District 16 candidate wants to help citizens take back control of state government

Spectrum, by John Angell

Many people in the district and I are concerned about the direction Alaska is being taken by Gov. Murkowski and Alaska legislators.

My wife, Jan, and I are 28-year residents of Alaska -- approximately 20 years of which have been in District 16. We raised four kids and now have nine grandkids and two great-grandchildren.

I have served in the military and was a police officer, a criminal justice administrator and served as the director of the UAA Justice Center for nearly 20 years. Since I retired from the university, I have done volunteer work related to improving the administration of justice, and enjoyed my family and the Alaska I love.

At the urging of friends and neighbors, who have been disappointed by my opponent's commitment to the governor's direction, I'm seeking election as the District 16 representative to the Alaska House.

Here are some of the issues I feel strongly about.

The voting pledges and secret meetings by current legislators are inconsistent with my concept of Alaskan democracy. It is disappointing that our legislators actually voted to make absolutely sure such meetings cannot violate ethics laws and regulations. That was very wrong. These meetings need to be stopped. I shall not participate in them, and I will work with Alaskans to keep them from occurring.

Private-property rights are a foundation block of American society. Your home is your castle. Legislators who passed HB 69, which was co-sponsored and voted for by my opponent, did wrong by eliminating the right of public notice and hearings by the state when permitting commercial gas drilling and extraction under homes. I will protect your property rights and defend your control over your home and property.

Years ago, Alaska promised the longevity bonus to our elderly pioneers who had suffered to develop Alaska and build our roads and infrastructure. Most who were getting the bonus are in their eighties and nineties. The governor did very wrong when he broke Alaska's promise and killed the bonus with his veto pen. Our representatives did worse in refusing to overturn the governor's veto and reinstate the funding for our elderly.

If legislators will break Alaska's promises to our elderly, they will break any promises made by government. I pledge to work vigorously to restore the longevity bonus and Alaskan integrity.

I believe in the right of Alaskans to receive their permanent fund dividend every year. This dividend comes from the mineral rights owned by all Alaskans, and it belongs to all Alaskans. I believe it should be considered a property right. You can make better decisions than the government about how to spend your dividend. I unflinchingly protect your right to continue to receive and save or spend your dividend as you see fit, without interference from the governor or Legislature.

Alaskans must have an educational system that is second to none to support the development of our state and to keep our kids and grandkids near us in Alaska. Yet our legislators have treated educational funding as a political football.

State educational formula funding has not kept up with the cost of living. We all know when the state Legislature fails to meet its constitutional obligation to provide for our kids' education, local property owners get stuck footing the bill.

A one-time, election-year boost in educational funding, such as we saw last session, is not the financial foundation I want for my grandchildren's education.

I will defend and support efficient educational administration, teachers and home-schoolers and I will fight for sufficient, predictable educational funding.

Career politicians seem to pay more attention to special-interest lobbyists who hang around in Juneau than to regular constituents like you and me. The Alaska we love is being fundamentally changed in ways that will deny our children the opportunities and lifestyles we have enjoyed.

I am not a career politician. I may become a representative, but never, never a career politician.

If you also have concerns about the direction our legislators are letting Gov. Murkowski take Alaska, if you are worried about the recreational and subsistence rights being taken from you and about the Alaska your kids and grandkids will inherit, join with me to take back control of our state government. Together we shall make a difference.

I will listen to you; I will adhere to the old-fashioned American values we want in Alaskan government and I will address your concerns and problems.

John Angell is a candidate for House District 16.