Mike Cronk

My name is Mike Cronk and I am running for the House of Representatives, District 6! I'm the son of a Vietnam-era Air Force veteran. After returning from Vietnam in 1970, my father was stationed at Elmendorf AFB. My family fell in love with Alaska and after my father's military retirement, all eight of us moved from Anchorage to Northway, Alaska in 1978, when I was in the 4th grade. In Northway, I grew up absorbing the traditional rural lifestyle. This is where I developed my love and respect for people and the land. I learned to be patient and listen, live conservatively and work together toward self-sufficiency by hunting, fishing, trapping, gardening, food preservation, and utilizing natural resources like timber for home heating. I attended Walter Northway School and graduated as the Valedictorian of my class in 1987. An opportunity for a scholarship to play basketball and get my education at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks presented itself, and I took it. I graduated in 1992 and returned home to Walter Northway School with my teaching degree in hand, becoming a Kindergarten/1st grade classroom teacher. After 14 years in Northway, I accepted a middle school job teaching math and science in Tok, AK and retired in 2017 after 25 years of teaching. I'm the very proud father of four amazing daughters, who are Upper Tanana Athabascans and Doyon shareholders. My girls all hold a love for hunting, fishing, trapping, their elders, and their Native culture. I have gained two son-in-laws, who are both Army veterans, and I have four beautiful grandchildren. I know from playing/coaching/refereeing basketball, contributing to teacher work groups, or serving on a governance body, better results come from communication and collaboration with others. For the past 25 years, I have served on the Upper Tanana/40 Mile Advisory Committee, and with my peers created hunting, fishing and trapping regulations to best balance the ecology of our region. I served as a teacher advisor to the Alaska Gateway School District Regional School Board for about five years and after retirement was publicly elected to serve as a board member in November of 2018. These experiences continue to reaffirm the value of teamwork because in the end, we are all on Team Alaska. I have lived in Alaska for 49 years, 41 in the Upper Tanana area, I've travelled to many of our rural towns across District 6 and have met, and became friends with many people. Through these travels, I have a first hand knowledge of the diversity and the differing needs of the people and communities of District 6. Having travelled to countries as diverse as Czechoslovakia, Namibia, Mexico, and Canada as well as many of our lower 48 states, I was able to "look" outside of Alaska and gain experience that allows me to understand the role Alaska currently plays in the world and also in the future. Some of you may recognize my name from the Route 91 Las Vegas shooting on Oct. 1, 2017. It was a tragic, life-changing crisis that helped me see that people are not as divided as it seems. During and after the horrific event, I witnessed people from all beliefs and cultures uniting in a time of need. We have a crisis right now here in Alaska: a budget crisis. I believe all Alaskans can come together and make those conservative, fiscally responsible decisions that are required for a successful future. I've been a proud, life-time Republican voter because my values closely align with our Republican Party views. As this election year progresses, I realize there are many issues of importance to District 6 and all of Alaska. I am excited for the opportunity to be a House District 6 Republican candidate and believe I have the knowledge, experience and skillsets needed to serve our people. I finished serving my first session as the State House Representative for District 6. I was a part of the minority caucus who fought for the PFD, a conservative budget, and your liberties and freedoms. I immersed myself into as many committees as I could, and served on the Resources, Education, Transportation, and Tribal Affair Committees. It was an incredible learning experience as well as honorable serving the people of District 6 and Alaska. As we get set to return for the 2nd session, my promise to you is that I will represent you with honor and integrity and will ALWAYS fight for the people, first and foremost. With the current COVID-19 virus commanding most of our attention, please embrace the extra time you have with your family and stay healthy.