Coalitions miss mark in Legislature

To the editor:

Hopefully, Mat-Su Republicans will elect a senator in the upcoming August primary election who will commit to not joining a coalition in Juneau if they win in November. Coalitions are a sad excuse for bipartisanship.

In practice, a coalition places the wishes and concerns of the people last, when in fact they should be the first consideration. We witnessed that in the last session in Juneau. Our governor was frustrated, but not much attention was given to the total voter frustration.

With a 10/10 Republican/Democrat split, a coalition was formed to move legislation along. Most legislation passed in the House (without a coalition) stalled, or died in the Senate (with a coalition), so it didn’t work.

I am thankful for the four Republican state senators who refused the coalition and put Alaskans first, even though they paid a price for that decision. We expect bipartisan cooperation to move legislation, but a coalition simply defeats the wishes of the voters.

The August primary gives us a chance to change the 10/10 split. Let our legislators know that we don’t want, or need, a coalition in Juneau.

Bob Lewis

Wasilla