Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 291
A pair of bills were submitted to the State Legislature which would help move forward a proposed land exchange between the United States Forest Service and the state Mental Health Trust Authority. House Bill 155 was introduced by Rep. Dan Ortiz (I-District 36) earlier last week, with Sen. Bert Stedman (R-District R) submitting Senate Bill 88 shortly after. An agreement to initiate the swap was signed by both services in June 2015, which followed approximately eight years of negotiations that included input from a wide collection of...
As the Alaska House and Senate continue to prepare budgets for the coming year, residents of Wrangell and Ketchikan were invited to their Legislative Information Office locations for a call-in session with Rep. Dan Ortiz (I-District 36). Meeting late in the afternoon February 23, 10 Wrangell residents and seven in Ketchikan tuned in for the representative’s pitch for House Bill 115, a proposal to reconfigure Alaska’s Permanent Fund along with revenue enhancements being sponsored by the Majority-led House Finance Committee. The bill calls for...
Everyone is welcome to an Open House at the Legislative Information Office Thursday, February 23rd, from 4 – 6 pm. Come see what the office has to offer and enjoy light refreshments. Also available will be an informal teleconference with Representative Dan Ortiz from 5 – 6 pm. This is your opportunity to let him know your opinions on the State budget, the Permanent Fund Dividend or any other concerns you may have. The LIO is located at the top of the stairs in the Kadin Building. Call 874-3013 for more information....
Entering its third full week of the session, Alaska’s Legislature continues to look at a variety of spending cuts and revenue options. On February 2, the Senate Finance Committee heard SB 21, a proposal of Sen. Bert Stedman to restructure how Permanent Fund earnings are appropriated. Currently the $56B in the fund are constitutionally protected, but the bill proposes further limiting the amount of money that can be withdrawn from the principal to 4.5 percent of market value, based on a rolling five-year average. That rate falls within the f...
By Representative Dan Ortiz Governor Walker submitted a budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year, which includes three primary items: cuts in government spending, increased revenue, and the use of some Permanent Fund earnings, which is a separate fund from where we collect our dividend. During his State of the State, Governor Walker emphasized the significant cuts we’ve made since 2015. We’ve cut the budget from $8 billion to $5 billion. We’ve cut government spending by 44%. When factoring in inflation and population growth, our current spendin...
Alaska’s 30th Legislature convened for its new session on Tuesday, with the state’s finances presenting a daunting challenge for the next 90 days. The spending deficit is projected at around $3.1 billion this year if the budget is left as-is. Agency spending has come to just over 13-percent since FY15, and the budget as a whole has taken a 29-percent cut when capital projects and other funding is considered. Revenue has failed to cover operating expenses since FY13, but has covered an ever-dwindling proportion since. This year the $1.2 bil...
At its regular meeting Tuesday, the City and Borough Assembly met with returning Rep. Dan Ortiz (I-District 36) to talk about the state budget. He had previously stopped by on similar visits to the councils in Hydaburg, Metlakatla and Ketchikan, and was hoping to get input from Wrangell’s before the upcoming session, which begins next week. “Marching orders, if you will,” he said. The biggest issue on all legislators’ plates this session will be the budget deficit, which is hovering at around $3.6 billion this year. Revenues for the state l...
For Wrangell, the past year was one mixed with successes and setbacks, shared tragedies and uplifting moments. Sales taxes collected over the spring and summer tour seasons neared all-time highs, with the visitor industry experiencing a good season overall. On the other end, fishermen experienced one of their worst harvests of the summer, which after a disappointing 2015 season has put the fiscal pinch on a number of local families, boat builders, and associated sectors. As 2017 dawns, concerns...
Things are looking up for possible project financing needed to replace float facilities at Shoemaker Bay Harbor. In a budget draft released by Gov. Bill Walker last week, the Department of Transportation and Public Facility’s harbor maintenance program would have $5,000,000 in its coffers for next year, precisely the amount Wrangell would need in order to proceed with its renovation at Shoemaker. The Wrangell project has been given precedence this year over other applications from around the state, after being passed over last year due to l...
With 99.55 percent of precincts reporting in the state, it appears the Alaska House Majority will be in new hands at the start of the January session. Numerically speaking, a majority of House seats were retained by Republicans, the inclusion of three of these in a bipartisan caucus was announced the day after the election. For the first time in decades this will shift the chamber over to a Democrat-led majority. Seventeen Democrats and two independent representatives bring their total number...
Local voters took to the polls Tuesday, putting an end to what was for many an overlong campaign season. Nationally, indications showed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to be ahead of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, though by press time Tuesday final tallies were being calculated in half a dozen states. In Alaska, preliminary results from around the state were only just coming in from different precincts as of Tuesday night. In unofficial tallies for Wrangell voters, some 45 percent of registered voters turned out on Election...
As the year's campaign season nears its close on Tuesday, candidates for House District 36 came to Wrangell to participate in a public debate last week. Held at City Hall on October 26, the forum was hosted by public radio station KSTK. Independent incumbent Rep. Dan Ortiz met with Republican challenger Bob Sivertsen. Constitution Party candidate Kenneth Shaw was also invited to the debate, but was unable to attend. All three candidates are from Ketchikan. Speakers were given two minutes each...
The governor’s office last week announced the inclusion of Southeast Alaska in the state’s request for a disaster declaration for the 2016 pink salmon fishery. Made October 26, the announcement was in response to a letter jointly issued by Reps. Dan Ortiz (I-District 36) and Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D-District 35) the previous week making the request. It follows a request in August made by Rep. Louise Stutes (R-District 32) for the state’s fishery due to the season’s poor returns. Statewide the harvest was considered the worst in nearly...
By Representative Dan Ortiz The Stikine, Taku and Unuk watersheds are a major factor in the reliability of our seafood and tourism industries. Our fisheries, mariculture, and tourism industries rely on healthy watersheds, which replenish these resources and maintain our scenic reputation and seafood quality. If these rivers are not maintained for quality, our resources will diminish, as vital nutrients and safety conditions will lapse. According to recent estimates from the McDowell Group, the total annual economic contribution of these...
With elections at the state and national levels set for November 8, candidates have been busy making the rounds, meeting with constituents and engaging in public debates on policy directions. In the race for House District 36, Wrangell voters may already be acquainted with sitting Rep. Dan Ortiz and Republican challenger Bob Sivertsen, both of whom were scheduled to debate in town on Wednesday evening. Interviews with the two have already run in the preceding two issues of the Sentinel. A third candidate is joining them on the ballot this...
It has come to my attention in recent days that groups from outside our district and outside Alaska have started to send out negative ads against me. Judging from where this effort is coming from, I take it in stride. As your state representative, my only goal is to be your voice in the legislature. Residents of District 36 know that I actively request input from every side of every issue, and I listen to everyone. My goal has never been to appease big oil or the Railbelt, especially when their desires are in conflict with the needs of Southern...
Ahead of next month's general election, candidates for Wrangell's State House district have been stopping in to meet with constituents and secure their votes on November 8. Running for District 36 as a Republican, Ketchikan Councilman Bob Sivertsen spoke about his candidacy. He had previously visited the community on the campaign trail over July 4 and in September. "I think the campaign's been going great," Sivertsen said. "I spent a fair amount of time in Wrangell, visiting with residents. And...
Public radio is a lifeline for rural communities. It connects our community of islands here in Southeast, and our neighbors scattered across the far and wide villages of Northern Alaska. In many areas of Alaska public radio is the only means of issuing emergency alerts, public safety announcements, and relaying important community information. Public radio should be an investment of the Department of Public Safety. Public radio currently finds its support from the Department of Administration, but that is not the appropriate category of...
Rep. Dan Ortiz is running for reelection on November 8, to represent District 36 in the Alaska State House. Going door to door through Wrangell on the campaign trail late last month, he stopped in the Sentinel office to talk about his record, his candidacy, and the direction he believes the state should head in the coming session. Unaffiliated with any political party, after being elected to office in 2014, Ortiz served both legislative sessions caucusing with the Democratic-led House Minority....
PETERSBURG — With the state fiscal crisis swallowing Alaska’s political debate since 2014, the Alaska House races in Districts 35 and 36 are being fought on almost identical grounds. House District 35 includes the northern and more populated half of Prince of Wales Island. While Ketchikan’s Rep. Dan Ortiz is an independent, both he and Rep. Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins, D-Sitka, are members of the Alaska House minority caucus. They won their races after unlikely campaigns as political underdogs. Kreiss-Tomkins was first elected in 2012, while Ortiz...
As the fisheries industry continues to expand and Wrangell’s Marine Service Center’s services demand increases, I believe Wrangell’s economy has nowhere to go but up. However, to accommodate this growth, the state must maintain their services in Wrangell. I am particularly concerned about the conservation of state jobs in Wrangell. Several years ago, Wrangell lost its social worker and its fisheries biologist. Now, the loss of the Wrangell trooper and the potential of reduced funding to the city jail weigh heavily, as Wrangell’s state jobs sl...
A steering committee has been selected to head up restructuring of the Alaska Marine Highway System. In May the office of Gov. Bill Walker tasked regional economic forum Southeast Conference with revitalizing the state’s maritime transportation network, a two-phase process which will involve looking both at its organizational structure and business model. To that end, a committee representing AMHS’ varied user base was selected from around 25 applicants. “We had quite a few names to choose from,” commented Robert Venables, transpo...
Wrangell's annual Independence Day celebration draws hundreds of visitors, from former residents and current ones' relatives to returning tourists. Among the weekend's visitors were Sen. Bert Stedman of District R and Republican candidate for House District 36 Bob Sivertsen. On a brief break before returning to Juneau for a special session beginning on July 11, Stedman explained the purpose of his visit to Wrangell was twofold: catching the first two days of its Fourth festivities and visiting w...
In the current budget that was approved by the majority of Alaskan Legislators, 430 million dollars is allocated for direct cash payouts to oil companies in the form of credits. The state’s obligation for this year’s credits is 750 million dollars. Thus, even if the State of Alaska pays out the allocated 430 million dollars, it will continue to be responsible for 320 million dollars additionally in future obligations. That 750 million dollars is the third biggest spending item in our state’s budget. Under SB 21, the state is obligated to pay 75...