Halford removes veteran Democrat from Senate Finance Committee

Eric Burkett/Frontiersman reporter

Switch was intended to bolster Bush representation

MAT-SU — Insisting his action was to increase rural representation on a powerful Senate committee, state Sen. Rick Halford removed a high-ranking Democratic appointment and replaced him with a freshman.

On Monday, Senate President Halford, R-Wasilla/Chugiak, pulled Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau, from his seat on the important Senate Finance Committee and replaced him with a newcomer, Sen. Donny Olson, D-Nome.

"It was not a violation of rule or tradition," Halford said Thursday, adding that Olson has a great deal of "real-world finance" experience as a private-practice physician and business person. For that matter, Olson voted for the appointment, Halford said.

According to Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, Halford insisted he was only trying to increase representation from the Bush.

Ellis claimed Republicans wanted to replace Elton, who is experienced with the budget process, with an inexperienced person.

Elton, who was first elected to the Senate in 1998, served two terms in the House, in 1994 and 1996. Olson was elected in November to replace retiring Democratic senator Al Adams, and has never before served in the Legislature.

Ellis, the Senate's minority leader, said Halford told him, "We want to help out rural Alaska."

Senate Democrats took him at his word and proposed putting state Sen. Georgianna Lincoln, D-Rampart, in Elton's place. Lincoln is on her third term in the Senate.

Republicans didn't bite.

Despite their disappointment, Ellis said Olson should do well on the committee.

"I believe he will be a quick study," Ellis said. "And Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, is our other person; I think they'll be a good team," he added.

Nonetheless, the Republican move did little to inspire a spirit of bipartisanship, Ellis said, and resurrects bad feelings from Halford's first term as Senate president in 1993-1994. "It definitely created a level of mistrust," Ellis said.

Halford said he had several conversations with both Ellis and Elton since Monday. "I don't think there's any tension at all in the relationship," Halford said.