The Local Boundary Commission consists of five members appointed by the Governor. One member is appointed from each of Alaska's four judicial districts. The Chair is appointed at large.
Governor Palin appointed Lynn Chrystal as the member from the Third Judicial District on March 27, 2007. Governor Parnell appointed him as the Local Boundary Commission's chair on September 10, 2009. Mr. Chrystal is a current resident, former mayor of the City of Valdez, and former member of the Valdez City Council. He has lived in Valdez since 1975. Mr. Chrystal retired in 2002 from the federal government after four years in the Air Force and 36 years with the National Weather Service. He has worked in Tin City, Barrow, Yakutat, and Valdez. He has served on the boards of several civic groups and other organizations including the Resource Development Council, Pioneers of Alaska, and Copper Valley Electric Cooperative. His current term on the LBC ends January 31, 2013.
Governor Parnell appointed John Harrington of Ketchikan as the member from the First Judicial District on the Local Boundary Commission on September 10, 2009. Mr. Harrington is a real estate manager and previously worked as an adult education coordinator in Ketchikan from 1985-97. He was also a special education teacher and administrator in Washington state from 1972-84. He served on the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly 2005 through 2011, chairing the borough's Planning Liaison and Economic Development Advisory Committee among others. His community service includes chairing the North Tongass Fire and EMS Service Area Board from 2002-05, serving on the Ketchikan Charter Commission from 2003-04, and serving as an elected member of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough school board from 1988-94. Harrington earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and history from Western Washington University and a master's degree in educational administration from Seattle University. His current term on the LBC ends January 31, 2016.
Governor Knowles appointed Robert "Bob" Harcharek as the member from the second judicial district on the Local Boundary Commission on July 18, 2002. Governor Murkowski reappointed him to the LBC on March 24, 2004. In April 2007, his fellow commissioners elected him vice chair. On March 9, 2009, Governor Palin reappointed him to the LBC. In 1977 he earned a Ph.D. in International and Development Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Commissioner Harcharek served for three years in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer. Dr. Harcharek has lived and worked on the North Slope for more than 30 years. Dr. Harcharek recently retired from the North Slope Borough as the Community and Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Planner for the Department of Public Works. He served as a member of the Barrow City Council for fifteen years, and is currently Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Barrow. His current LBC term ends January 31, 2014.
Governor Parnell appointed Larry Semmens of Soldotna as the member from the Third Judicial District on the Local Boundary Commission, on September 10, 2009. In May 2010, his fellow commissioners elected him to a three-year term as vice chair. Mr. Semmens is a certified public accountant and the manager of the City of Soldotna. Previously, he was the finance director for the City of Kenai from 1996-2008. He also served the Kenai Peninsula Borough as finance director from 1995-96, controller from 1988-95, and treasury manager from 1981-88. Commissioner Semmens currently chairs the Alaska Public Entities Insurance Pool, and is a member of the Alaska Municipal Managers Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the International City Managers Association. Semmens served in the U.S. Air Force from 1973-76 and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Boise State University. Mr. Semmens was the recipient of the Alaska Municipal League 2006 Vic Fisher Local Government Leadership Award. His current term on the LBC ends January 31, 2017.
Governor Palin appointed Lavell Wilson, a Tok resident, as the member from the Fourth Judicial District on the Local Boundary Commission, June 4, 2007. Commissioner Wilson is a former member of the Alaska House of Representatives, serving the area outside of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the Eighth State Legislature. He moved to Alaska in 1949 and has lived in the Northway/Tok area since. Commissioner Wilson attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Brigham Young University. Commissioner Wilson worked as a licensed aircraft mechanic, commercial pilot, and flight instructor for 40 Mile Air from 1981-1995, retiring as the company's chief pilot and office manager. Mr. Wilson became a licensed big game guide in 1963. He has also worked as a surveyor, teamster, and construction laborer, retiring from the Operating Engineer's Local 302 in Fairbanks. As a member of Local 302, he worked for 12 years on the U.S. Air Force's White Alice system, the ballistic missile defense site at Clear, and the radar site at Cape Newenham. He has also taught a course at the University of Alaska for the past few years on the history of the Upper Tanana Valley. His current term on the LBC ends January 31, 2015.
Brent Williams Division of Community & Regional Affairs Department of Community, Commerce, and Economic Development 550 West 7th Ave., Suite 1770, Anchorage, AK 99501-3510 Phone: 269-4559 Fax: 269-4539 E-mail: LBC@alaska.gov