Had it up to the scuppers--Republican Rep. Bill Thomas of Haines told Skagway residents several weeks ago that "we're going to ask the governor to ask Robin [Taylor, the head ferry guy] to be fired or resign. . .We're going to go after him." Robin's response was: "I'm sorry to hear that." Robin added that the announcement of the ferry changes involving the Fairweather and the Chenega was almost as much of a shock to him as it was to Bill and others. "That wasn't my choice. The governor wants to do 'er, and that's how we're going to do 'er," Robin was quoted as saying to the Skagway News.

GOP takin' a sea cruise--A friend received an invitation to a sea cruise with a theme--"Growing the Western Republican Base." The mid-September Inside Passage cruise is sponsored by the Washington and Alaska Republican parties and features several invited and confirmed conservative luminaries including: the anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist who whispers in the ear of the president; Ken Mehlman, the RNC chair; and, my least favorite, Harry Kloor who wrote, directed and produced the vicious Swift Boat Vet ads. That type of attack-ad politics then spawns similarly vicious responses that demean the process of choosing our leaders. Both Murkowskis will bookend the cruise--Sen. Lisa hosts a reception at the Seattle end and Gov. Frank hosts a reception in Juneau at the governor's residence. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist may be speaking to the group when they get to Ketchikan. To attend, all you have to do is come up with$1,399 for a balcony cabin or $1,349 for an oceanview cabin or $1,249 for an obstructed-view cabin. Cut rate $899 inside cabins also are available. I was invited last week to a Democratic Party meeting to grow our base in Alaska. Unlike the Republicans, we're meeting in a small conference room with no windows, views or evening drinks before the dinner show. Republicans get the Diamond Princess, Democrats get four walls, a table and folding chairs.

Jet perks--The Washington Post reported this week that corporations often understate the costs of executive use of business jets. I was intrigued by the rationales advanced by corporations for having the jets because some of them were similar to arguments used to justify a jet for transporting Alaska's prisoners or the governor. But one of the arguments made by a spokesman for an industry group that represents plane makers sounded especially elitist. "I think it just makes intuitive sense that executives are safe when they are flying with people they know. These aircraft don't get hijacked. The executives don't get roughed up or kidnapped from the aircraft. Their luggage, which often contains sensitive company information, is not stolen or lost in transit." Thank goodness the director of the Aviation Institute at George Washington University was able to reassure all of us whose financial circumstances mean we must rely upon airlines that "in terms of security of air travel itself or safety of it, I think the scheduled airline travel is going to be more secure and more safe."

Word of our guys, via Hawaii--The Honolulu Advertiser did a story last week on their National Guard troops stationed in Iraq and in the course of doing the story talked to Maj. Joel Gilbert, the Alaska company commander of our Guardsmen stationed in Iraq. The major discussed the role of Alaska's soldiers after a bomb went off along the airport road that connects with the Baghdad International Zone. "It's our mission--nothing to think about. My mission is to take care of Victory Base and make sure I bring all my men home," the major told the Hawaii paper. Camp Victory is along the airport road, also called Route Irish, and this road is frequently targeted by suicide car bombers and roadside bombs, according to the paper.

Ambassador?--KTUU, an Anchorage television station reported late last week that Gov. Murkowski was asked about rumors the Bush administration was going to appoint him ambassador to some Asian country if he didn't run for re-election. The question came during a quick trip the governor took to Washington, D.C. on gas pipeline business. The governor's response?--"Well, I'd have to check with my wife. You know she likes that part of the world, there's always life after the Senate, and there was for me and she. And I'm sure there's life after governor. But we simply haven't made any decisions. A lot of challenging things to do in Alaska." In politics, that's known as an artful answer.

Phone: (907) 465-4947
Fax: (907) 465-2108
Mail: Sen. Elton, State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Email:
Senator.Kim.Elton
Jesse.Kiehl
Paula.Cadiente
Web: http://elton.akdemocrats.org

      A swarm of city officials and business people stung ferry managers at the last meeting of the Marine Transportation Advisory Board meeting.
      All were stirred up by the abrupt, unannounced major shift in the operation of the fast ferries Chenega and Fairweather. The Chenega had been promised to Prince William Sound as the sound's primary vessel and the Fairweather primarily has been committed to Lynn Canal--though originally it was to be home-ported in Sitka. The ferry gurus unexpectedly announced in June they were pulling the Chenega back this winter for a day run between Ketchikan and Petersburg three days a week while the Fairweather adds a three-day-a-week run between Juneau and Petersburg.
      Here's some of the reaction:
      "You guys are destroying the ferry system." (Haines Borough mayor)
      "Our business community is hurt by inconsistent scheduling." (Haines Chamber of Commerce President)
      "Where will [the Chenega] crew live? Will they be stationed in Southeast and get per diem for service in Prince William Sound?" (Cordova mayor)
      "We believe the resources spent on the Prince William Sound Transportation Plan created a commitment and this new plan doesn't live up to the state's promise." (Valdez interim city manager)
      "I know of three businesses in Cordova that spent $2 million buying, building and promoting based on the promise of regular Chenega service." (Cordova mayor, again)
      The MTAB members, the commissioner of the department of transportation and public facilities, and the deputy commissioner in charge of the ferries also were peppered with questions and rebukes from the Skagway mayor, a Skagway city council member, the city manager of Whittier and a fellow from Sitka who prompted wry grins when he said he needs to take Tylenol every time ferry schedules are discussed.
      Even though the major focus of the MTAB meeting was the yanking of the Chenega out of Prince William Sound, and even though PWS city officials accepted contrite apologies for the way the Chenega schedule change was handled (but not for the change itself), I'm not sure they were reassured that the newest fast ferry would ever return to it's northern home.
      The best they could get from ferry Deputy Commissioner Robin Taylor, whose animus toward fast ferries was obvious during his service in the state Senate, was: "It's our intent to bring the Chenega back to Prince William Sound next summer, at this time." At this time. That must be reassuring given the series of abrupt changes that have rocked the system.
      I attended the MTAB meeting for the same reason the city officials did: I wanted to understand what the heck is going on. Like other Alaskans connected and served by the Marine highway, I'm stunned when ferry managers navigate by the seat of their pants and issue press releases announcing major changes with no dialogue with the communities they serve and inadequate or inaccurate reasons for service changes.
      In just the last month, with no notice, we are told:
      •  we're adding service to Bartlett Cove (which is served six days a week by a private company);
      •  that the Fairweather will add a three-day-a-week winter run to Petersburg (which requires two crews--remember, last February the state tied up the Fairweather to club the unions into a one-crew winter schedule to "save" money);
      •  the Chenega will not be solely dedicated to Prince William Sound (as promised in the transportation plan);
      •  mainline ferries may turnaround in Juneau with shuttle service to Haines and Skagway from Cascade Point in Berners Bay and a new shuttle vessel between Haines and Skagway (that was not just a surprise to ferry users and communities but also to Goldbelt, the owners of the land, who'd never been consulted).
      Just what is going on here? How much does all this cost? How do coastal communities make plans when the ferry plans keep changing? How do businesses in these communities make and keep a business plan?
      It is not an exaggeration to say that what the governor and Deputy Commissioner Robin Taylor are doing to the marine highway and the communities it serves is akin to some transportation god picking up the highway and tunnel that connects Whittier to Anchorage and using it to connect Cordova to Glenallen, or closing the road between Homer and Kenai four days a week in the winter. Outrageous as those changes sound, to make those examples better reflect the marine highway situation of late, we'd have to lather on top of the Whittier/Anchorage and Homer/Kenai changes the threat of additional asphalt highway and service changes next year, then the year after that.
      No wonder coastal Alaskans are learning to not count on the ferries. More than half the 49 jobs at ferry headquarters are either vacant or staffed by people who have far less than a year's service in position (much of that can be blamed on the arbitrary move of headquarters to Ketchikan). Aging vessels are absent when they are supposed to be in action, yanked for mechanical failures.
      Now, schedules change at the whim of policy makers. The 2002 marine highway "plan" is different from the 2003 "plan" is different than the 2004 "plan" is different than the November 2004 "plan" is different than the February 2005 "plan" and is significantly different than the June 2005 "plan". And apparently the June 2005 "plan" didn't even make it through June with the announcement last week of the new Cascade Point conceptual plan.
      My mom told me, and sometimes still reminds me, that it's easy to criticize but harder to propose a solution. Not in this instance. Here's the easy and best solution: build a firewall between the governor's office and the marine highway system then put a professional instead of a politician in the deputy commissioner for ferries slot.
      Do it now, before it's too late.

The Chenega, scheduled to serve Prince William Sound communities this summer, remains tied up at a commercial dock in Juneau. That's knocked the published PWS ferry schedule into a cocked hat. Last week, DOTPF officials noted they've been able to hire less than half the necessary crew and still have not negotiated union contracts that govern the crew of the newest fast ferry. PWS communities got a further shock when the department recently announced the Chenega will be pulled back to Southeast to do a winter run between Ketchikan and Petersburg.