My name is Robert Shields and I humbly submit my name as the next mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
For over a decade I have faithfully served this community as an advocate, educator, and community organizer to advance economically viable solutions to the critical issues facing our shared home.
From my writings, organizing annual events, and bringing experts from around the world, the record is clear on my dedication to ensuring this community thrives for generations to come.
With the help of ARK, as a private citizen, I have attracted the interest of billions from private equity investors ready to help us leap forward. I have brought developers willing to move forward on what comes next for the iconic site of the former Polaris Hotel. I have demonstrated how our schools could capture their waste to provide stellar education for all. I have brought professionals from all across the globe to show how we can clean up the air AND lower the cost of energy. Most recently, I have engaged local stakeholders in advancing high speed transit in Alaska which is a game changer just like the days of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline system that hallmarked generations of economic prosperity.
What was considered impossible is now recognized as inevitable, and these solutions are already being developed in other places and by other nations. Our challenge is working from one budget cycle to another and trying to maintain the status quo. This approach avoids major investment opportunities in building capacity for resilience around the simple notion of common self reliance.
My education is in natural resource management and garbology. My experience is in business planning, development, and strategic growth. Originally from Indiana, I went to high school at Lathrop and consider this town my forever home. Hiking, gardening, my dog, Spot, and my girlfriend, fill my free time with joy and comfort.
My goal as mayor is simply to position this community so we can all make the best of what comes next and serve as a model of economic resilience, environmental health, and social wealth. All things deemed critical to living the Alaskan dream in 2024.