Reader voices disappointment with assembly

Spectrum

A meeting was held earlier this month wherein the state reapportionment committee addressed the Mat-Su Borough regarding the redistricting process that is currently taking place throughout the state.

I was disturbed at hearing of some of the actions of the current assembly. I'm told that the record of this session will substantiate that the assembly member representing the Hatcher Pass area, newly elected in our most recent local election, made a statement that since the 2000 Census showed the Mat-Su Borough with such substantial growth, we could take the people in the northernmost part of the Borough, especially those on the north part of the Parks Highway, and "give them" to Fairbanks since it had been mentioned that Fairbanks had a decrease in their population.

This is extremely disturbing to a number of us that live in the north part of this borough, let's say from Houston north along the Parks Highway. It is disturbing because if we are not important enough to the assembly that they would give us away, politically, how important would we be when the funding for roads, schools, and other services were considered?

The mayor, through his silence when this statement was made, gave a nonverbal approval of the suggestion. But more important and more disturbing is that our own borough assembly representative, Kelly Lankford Ladere, offered no defense to us being "given away."

Our assemblywoman should be looking out for our best interests, and through her lack of defense that day, she was not doing so. Another statement made by our assemblywoman that day also disturbs many of us.

She has been quoted as stating that "she has a precinct with no people in it." What an absurd statement for someone in a position such as this to make. Anyone can look at the districting maps and the precinct maps prepared by the Division of Elections and see that this is not true.

This area is within the state districting division, District 28, which has a total of 11 precincts in it stretching from Knik-Goose Bay to north of Trapper Creek and west of the Susitna River to the western boundary of the Mat-Su Borough. Yes there is a lot of area here, but there is no precinct in which no human beings reside.

Mrs. Ladere has been on the assembly for approximately six months now and for six months has done little or nothing. She campaigned that she knew many ways to raise revenue for the borough. One way she spoke on several times was the taxing of gravel pits.

To this date, we have not seen or heard of any action on her part to perform any of these things she claimed she could do.

And, then try and contact her. It can't be done. I think we should watch this representative of ours very closely. If she will not defend our being "given away," makes really ridiculous statements like the precinct statement which, incidentally, has quite a few people shaking their heads in disbelief, and does not readily answer a telephone so her constituents can talk to her, then maybe we should have her recalled and get someone sitting in that seat that will represent us.

There were two other candidates in the assembly race that Mrs. Ladere won, both of whom had a total number of votes very close to the number she received. Either one of them would do a better job representing us than what we are getting.

Elizabeth Oviatt is a Houston resident.