It’s your chance to ask a candidate

Things got personal Sunday among U.S. Senate candidates, who traded barbs and political rhetoric in what we believe was an entertaining — if otherwise uneventful — debate.

What we find somewhat ironic is how the candidates, particularly incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski and GOP primary winner Joe Miller, have taken off the gloves in the waning weeks before the general election.

Murkowski’s write-in campaign to keep her seat makes her the real wild-card in a race that some pundits believe could split the Republican vote to the benefit of Democrat Scott McAdams. With the continued fervor over Murkowski’s decision to circumvent her party vote to retain her seat and an uproar over questions of Miller’s tight-lipped refusal to discuss his previous public employment with the North Star Borough, Sunday’s debate was worth watching.

Miller finally opened up a little bit about why he was nearly sacked, as first leaked by former North Star Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker.

It was a perceived ethics violation where Miller said he took a poll while on the job, but at lunchtime. We’re glad Miller has finally opened up even a little about what should be an important issue for voters — his record working for the public.

What’s disappointing is that Miller’s admission only came after several news outlets filed lawsuits and a judge ruled Saturday that the borough had to release his personnel records, something the candidate has been fighting.

Combined with the recent flap when his hired private security guards handcuffed a longtime Alaska journalist at a public campaign event, there’s good reason for voters to be skeptical about Miller.

We didn’t learn much to the contrary in Sunday’s debate, either.

It’s clear Alaska Republicans want some kind of change. If they didn’t, Murkowski wouldn’t be fighting so hard to win as a write-in; an uphill battle worthy of any Alaska king salmon. She’s opened herself up to criticism from Miller supporters that she’s disloyal to her party, but anyone — including Murkowski — is allowed to pursue political office through this process.

We know Murkowski. She’s been our Senator since her appointment in 2002 and we elected her in 2004.

What concerns us about this U.S. Senate race is what we’re learning about Miller — or rather — what we’re not learning. During his campaign, Miller has worked hard to keep the public in the dark about his employment history with the North Star Borough and has had an adversarial relationship with the news media.

Being this evasive doesn’t cultivate an aura of trust, which makes us question how this attitude of divulging as little as possible to the public would translate to his day-to-day performance as a public servant.

We’re not anti-Miller. In fact, there’s good reason why he won the Republican primary. He’s educated and a veteran, which carries well in a state with such a large population of military families.We’re also excited for an opportunity to sit down with Miller and discuss his vision for Alaska and the Valley. He’ll be at the Frontiersman office on Thursday, and we want to reflect the concerns and voices of our community as much as possible.

What should we ask Miller? Visit our Facebook page (facebook.com/frontiersman) and leave your proposed questions and comments on our wall or, send e-mail to news@frontiersman.com.