Lou Heinbockel, Deputy Mayor
Seat A (2018-2021)
PO Box 889
Delta Junction, AK 99737
(907) 895-4568
Council Representative: Parks & Recreation, Cemetery
Lou was first appointed to the City Council on January 20, 1976 and served through May of that year. He served consecutive terms between October 1982 to 1988 and October 1999 to 2011, as Mayor (1982), and Mayor Pro tem (1983/1985 and 2006/2008). Lou was appointed to Seat C on October 15, 2013 and served one year. He returned to the City Council as a write-in candidate in the October 6, 2015 Municipal Election and was elected on October 2, 2018 to another three-year term. Lou was elected by the Council body on December 1, 2020 to serve as Deputy Mayor throughout his term, ending in October 2021. Upon Mayor Freda Degnan’s resignation, effective September 5, 2021, Lou moved into the mayor’s position, to serve until the October 5 Municipal Election results are certified.
Lou is a retired High School teacher and has resided in Delta Junction since 1969. His hobbies involve the outdoors and annual cruises with his wife, Sherry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erin Catterson
Seat B (2020-2021)
PO Box 1277
Delta Junction, AK 99737
Council Representative:
Erin Catterson was appointed to the City Council on December 15, 2020. She was born and raised in Delta Junction and graduated from Delta Junction High school. She met her husband, Randy, while working at Fort Greely and they are raising two daughters. Erin was an EMT with the Delta Rescue Squad (2008-2012) and still volunteers as an EMT and firefighter for the City Fire Department. She operates a small home-based baking business and enjoys the outdoors and exploring this great state we live in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Prestegard
Seat C (2020-2023)
PO Box 690
Delta Junction, AK 99737
Council Representative: Health & Safety
Michael Prestegard ran unopposed and was elected to a three-years term during the October 6, 2020 regular municipal election.
Mike spent much of his childhood in the remote villages of Alaska where his father worked for the FAA. He was in King Salmon when Alaska became a state. After serving six years in the United States Air Force, he began a career as an electrician for the Boeing Company in the Seattle area. In 2003 the opportunity arose and he transferred to Fort Greely. He returned to Seattle in 2008, and after 39 years and eight month, he retired in 2016. It was then that he and his wife, Jill, were able to return to Delta Junction.
Mike is a private pilot and enjoys all things Alaska. He also enjoys serving in his church and spending time with his large family, especially his 15 grandchildren.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freda Degnan, Mayor
Seat D (2019-2022)
PO Box 1094
Delta Junction, AK 99737
Council Representative: Personnel, Library
Freda was appointed to serve on the City Council on June 2, 2015. She was elected to the one-year term in 2015 and to three-year terms in 2016 and 2019. Freda was elected on October 10, 2017 by her fellow Council members to serve as Deputy Mayor for one year. She was re-elected in 2019 and 2020, and moved into the Mayor position on December 1, 2020, to serve until October 2021.
Freda moved to Delta Junction with her parents in 1980 and graduated from Delta High School. She married and moved to Michigan and majored in accounting at Davenport University. She was a firefighter and an EMT with the Mid-Michigan Community Fire Department. In 2010 she returned to Delta Junction and is currently employed with Delta Industrial Services, Inc. as their purchasing agent.
Freda and her husband, James, are members of The House of Prayer Church and Freda is also a member of the Delta Clearwater Moose Lodge #911 and the Elks Lodge #1400.
Freda has one son and one granddaughter who still reside in Michigan and she enjoys camping, hiking, boating, a variety of sports, and anything to do with the great outdoors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charles Lester
Seat E (2018-2021)
PO Box 1393
Delta Junction, AK 99737
Council Representative: Public Works
Charles was elected to the City Council on October 2, 2018 for a three-year term.
Charles has been a resident of the Delta area since 1973. He is married to Antoinette, a CNA at Interior Alaska Medical Clinic, and he has three children. Special interests include, but are not limited to, jet boating, aviation, and the great outdoors. Charles is a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pete Hallgren
Seat F (2020-2023)
PO Box 1625
Delta Junction, AK 99737
Council Representative: At Large
Pete arrived in Alaska in 1971 and served the City & Borough of Sitka for 20 years as borough attorney, assembly member, and mayor. After a 28-year career as an attorney he and his family moved to Delta Junction in 1999 where he served as Director of the Local Redevelopment Authority under BRAC ’95. He reestablished the position of Municipal Administrator, served for eight years, and retired in July 2007.
Pete was appointed to serve on the City Council on August 7, 2007 and elected by the public in 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, and 2020. He served as Mayor Pro tem (2008/2012) and as Mayor (2012/2017).
Pete decided to retire and he submitted his resignation on August 15, 2017, effective upon swearing in the winners of the October 2017 municipal election (to enable Seat G to be put on the municipal ballot) while continuing to serve until his successor was elected and seated. However, Pete was elected by write-in votes to the vacant Seat F. He accepted the three-year term and was sworn in to Seat F simultaneously with his successor in Seat G. Pete ran again in 2020 and won by one vote. He will serve another three-year term, ending in 2023.
Pete is proud to have been an involved witness to the economic rebirth of Delta through construction of Pogo Mine, Federal retention of Fort Greely, and construction of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense. As City Administrator, Pete oversaw planning, construction, and major upgrades of City facilities: landfill, library, fire and ambulance buildings, television transmitters, indoor hockey facility, new fire trucks and ambulances, and reconstruction of the airport runway.
Pete attends the Delta Christian Center Church with his family and they are members of a number of local organizations. Pete is a race car enthusiast and also enjoys four-wheeling, hunting, camping, cutting firewood, and travel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alan Levinson
Seat G (2019-2022)
PO Box 1677
Delta Junction, AK 99737
Council Representative: Airport
Alan received the most write-in votes for Seat G in the October 3, 2017 Municipal Election. He served through the end of his term (October 2019) and was re-elected to a three-year term on October 1, 2019.
Alan moved to Dillingham, Alaska in 1979 where he attended high school. He moved to Montana for college, where he met and married his wife, Tiki. They have a son and a daughter, both Delta-Greely School District graduates, who are pursuing their own interests. Alan is employed in building maintenance at Fort Greely. He has been involved with the Boy Scouts for many years, has a special interest in aviation, and is active in outdoor pursuits.