Questions remain about Su Valley roof funding

As the dust settles from Tuesday's assembly meeting, and the echoes of high fives and victory celebrations fade, we wonder how our neighbors to the north are feeling. Talkeetna-area families, coping with a sub-par roof on Susitna Valley Jr./Sr. High School, are suddenly the odd men out in the political jockeying for a piece of the fiscal pie.

It is cause to wonder what, exactly, happened. Sadly, as is usually the case, there's plenty of people lining up to take credit for bringing the bond question back to the ballot, but no one willing to take responsibility for ignoring the roof issue.

Originally proposed to be part of the bond package, the funding for a new Su Valley roof was removed from the bonds based on the belief that the Valley's legislative delegation would be able to secure the necessary funding from the state. A &#8220united front” on the issue was urged of stakeholders at all levels.

Riding into town on a figurative white horse, Sen. Charlie Huggins toured the ailing school in January. Touting the wonders of the united front and the win-win situation presented by state funding, he was all rosiness and enthusiasm.

One short month later, the funding is not included in the budget and no one seems to think it will be. Sen. Lyda Green says it was never a sure thing and that it would be unusual for the state to cover such an expense.

So why the change in tone?

Sen. Huggins, who represents the area, has said nothing. Several calls to him over the past week about the matter have gone unreturned, despite assurances from his staff and the Senate majority press secretary that they would be.

It all lends credence to the growing perception that the school and those who use it have been tossed around like a political football. It is hard not to wonder, for example, if the roof money would have appeared had the governor or a member of the Valley's legislative delegation had a child who attends the school. Perhaps the presence of more voters in the Talkeetna area would have ensured that the high-priority status legislators said they accorded the roof turned out to be more than just empty talk.

Sure, lawmakers at all levels can say with complete accuracy that they never promised anything. But they cannot deny that people have been misled and, ultimately, let down. The hard questions can be ducked and accountability avoided, for now. But come October, the final reckoning, in the form of an election, will not be so easy to avoid.