District 16 state House race draws GOP interest

MAT-SU — Bill Stoltze is facing two Republican challengers for his state House of Representatives seat and one Democrat.

Stoltze represents House District 16, which covers Chugiak, Eklutna, Butte, Birchwood and Lazy Mountain, and is seeking a fourth term.

J.D. Hatley, a Butte resident, said he’s been considering running for office for some time and, “I finally talked my wife into letting me run.”

A self-described conservative Republican, Hatley said he wants to go to Juneau to protect personal rights and freedoms, which he sees government, both local and state, encroaching on more and more.

“I’ve always wanted to get involved and I just figured now is the time. I can’t just be mad. I’ve got to be involved,” Hatley said.

Kent Hermon, a Palmer High School teacher during the school year and a commercial fisherman in the summer, said he’s mostly running because he doesn’t like the way the Legislature has handled the problems with the public employee retirement system and doesn’t think Stoltze has voted the right way on the issue.

Stoltze, for his part, defends his stance, saying he worked hard to sort out the state’s retirement mess.

“When you’re facing billions of dollars in uncontrollable retirement costs, you’re going to make some people mad,” Stoltze said.

The lone Democrat in the race, Beverly Serrano, is making her first foray into politics. Education is her main platform. As a volunteer for her children’s schools, education is dear to her heart.

“I just desire to do more. I think we require a citizens’ representation and I believe I can fill that,” Serrano said.

Asked how the recent corruption investigations and convictions of former members of the state Legislature will play into the race, only Hatley didn’t offer a prediction.

Hermon said he’s running, in part, because, “I’ve been disgusted with the Republican Party” and he hopes to bring about change from within.

Serrano said that if there’s any time to run as a Democrat in a state race, it’s this year, mostly because of the scandals that have rocked the Republican Party.

“I think we need to bring in new ideas, new blood,” Serrano said. “The greatest ideas come from the outside.”

“The things that transpired, people having sold their trust and their office — it affects the whole system,” Stoltze said.

He added that he’s been a proponent of ethics reform and the corruption is one of the reasons he’s backed Gov. Sarah Palin, often seen as a Republican who works outside the party’s old guard, which is often blamed for the corruption scandals.

“ I live on a street that’s named after my folks,” Stoltze said. “I just don’t think there’s a big enough inducement to sell what your parents gave you, which is your name.”

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiers-man.com or 352-2270.