Ray Alstrom was born in Alakanuk, Alaska, in 1952. He grew up in Alakanuk and St. Mary's, and went to school at Wrangell, St. Mary's, Mt. Edgecumbe, and Chugiak. He graduated from Chugiak High School in 1971 and later went to college in Fairbanks where he studied accounting. But he didn't graduate.

Ray has worked in the city office as mayor since 1994, and he plans to keep working as long as the job is available. He says it's not a matter of liking or disliking his job but a matter of providing for his family. He does like the challenge of his job, though, and the wage. He has received computer training since he became mayor of Marshall.

Ray believes that family discipline, military training, and self discipline play a big role in the way he manages his job now. He says that his job keeps him stimulated through the daily challenges he faces, and that the best thing about his job is getting things done. The worst thing about his job is people complaining who have no reason to complain. Ray has a family and feels that it positively affects his job performance.

Charlotte Alstrom

Frank Amouak
Janitor

Frank Amouak was born at Russian Mission in 1937 and grew up in Marshall. He went to school in Marshall through the sixth grade. He has worked in the City Office for about two years and plans to work there for five more years. He likes his job because it doesn't require any skills. He needed the job because he had to pay bills. He says he likes his job because it is enough to pay his bills and he doesn't have any complaints about it.

Charlotte

Ann Fitka
City Clerk/Secretary

Ann Fitka was born in Bethel in 1946 and grew up in various fish camps. She went to school at Mt. Edgecumbe High School and graduated there. Ann has worked in the City Office for six years and will work there as long as she is physically and mentally able to. She likes her job because she has always enjoyed math and bookkeeping, and the job requires a lot of it. She was interested in her job because it was the only job available at the time. All of Ann's training in bookkeeping was on-the-job. She had previous bookkeeping positions, so she felt comfortable taking that position. But the City Clerk part of her job is something that she is still learning about.

Since Ann got her job at the City Office, she has attended three clerk institute workshops where she met with city clerks around the state and learned from them. The institute just started three years ago. There aren't any schools in Alaska where you can be trained to become a city clerk. Ann feels that her job keeps her happy because she is learning something new about local government all the time, and she is constantly trying to figure out ways to make the city office run like it should. She enjoys everything about the work she does a lot. The worst thing is not knowing enough about computers to be able to use the one she has the way she wants to, and not having the time to sit and figure out all the things she would like to do on the computer.

Charlotte Alstrom