Election 2004

Who will you choose?

By RINDI WHITE-Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU -- In two days, and in four Valley races, the first round of political battles will come to a head in the primary election.

Incumbents facing primary-election challengers are Republicans Vic Kohring and Beverly Masek, who currently represent House districts 14 and 15, respectively.

Kohring is being challenged by former Wasilla city council member and legislative aide Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, and Masek faces Mark Neuman, a Republican who was earlier this year selected as a member of Gov. Frank Murkowski's Conference of Alaskans.

James Della Silva and Gini King-Taylor are Democratic hopefuls seeking a primary-election win to challenge Republican incumbent Lyda Green in the Senate District G race.

Mat-Su Borough School Board president Mike Chmielewski and James "Pooh" Milne are Democratic candidates facing off in the primary for House District 13. The winner will run against incumbent Republican Carl Gatto in November.

The races are spread over a broad distance, but candidates said many concerns among constituents are similar across the area.

A good education for Alaska's youth, good roads, a stable economy and a bright future seem to be what Alaskans are most concerned about.

Hitting the streets

in Wasilla

In the race for District 14, incumbent Vic Kohring and challenger Colleen Sullivan-Leonard have knocked on thousands of doors and had numerous front-stoop conversations with voters.

Kohring said he's now passed the 5,100 mark for knocked-on doors -- and talked with people at about 40 percent of those homes. Sullivan-Leonard said she's rung nearly as many doorbells -- she and Kohring have visited subdivisions within minutes of one another, she said.

This isn't the first time either candidate has done door-to-door campaigning. Kohring said he makes it a part of his campaign strategy at every election -- as much to meet constituents face to face as to solicit votes.

Sullivan-Leonard said door-to-door campaigning was her mainstay during her bid for a seat on the Wasilla city council -- and it's paying off, she said. People relate to her, she said, because she's a mom with children in the local schools and faces many of the same issues as her constituents.

Kohring said he gets a lot of positive feedback from people who share his views that government should be smaller, provide basic infrastructure needs, stay out of the permanent fund and keep out of the way of business owners.

Sullivan-Leonard said her views are similar -- small, efficient government is better and legislators should be accountable to their constituents.

Kohring said his opponent voted with more liberal members of the Wasilla council, he said, and hasn't offered much in the way of substantive information about her views.

Sullivan-Leonard discounted Kohring's claim that she lacks conservatism, and said she's running because she feels the growing area deserves more attention in Juneau.

Although she said she felt underrepresented by Kohring when she was on the city council, she said the final straw that led to her running was a $75,000 appropriation to the city of Houston for a fire truck from Kohring's capital expenditure money -- money each legislator was given during the last legislative session to fund capital projects. The money, she said, was initially directed toward a gravel-to-asphalt paving program the city of Wasilla has been working on, leaving the city with $50,000.

"Why do you want to transfer funds around to other districts?" Sullivan-Leonard asked, adding that the money could have paved one full mile of road within the district. "First and foremost, District 14 would be my priority."

Kohring said the appropriation was more needed in Houston, where a truck had to be replaced. Besides, he said, obtaining the truck was a matter he discussed with other legislators, who agreed with his plan for funding. And a working fire truck doesn't just benefit Houston, Kohring said, it benefits Wasilla, too, by reducing demand on Wasilla crews and equipment in case of an emergency.

The disagreement highlights a broader difference in philosophy between Kohring and Sullivan-Leonard.

Kohring said he takes a public advocacy approach to being a legislator -- whether it's a child-support dispute, a conflict with state troopers or concerns over parking lot paving, Kohring said he's helped resolve perhaps 3,000 cases in his 10 years as a legislator.

"It's my biggest measure of success -- and it's not budgets, it's not bills," Kohring said. "I would say most legislators … don't put the emphasis I do on constituent cases."

Sullivan-Leonard said she understands the importance of assisting constituents, but believes a legislator's role should go a step beyond, to change the process and improve state government.

"[Legislators should] look forward with a little vision to see how you can make state government better," Sullivan-Leonard said. "We need team players. Building a consensus is really important -- you have to be able to talk about it, move it through its process and have fellow colleagues on board."

Gearing up for the next round in Palmer

James "Pooh" Milne and Mike Chmielewski share the Democratic ballot in the primary, and the two are taking very different approaches to the

election.

Philosophically opposed to taking donations, on the basis that donors would feel they have a say in how a candidate should vote on issues, Milne is relying on name recognition and signs on a motor home to get voters.

Chmielewski, on the other hand, has taken in about $3,700 in campaign donations, according to his seven-day report -- most of that money coming from Valley residents.

And he's being equally active in campaigning -- Chmielewski has taken to the streets, roads and subdivisions of the broad Palmer District 13, and said he has knocked on more than 2,000 doors to talk about the issues with voters.

Milne may not be campaigning as actively as Chmielewski, but he's as passionate about some of the things he'd like to see change. Top on the list is an issue he talked about during the 2002 election -- roadside rest stops. They would be a boon to tourism, he said, and, if privately run, wouldn't cost the state anything.

"The second largest industry in the state is tourism … we need this a lot more than we need a new bridge," Milne said.

He also believes the longevity bonus should be restored, and the state should not sacrifice a Pioneer Home to have a Veterans' Home -- both are needed, he said.

"We've got more veterans in the state [per capita] than any other state in the union," Milne said. He's a former veteran, he added, serving five years in World War II on Attu and Kodiak islands.

Mostly, Milne said, he'd like to see legislators held more accountable to their representatives.

"The people who hold positions in state government -- they're there to represent the people and keep us abreast of what's going on," Milne said. "They don't tell us anything."

When asked if he considered himself a serious candidate, Milne said he believes he is.

"Sure -- I'd like a job, and I think I'd do a very good job of it," Milne said.

Chmielewski isn't so sure.

"I am more curious -- he did not appear at the [Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce] forum, and he chose not to appear at the KAKM forum," Chmielewski said. "I'm unaware … of anything he has done to campaign. A good representative has to have a good sense of the people … and I don't see signs of an active campaign."

Chmielewski said he's not ignoring the primary, but is pretty confident that by taking his campaign to the streets, he'll prevail. But there's no doubt he's gearing up for the next match already.

That much has been evident in recent campaign forums, when he and District 13 incumbent Carl Gatto sparred on education issues, fiscal planning and other topics. Chmielewski said he's looking forward to a lively debate.

"I sense a shift in feeling," Chmielewski said. "People are more interested in having their legislature act on a number of issues -- people are disappointed in the gas pipeline, coal-bed methane has its resonance still … the longevity bonus -- that may be the poster child for irrational action taken with no redeemable value."

Perhaps most resonant, however, is education. The topic is what led Chmielewski to run -- a growing frustration with constant make-do-with-less advice from the state level -- and it's the area he hopes to keep in the minds of legislators throughout the session, every session. The recent $82 million in supplemental funding won't make it go away, he said.

"When we … picture a hole in a boat, and we patched 82 percent of it, it's not letting as much water in, but it's still letting in enough water to sink the boat," Chmielewski said. "We're still underfunded … and what's lacking appears to be the willingness to say let's sit down and do this."

Seeking northern exposure

Campaigning in a district that former legislators and borough assembly members from the area have characterized as made up of mostly spruce trees and moose isn't a door-to-door affair.

Candidates instead attend public functions, wear campaign buttons to the gas station and do a lot of phone-calling.

"It's so spread out, it's really difficult," District 15 Republican incumbent Beverly Masek said. "I attend as many public forums as I can, and make myself available to the public as much as I can."

Masek is facing Republican Mark Neuman in the primary. She said she's treating the primary like any other race, and is glad to have the opposition.

"I'm happy to see there is a choice out there," Masek said.

Masek said she's confident her record will carry her through the election, and has heard positive comments about actions taken during the last legislative session.

"We're charting in the right direction by passing the $82-million increase in funding and the increase in foundation formula funding," Masek said. "With the growth rate, I think education will always be the number-one issue here."

Masek said she supports consolidating unincorporated areas around the state into boroughs, so residents in the area can help pay high education costs, and she'd also like to see rural school districts consolidate their administrative duties to cut costs further.

She said she's opposed to the percent-of-market-value plan to change the setup of the permanent fund dividend, and would like to see fisheries and game management back in the hands of state, not federal, agencies.

There's lingering concern about coal-bed methane development in her area, Masek said, and she feels people need to give the recently passed House Bill 531 and regulation changes enacted by the Department of Natural Resources a chance to respond to people's needs.

"We need to give 531 a chance to work itself through the process and then move forward with resource development programs," Masek said.

Neuman may share several of Masek's views, but he's taking a different tack about representation. He's committed, he said, to voting his constituency, not his conscience.

"I've told many people, when I am in session, I have to vote what they want -- when I'm on the floor, I have to represent the people," Neuman said.

The Big Lake small business owner said he would never have run for office if calls he made to Masek's office had been returned.

Having voted for Masek in previous elections, Neuman said his views are similar, but he claims Masek is too unreachable and relies too heavily on funding from outside the Valley.

His political fire was firmly lit, he said, when he attended the Conference of Alaskans and had an opportunity to talk with neighbors, friends and strangers about how the state's fiscal problems could be mended. He learned something at that conference, he said -- that the state's lack of a fiscal plan isn't the only problem threatening the state's well-being.

"How can you represent the people if you won't speak to them?" Neuman asked. "Before the state can solve any budget problems, they have a credibility problem."

Running to win

Democrat opponents James Della Silva and Gini King-Taylor are taking different approaches in their primary race for Senate District G, the seat held by incumbent Republican Lyda Green.

Della Silva has run for the seat twice previously, and although it's King-Taylor's first attempt at her own election, she's been part of several elections in the past.

Della Silva said he hopes to bring honesty to government, help the state get its fiscal house in order and bring a gas pipeline spur to the Anchorage area. Above all, he's seeking change.

"There's a big disparity between higher- and lower-income people," Della Silva said. "I'm not a socialist … but we, as a civilian nation and as a moral society, have an obligation to take care of those who are in need … I'm ashamed, honestly sometimes, of what we have done."

Della Silva and King-Taylor have similar takes on a range of issues -- both believe the longevity bonus should be restored to run its established course, the high cost of insurance should be addressed, education must improve and property owners deserve more of a say in what happens on their land.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two is the intensity of their election campaigns. Della Silva is focusing on a base of friends, family and acquaintances he believe will see him through the primary. He said he's committed to running.

"I'm not going to stop -- if I don't make it, I'll be there next time," Della Silva said. "They've done nothing for 10 years."

King-Taylor is walking through subdivisions seeking votes. And it was only by getting out and walking, King-Taylor said, that she found out how open voters are to a new face.

"It's time for a change," King-Taylor said. "Across party lines, people are frustrated -- saying their voices are not being heard."

King-Taylor, a former teacher, said she's hearing complaints from parents, such as one whose daughter in high school was commuting to Anchorage to take classes at Alaska Pacific University because the courses she wanted weren't available at Valley schools.

Taylor wants to see a strong fiscal plan -- from that, a variety of good things can come.

"With a strong fiscal plan, we'll be able to protect that permanent fund, and we can look at the vast array of options open to us -- not just one thing -- like renewable resources and natural resources," King-Taylor said. "And with a strong fiscal plan, education will be able to be funded properly."

Contact Rindi White at rindi.white@frontiersman.com.