As 180 delegates converge on Wrangell this week for the 56th annual Southeast Conference, Alaska State House hopefuls have likewise paid a visit in order to meet some of the people one will eventually represent after November's election.
Independent candidate Dan Ortiz and Republican Chere Klein are competing for the District 36 seat, which was created during 2011 redistricting and includes Ketchikan, Saxman, Wrangell, Metlakatla and Hydaburg. The incumbent, Rep. Peggy Wilson, is stepping down this year after serving 14 years in the Alaska House.
Klein captured the Republican nomination after a three-way primary in August. A Ketchikan business owner and mother of two, Klein most recently has served on Wilson's staff as a legislative aid. At her Monday evening meet-and-greet at the Sourdough Lodge, Klein said she will be having close support from the Wilson team as the election approaches.
“I will be back to pretty much knocking on doors every day,” Klein said. She enjoys the campaign trail, she explained. “It's great to meet people and listen to their concerns.”
Formerly a teacher from Ketchikan, Ortiz came to Wrangell “to get the message out.” He also fielded questions and discussed issues at a meet-and-greet Monday afternoon in the Wrangell Senior Center.
“We're working very hard trying to get out to all the communities in the district,” he said.
Both candidates are concerned about the state budget, which for two years has seen a widening fiscal gap due in large part to declining oil production and few alternative revenue sources.
“Absolutely number one is our state budget,” said Klein. “It's a huge deal.”
“We can't just continue to deficit spend,” Ortiz said.
While both agree that a decline in oil revenues are to blame, they differ on how the state should levy tax on production.
During August's referendum on Senate Bill 21 – signed into law last year as a replacement for the 2007 Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share (ACES) system, which among other things pegged tax values to production levels – Klein had come out in support of SB 21, while Ortiz opposed the law.
“Not that ACES was perfect,” Ortiz said. “It needed reform.”
He said SB 21 gave too much away, without adequately addressing the state's looming revenue problem.
Another challenge the two agree will need to be addressed in the coming term will be bringing problems particular to Southeast Alaska to the fore of the Legislature's agenda, such as the future of the Alaska Marine Highway System.
“It's getting worse,” said Klein, “because of our shrinking budget.”
As the Legislature will soon be making different cuts to the operational budget, the worry is that the ferry system's importance to Southeastern communities will be lost on most legislators.
“It is our transportation, it is our freight. ... There's nothing that compares in our state to the marine highway system,” Klein said.
Ortiz believes a stronger regional voice will be needed in Juneau to preserve that lifeline, which he contends will require a measure of bipartisanship.
“The only answers are going to be found in the middle ground,” he said.
“I've been assured I have an opportunity to join either caucus,” Ortiz went on, being able to work with Democrats and Republicans alike to present more pragmatic positions.
“I believe my campaign offers the best opportunity for getting solid representation for Southeast Alaska,” he said.
Klein believes a broader voting bloc of rural representatives would adequately represent the district's interests. “We're basically rural issues,” she said. “Working with the entire legislature as well,” Klein said she would be able to keep Southeast's needs on the legislative agenda.
Both candidates will be around for the week of the conference.
A senate seat and the governor's office are up for vote this year. Alaska's general election will be held on Nov. 4.
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