Sen. Elton's Off the record

2007: New game, new opportunities

"It's not enough to just change the players. We have to change the game."

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, January 3, 2007

     In early November, Alaska voters changed players and later that month state senators changed the game.
     Governor Frank Murkowski was benched and most of his cabinet and sub cabinet appointees are looking for new careers. Several legislative incumbents retired and others were retired involuntarily. So, new players.
   Then, later in November, 14 (now 15) of the 20 Alaska state senators formed a leadership coalition Team for the 25th Legislature where participation was not based on political party fealty. So, new game.
    New players and a new game leavened heavily with bi-partisanship provide real impetus for change but they do not guarantee Alaska will have better leadership--just new opportunities. One of the greatest opportunities is that a coalition comprised of Republicans and Democrats compels the Senate majority to work in the middle. That's where most Alaskans want us. What we do and who we do it to or for is not predicated on what party we belong to and tunnel vision is not possible in a bi-partisan working group.
   But these new opportunities and this new impetus toward the middle also carry new obligations. Alaskans should judge us harshly if we fail to meet those obligations.
   We fail miserably if new leaders or the veterans spend time on either payback or payoff. And we fail to fulfill our obligations if our vision for the next two years is simply to mend what's been broken over the past four years. I don't want to imply it's not important to ensure more ethical behavior given the Ruedrich/Renkes/FBI raid stigmas. Nor do I want to suggest that we ought not: restore to our seniors what was promised in the past; or fix our retirement system dilemma instead of sticking with the tier IV placebo; or add back Alaska children and pregnant moms who were subtracted from state health care. These things and others are important but Alaskans wanted to elect leaders-- not just Mr. and Ms. Fix-it.
   The biggest component of our 'grade' should be what we build not what we repair. Can we build a gas line under terms as fair to the Alaskans who own the gas as it is for multinationals who profit from selling our gas in the world markets? Can we Huddle create a health care system that begins to emphasize prevention, that expands coverage, that reins in cost inflation and that stresses families and employers and retirement systems? Can we begin building a bridge over the economic divide that's rewarding far too few and leaving far too many behind (that gulf too often is widened, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo reminded us in an opinion piece in USA Today this week, because of a lack of educational opportunities)?
    These are huge challenges with no simple answers. I don't expect we'll be done with any of these building projects in the next two, or three, or four, or 10 years but I think Alaskans expect us to start now and want to see progress on each of these building projects in 2009, 2010, and by 2011, if not done, they'll have a good idea of when we'll be finished.
     When I was a student at UAF many years ago, one of my roommates was an engineering student who kept reminding me that civil engineers don't run around yelling "oh, the smell, the smell" when there's no sewer system--they figure out how to build one.
   Now we have new players in a new game. Given all our new opportunities for change and the need for change, let's hope we get to work and don't stink it up.

Something borrowed--The Ear, that gossipy Sunday column in the Anchorage Daily News, will sometimes Jet

borrow an undercurrent from me so I guess it's okay for me to borrow something from the Ear. For those who missed it, last Sunday the column noted the tail ID number for former guv Frank Murkowski's infamous state jet was also his birthdate. To those who want to send a card or a present, his b-day is March 28 (the tail # is N328SA--the SA is apparently for State of Alaska).

Musical chairs--The new legislature means new digs. Fifteen of the 20 senators are in different offices than last session and 27 of 40 Moving

representatives are also moving to different offices. (Offices are chosen first by majority members in order of tenure then minority members in order of tenure.) The heroes and heroines of all this shuffling are legislative staff from maintenance, data processing and supply. They all deal with the basics and the whimsy of the shuffle, and the long hours, with exceptional grace.

To new heights in a literal kinda way--One of the legislative offices that participated in the switcheroo was mine. I can now be found in Rm. 506--four floors up from my old office. Same email address (Senator_Kim_Elton@ legis.state.ak.us), same fax number (465-2108), and same phone number (465-4947).

Sobering--Mayor Bruce Botelho and I were two of the invited speakers Thursday evening when 75 Auke Bay Elementary School students graduated from the DARE program, a proactive alcohol and Speaking

other drug prevention project sponsored the Juneau Police Department. Bruce got my attention and the attention of the students when he mentioned our (JDHS '66) 40th class reunion that occurred here last summer. Bruce told students some of our classmates didn't make our reunion because their addictions had led to death or derailed lives. Those lives had once been filled with many of the same hopes and dreams the Auke Bay students now have--but they ended too early or were lost in the haze of addiction. Kudos to JPD and the students for being proactive on such an important issue.

Old faces in new places--One of the open secrets inside the Capitol is that legislators are 'concept' folks and staffers do much of the heavy lifting. That's why I'm pleased two staff members who've served Juneau well over the years will continue in service. T. Terry Harvey, a staffer to outgoing Juneau Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch, will shift over to incoming Juneau Rep. Andrea Doll and continue working on Juneau's team. Ginny Austerman, who worked in Rep. Weyhrauch's office (and before that in former Juneau Rep. Bill Hudson's office), will bring her Juneau experience to Nome Sen. Donny Olson's office. House Minority Leader Beth Kerttula has added Juneau wizard Lisa Weissler to her staff (Lisa had been a top aide to Rep. Ethan Berkowitz) and Rep. Doll also hired Mary McDowell, a legislative and executive branch veteran who's been a mainstay most recently in the office of Rep. Carl Moses.

New face in an old place--Kristen Bressette has joined my staff. Kristen is a JDHS valedictorian and grad of the University of California system. Last session she worked for House Records and she'll strengthen the already stellar team of Jesse Kiehl who'll be my Finance Committee aide and staff honcho Paula Cadiente.