Move of legislature move sparks heated debate

Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of six stories relating to the ballot measures and propositions Alaska voters will find on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

MAT-SU -- Although the heat has died down considerably since voter signature quotas were reached to place the question of whether sessions of the Legislature should be moved to the Valley, many Alaskans are still strongly supportive of Ballot Measure 2. And many are still strongly opposed to the proposal.

Alaskans for Efficient Government recently sent out a press release announcing that it had stopped work on the legislative move campaign, confident the measure had enough weight to carry itself.

"Despite the fact that special interest groups are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight the initiative, the issue is clear to the people of Alaska," said AEG president Uwe Kalenka. "On one side, it is clear that people understand that the initiative is all about people having access to their legislators. On the other side are the special-interest groups which want the Legislature to remain in Juneau, away from input and oversight by the voters, and beholden only to lobbyists and other well-financed special-interest groups who can afford to travel to and live in Juneau during the legislative session."

But Alaska Committee chairman Christopher Clark said traveling to Juneau isn't a necessity for people who want to get involved in state government and get to know their representatives.

"You can communicate by the Internet. You can communicate by e-mail. You have your legislators there seven months out of the year," Clark said, adding that several committee meetings and hearings are teleconferenced to local Legislative Information Offices and floor sessions are able to be viewed on television. "Lawmakers are as accessible as each individual allows himself or herself to be."

Clark refuted the claim that any funding they received came from special-interest groups.

"We are a non-profit," Clark said. "We have received money from the city and borough of Juneau."

Jamie Parsons, a member of the Fiscally Responsible Alaskans Needing Knowledge, or FRANK committee and former Juneau mayor, said that group has also received no special-interest or Outside funding.

The committee, he said, has received a few contributions from individuals and Alaska businesses. The most successful fundraising, Parsons said, has come from the sale of 400 prints donated by Alaska artist Rie Munoz.

While AEG is stepping back with the hope enough voters support the capital move to carry the vote, the Alaska and FRANK committees are stepping up their efforts.

"We have a print campaign, TV, radio, direct mail, and we're calling people and urging them to vote 'no,'" Clark said.

While the Alaska Committee opposes the measure because they believe it would serve little purpose beyond damaging Juneau's economy, the FRANK committee hasn't weighed in on whether the move itself is a good or bad idea. They've instead advocated for full knowledge of the potential cost of moving the legislative sessions to Juneau.

"We want to know what those costs are and to be able to vote on those costs," Parsons said.

Kalenka said the costs mentioned in FRANK ads talk about the cost of moving the capital -- which isn't what's on the ballot measure.

"First, this initiative has nothing to do with moving the capital," Kalenka wrote. "It simply requires that a simple but crucial annual meeting of 60 people be held elsewhere than Juneau. Second, if there ever is a capital move, the present statutory requirements relating to informing the voters of the costs of any capital move remain in effect and are not taken away by this initiative."

But Clark said calling the legislative move as simple as holding a meeting of 60 people was not accurate.

"You just don't have a simple meeting of the legislature," Clark said. He said staff from the governor's office are always involved in the proceedings, and whenever any issue pertaining to a particular department of state government comes up, staff from that office are on hand to field questions or explain matters.

In the past, Kalenka has refuted Clark's remark, saying communication by telephone, teleconference and e-mail would work better for department staff than it does for Alaska citizens.

In AEG's announcement regarding work on the legislative move campaign, Kalenka said the group is launching a new initiative to protect the Permanent Fund Dividend and, apparently, a second initiative to slice 30 days off the legislative session, leaving legislators with 60 days to complete state business.