Becker discusses campaign, priorities if elected

Having won in the primary election in September, Leslie Becker is now competing against incumbent Dan Ortiz to represent House District 36 in this November's general election. District 36 covers several Southeast Alaskan communities, including Ketchikan, Metlakatla, and Wrangell.

Becker spoke with the Wrangell Sentinel about the campaign so far, and her priorities if she is elected.

"It's a great learning experience," she said about the campaign trail. "You stretch your mind, you learn a lot ... You really dive into the core of your community."

Campaign fundraising was a topic of discussion, as well. In an interview with the Wrangell Sentinel, Rep. Ortiz said that Becker had raised more money for her campaign than he had. Becker pointed to an Oct. 17 article by the Ketchikan Daily News, breaking down fundraising between the two campaigns. A significant portion of Becker's campaign finances come from self contributions, according to the article. Rep. Ortiz, meanwhile, has drawn most of his campaign funding from individual donations, political action committees, and previous campaign income. Becker said that it was not really her out-fundraising her opponent, but their sources of funding were coming from different places. With all sources of funding considered, the Ketchikan Daily News article said, Becker is ahead in funding by about $15,000.

Becker went on to say that she has met many people and has really learned a lot about the feelings and priorities of people in District 36. A major issue across many communities, she said, is the ferry system. The Alaska Marine Highway is important for Southeast communities for many reasons, she said. Beyond the ferries serving as an important mode of transportation, it is also an important aspect of the economy for the region. If elected, she said she wants to do her part to ensure the ferry system is supported and managed properly, and to get it running smoothly again.

"The ferry is a big portion of our supply chain management," Becker said.

Becker said another area of concern across the region, and specifically for Wrangell, is the fishing industry. If she is elected, Becker said she wants to protect and support the fishing fleets. One way to go about this, she said in the interview, was to do something about the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This is federal legislation that protects marine mammals, such as sea otters. With increasing competition between fishermen and sea otters for resources such as crab, abalone, and others, she said that she wants to fight for fishing the industry.

Becker also differentiated herself from Rep. Ortiz by calling herself a fiscal conservative. One of her goals, if elected, will be to "right-size" the state budget and get spending under control. She said that she understands that new taxes might potentially be necessary, but said she would fight to keep those at bay for as long as possible until excess spending is dealt with. She also said that she will fight for a constitutional spending cap, to further "right-size" the budget. She wants to push for economic expansion and to create new opportunities within Alaska, she added.

More information about Becker and her campaign can be found at http://www.lesliebeckeralaska.com. She said that she welcomed anybody to reach out to her with comments, questions, or concerns.