Murkowski's State of the State calls for nonpartisan approach

Frontiersman editorial board

On Wednesday evening, Gov. Frank Murkowski addressed a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature to deliver his state of the state address, leading into the 2005 legislative session. Legislators seemed to arrive even a little earlier than usual, perhaps eager to hear what the governor had to say, and to get started on a session that promises plenty of critical decisions and more than its fair share of fireworks.

The previous two sessions ended on a sour note for Murkowski. Two years ago he challenged the Legislature to make what he believed were necessary budget cuts, and promised that if they failed to do so, he'd do it himself. The legislators refused to make the controversial cuts, and Murkowski kept to his word, dropping the ax on several programs - including the controversial cut of the longevity bonus.

Last year, Murkowski was insistent that Alaska was headed for a serious fiscal gap, and he pulled out all the stops in an effort to pass his solution, the Percent of Market Value formula for managing the Alaska Permanent Fund. After a close call at the governor's Conference of Alaskans, the POMV plan received a thumbs-up from conferees. It made its way out of the House, but died on arrival in the Senate chambers. Murkowski called the uncooperative legislators back for a special session in a last-ditch effort to pass POMV, but no progress was made.

This year, Murkowski opened his address bullish on the present and future. He said the state of the state is strong, and growing stronger every day. Then he called for a nonpartisan approach to doing the business of the people. It's funny how legislators always nod in approval when nonpartisanship is announced. Unfortunately, legislators on either side of the aisle tend to believe nonpartisanship occurs when the other side compromises.

The governor laid out all the familiar themes: Resource development, the natural gas pipeline, passage of his proposed 2006 budget. Heads nodded. Murkowski put the cards on the table and explained the rules.

Now it's time for legislators to break the seal on the deck and see what everybody's hand actually looks like. The challenges, as always, will arise over where the money will come from, regional disputes and even over the basic description of the state's economic situation. Many legislators are not convinced a serious problem exists, and they're certainly not going to get within an arm's reach of the permanent fund until the house is on fire. Look for movement on the natural gas pipeline, but also look for a cat fight over the governor's budget proposal. Let the fun begin.