Palin elected governor

Nov. 10, 2006

By MARK KELSEY

Frontiersman

WASILLA - Days after her victory, governor-elect Sarah Palin said the results of Tuesday's election are historic for all Alaskans.

&#8220This truly is a new chapter in Alaska,” she said Thursday. &#8220It's about the people of Alaska who are deserving of being served well (by their government).”

Throughout the course of her campaign, Palin called for a return to open and accountable government as the antidote to &#8220excessive partisanship” she said has contributed to an erosion of public trust and a growing perception among the people of Alaska that their elected officials are not working for them.

The former Wasilla mayor and former chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said Tuesday's election, both on the state and federal levels, should serve as a wake-up call to those in public service.

&#8220The message no doubt received by legislators on both sides of the aisle, after seeing what happened across the nation, is that people want everyone to work together and not be so excessively partisan that we can't make progress,” Palin said.

Part of Palin's own mission, to which she said she remains committed, is &#8220cleaning up” her Republican Party, whose hierarchy at the state level is filled with people opposed to the reforms she's calling for - like the removal of party boss Randy Ruedrich, whom Palin took on in a well-publicized controversy over Ruedrich's ethical lapses.

Ruedrich has said he has no intention of resigning, and lower level operatives continue to stand by him.

&#8220It's perplexing to me that we have opposition to reform,” Palin said. &#8220In my travels around the state this last year, many Alaskans are saying the Republican agenda is good for Alaska, but we don't have faith in the Republican machine.”

She said there is evidence that the path to meaningful ethics reform will have fewer obstacles through the next Legislature. Senate President Ben Stevens, whose own ethical improprieties made him a lightning rod of controversy, did not run for re-election and will not be returning to Juneau next session. And Sen. Ralph Seekins, who pushed hard for an unpopular ethics bill last session that would have levied a fine on someone making a public ethics complaint against an elected official, was soundly defeated Tuesday in his Fairbanks-area district.

Palin said she is hopeful that a smoother way will be paved now for better ethics legislation, like the bill sponsored by Rep. Berta Gardner, an Anchorage Democrat whose proposal was not allowed a full hearing or vote by the majority.

&#8220Berta's waiting for an administration that will work with her. I plan to champion that bill,” Palin said. &#8220It's a shame we have to adopt more laws for people to do the right thing. But if that's what we have to do, I'm for it. I will help legislators who want to tighten up the laws.”

Palin said she was gratified by the calls she received from her opponents - Democrat Tony Knowles and independent Andrew Halcro - following her victory. She said both were gracious and complimentary in conceding defeat, and both are people Alaskans should be grateful for.

&#8220We should be thankful for Tony's years of service,” she said. &#8220And Andrew is a sharp guy with some great ideas. I want to be in touch with him.”

Knowles, a former two-term governor and Anchorage mayor, did not respond to a request for an interview. His campaign manager, Patty Ginsburg, said only that &#8220I'm not sure he'd be willing to do that.”

Halcro was more accessible. Noting that both Knowles and Palin were unsuccessful in their first run at statewide office, the former Republican legislator from Anchorage said he does not intend to disappear from the public eye.

&#8220I plan on taking some time to reflect on what we've accomplished over the last nine months and what we need to improve upon,” he said. &#8220I have a garage that needs cleaning and a barbecue grill that's under a few inches of snow that needs to be tended to. I am considering all of my options, including 2008, as Alaska will always be in the market for good leadership.”

Alaskans won't elect a governor again until 2010, but the terms of Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens expire in 2008.

Halcro, who hammered Palin repeatedly on the debate circuit about the lack of specifics of her plan for governing, expressed disappointment that Tuesday's vote seemed to be more about personality than about genuine understanding of the issues facing the state.

&#8220Four years ago we elected Frank Murkowski, who ran a campaign based on sound bites and how bad Tony Knowles' prior eight years were. During the campaign, Murkowski promised everything and explained nothing,” he said. &#8220Four years later, voters have thrown him out of office and replaced him with another candidate who just ran a campaign based on the same strategy.”

Palin disputed the need for such concrete policy specifics. She said the issues are too complex to not allow room for policy to evolve.

&#8220It's unrealistic for any candidate to pretend that you don't need to be flexible with an agenda,” she said. &#8220Why is that such a foreign thought?”

More important, she said, will be surrounding herself with a good team. To that end, she has been meeting with her staff and advisers the last two days to begin the process of figuring out who those &#8220key players” are going to be. She said she expects to be close to having the process completed by the time she gets sworn in on Dec. 4.

In the meantime, she said she is enjoying time at home with her family. Being back in the community she grew up, she said, is an inspiration.

&#8220I'm proud to say I'm from the Valley. This is who I am,” she said. &#8220I hope to put the Valley on the map in a positive light.”

Contact Mark Kelsey at

352-2268 or mark.kelsey@

frontiersman.com.