Kawasaki
Alaska State Representative
City of Fairbanks