Cuts before taxes: Local lawmakers outline plans for upcoming session

PALMER — The wave of frustration and disappointment with state legislators that helped many in this year’s rookie class punch their tickets for Juneau was largely a faint memory at Wednesday night’s town hall in Palmer, as six lawmakers — four of them new to their positions — listened to citizens’ concerns and well wishes. One even came bearing gifts for each.

The evening began with a tribute to outgoing Senator Bill Stoltze, whose retirement opened up a seat for Shelley Hughes to make the leap from the house to the senate. Hughes emceed the two and a half-hour event that consisted mostly of people stepping up to the podium at the Palmer Senior Center, to tell their stories and give their suggestions.

Only at the end did the legislators — Representatives Dan Saddler, Cathy Tilton, DeLena Johnson, George Rauscher and Senators David Wilson and Hughes — speak about the committees they’ve been appointed to, and what they hope to accomplish in the term.

“The most important thing we can do is listen to you,” District 12 returning legislator Cathy Tilton said. “We are all available and we want to hear from you.”

Early on, comments were more or less filibustered by a parade of speakers in support of a bill that would prohibit cigarette and e-cigarette smoke in the workplace. This caused some attendees to groan under the belief that there were more pressing issues at hand, which included the big topics of the night — health care and budget cuts.

All but one speaker was critical of Gov. Bill Walker and his decision — upheld by the last legislature’s inability to find an alternative — to raid the PFD. The all-Republican panel echoed that sentiment.

“We cannot afford the government we’ve had,” Hughes said. “You’re fooling yourself, and the governor is trying to fool all of us to think you can replace money from the oil industry with money from our pockets… If you turn on the PFD spigot before you do reductions, reductions are not going to happen.”

Hughes said she’s been appointed to the Senate chair on education, and she supports consolidation of school districts, noting that Alaska, a state of less than a million people, has 54 school districts, including four on Prince of Wales Island alone.

With a new house majority coalition made up mostly of Democrats, former Palmer mayor DeLena Johnson said getting bills through won’t be easy, but appointed to the Resource Committee in her rookie term, she’ll look to do all she can to push for budget cuts over new revenue.

“I think everyone in this room will be willing to open their pocketbook when they believe we have good, thoughtful spending in Alaska,” Johnson said. “How we get to that point may be difficult, but that’s the work we need to do.”

Wilson, the former Wasilla City Council member, who upset incumbent house member Lynn Gattis in the August primary, will start on the Health and Human Services committee.

“Everyone up here has the goal of having a more sustainable size of government and I want to help where I can. I focus a lot on efficiency, system design and redesign,” Wilson said. “And I don’t want to harm the most vulnerable in our community — the youth, the elderly and the disabled, so I’m cognizant of my unintended consequences.”

Wednesday’s forum may have drawn a larger crowd but for a scheduling conflict with a law enforcement-focused town hall at the Menard Center in Wasilla.

Unofficial government ombudsman Eugene Haberman was the first to point out this problem in his turn at the podium and others echoed that disappointment.

Hughes said the initial idea was for the Wasilla meeting on public safety to mainly address issues on the north side of the valley, with another set for Palmer on Jan. 12, but recent events have rapidly increased people’s interest in the subject.

The legislative session begins Jan. 17.