March 25, 2014 Voice Your Opinions! Letters to the editor make a difference. You can send a 175-word letter to the Anchorage Daily News by e-mail (letters@adn.com); or by fax or mail (call them at 257-4308). Send letters to the Anchorage Press via e-mail editor@anchoragepress.com or by mail to 540 E. Fifth Ave, Anchorage, 99501. Feel free to call us if you need factual information to help you write a letter. Contact the Governor. The Governor can be reached at 269-7450; sean.parnell@alaska.gov; or www.alaska.gov. Contact us. My office can be reached at: 716 W. 4th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501; by phone: 269-0106; visit my website at http://gara.akdemocrats.org; or email: Rep.Les.Gara@akleg.gov

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

I just want to help make your family a lot of money. Is that OK?

If you’ve forgotten to apply, the deadline to apply for your Permanent Fund Dividend is March 31, or six days from now. They must receive your application by that date.

Because of good stock market performance, this year’s PFD will be the largest in years. The formula for calculating dividends uses a five year stock market average, and the terrible stock market performance in 2008, when this country faced its worst financial crisis in decades, will no longer be factored in to the calculation this year. You can apply online, or call the Permanent Fund Dividend office at 269-0370 to find your nearest location, and fill the application out by hand.

And there is an important Anchorage Municipal Election on April 1. Two citywide School Board seats are up for election, there are some potentially very close Assembly races, and there are a number of bond propositions that you get to vote on.

To find your polling location, call 243-VOTE.

You can, if you don’t know your polling location, vote at City Hall - but only from now through March 31, the day before the election. They are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

That’s it.  OK, back to work for me.

As always, call if you have any questions or concerns, and we’ll try to help!

Best Regards,