Two new members participated in their first Nome Common Council meeting on Oct. 24: Student Rep. Kellie Miller and Councilmember Cameron Piscoya.

“I’m excited to be here, working on the future of Nome,” Piscoya said.

After taking their oaths of office, both Piscoya and Miller took their seats in council chambers. NBHS Student Rep. Miller sat in Councilmember Meghan Sigvanna Tapqaq’s seat while Tapqaq was participating via Zoom on Monday. Tapqaq said of the new members, “I think it is really beautiful when the Council can reflect the diversity of our community.”

From then on it was business as usual for the Council. Members formally accepted a late sales tax exemption from the Bering Sea Women’s Group, approved council members and staff to sign checks and payments using the City of Nome accounts, and then named Bryant Hammond as acting City Manager for mid-November. City Manager Glenn Steckman will be traveling out of town Nov. 12-26.

Then some unusual business came up when City Manager Steckman encouraged the Council to reject a contract with Construction Machinery Industrial. The city wants an articulated boom lift to be delivered to Seattle and shipped up to Nome on a barge, Steckman said.

“We think we can get a better price by going out (to bid) again. Just so you know, this was $20,000 above what was budgeted,” Steckman said.

Construction Machinery Industrial bid a price of $99,500 for the articulated boom lift contract. All council members, including newly elected Piscoya, voted no on the resolution.

During Monday night’s meeting, one of Congresswoman Mary Peltola’s legislative assistants stopped by to get some face time with Nome residents. Samuel Hiratsuka out of Washington D.C. will be holding mobile office hours at city hall from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 26.

“It’s very important to the Representative to hear from each and every one of you and that’s my job here. I know how cost prohibitive it is to get out to D.C. for a scant amount of federal officials’ time,” Hiratsuka said.

Before adjourning the regular meeting, Mayor John Handeland called for John Odden to be reappointed to the Nome Planning Commission. The Council unanimously voted yes.

Also on the agenda was a memorandum regarding taxi cab licenses in Nome, which was tabled for an upcoming meeting. It was not yet ready for a final decision, City Manager Steckman said.

The next Nome Common Council regular meeting is scheduled for Nov. 14.

Image at top: Cameron Piscoya swears into Nome City Council on Oct. 24, 2022. Photo by Davis Hovey, KNOM (2022).