Meet Dana

I’m Dana Raffaniello, and I’m running for Mat-Su Borough Assembly, District 2, because our Valley deserves leadership that’s hands-on, grounded in service, and focused on what works.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. A city kid who first arrived in Alaska in January 2001. I made Fairbanks home until 2007, maintaining satellite tracking stations, biomedical equipment, and fiber/microwave circuits on the PARC bombing range. From 2007 to 2011, I lived in King Salmon and Dillingham, providing telecommunications services to some of the most remote villages in Alaska. Since 2012, I’ve lived in the Mat-Su Valley, working with major telecom providers to engineer the satellite, optical, and IP networks that bring broadband to Alaskans across the state.
From my years as an Electronic Warfare Technician in the United States Marine Corps to my current role building Alaska’s internet backbone, I don’t just understand systems—I make them work. I’ve spent my career solving problems across the tundra and coastline, and now I’m bringing that hands-on approach to our Borough government.
I’m running as an undeclared candidate—not beholden to party agendas, but guided by community needs and practical solutions.
I’m running to:

Restore trust in our elections by advocating for the repeal of Ranked-Choice Voting and reforms that honor transparency and fairness
This campaign isn’t about slogans—it’s about systems that work. It’s about accountability, not convenience. It’s about building—not preserving—what’s next for the Valley.
Let’s take our future back. Let’s do it together.

Create safer neighborhoods through smarter patrol coverage and Borough-led public safety options

Build a transit system that starts with microtransit and grows into predictable, accessible commuter routes

Support affordable housing, vocational training, and economic development rooted in dignity, not debt

Protect our cultural values through responsible library oversight and policies that preserve what makes the Valley unique

Open up West Susitna not just for development, but for opportunity and revenue that serves our people

This is a campaign about action, not slogans. It’s about accountability, not convenience. It’s about building—not preserving—what’s next for the Valley. Let’s take our future back. Let’s do it together.