Students grill local candidates

PALMER — Questions submitted by students at Mat-Su College kept state House and Senate candidates on their toes Thursday during an afternoon forum at the college.

Candidates, incumbents and challengers, hoping to represent the Mat-Su Valley sat in a long row at the head of a second-floor room talking directly to the younger set of voters in the Valley.

Questions ranged from how to balance the budget to feelings on Gov. Sarah Palin. One question even hit on possible business deals between Alaska and China.

District 15

Rep. Mark Neuman, R-Big Lake, was the only candidate from his race to show up Thursday. His Democratic challenger, Lew Dischner, did not attend.

One of Neuman’s questions dealt with energy issues. Would he be in favor of turning off streetlights across the Palmer Hay Flats and at some street corners to save on energy costs?

Neuman said he would not be in favor of doing that because of the possible safety implications.

“There’s time to conserve energy and then there’s a time to save lives,” Neuman said.

The Palmer Hay Flats area is a noted moose-crossing zone, and streetlights lining the Glenn Highway there illuminate the area for drivers.

Neuman also had to address the often-touchy issue of the drinking age. Many college students often complain about being unable to legally drink in their first years of school. It’s unclear if that was the motivation for the question, and Neuman agreed it’s a hard issue to tackle.

“You can join the military, you can shoot a gun and kill people, but you can’t drink beer,” Neuman said, echoing the sentiments of many.

Neuman added he’s all for Second Amendment rights dealing with firearms, and supports hunter safety classes in schools so younger adults have the same chance at gun ownership as their older counterparts.

District 14

Rep. Wes Keller, R-Wasilla, and his Democratic challenger, Rose Smith, tackled the issue of state budget priorities Thursday.

Both were asked how much of a priority budget matters would be, and how they would go about balancing that budget.

Keller said the Legislature often doesn’t have ample time to really address every budget issue to the fullest extent. He said looking at every increment of a proposed budget is crucial.

“I’m committed to working more to improve that so when we look at the budget we can look at every item,” Keller said.

Smith said she believes having balance in the budget is one of the smartest tasks the Legislature can do. Like Keller, she said there doesn’t seem to be enough time to address every part of the budget adequately.

Smith suggested lengthening the Legislature’s session beyond its current 90 days.

“We need all that time to know how to balance everything out,” she said.

District 13

Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, and Democrat David Cheezem met once again Thursday after going head-to-head last week.

Both men were asked if they’d ever experienced corruption, and what action they’ve taken.

Cheezem, who owns Fireside Books in Palmer, said he’s never encountered it during his professional life, but said corruption on the state level is what prompted him to run for the House.

He said there are three defenses against becoming corrupt: Having a really good vision of what you want, having a solid moral base that will guard against being swayed, and preserving your reputation.

“You can’t just lie to people,” Cheezem said.

For Gatto, the solution to corruption is simple.

“We need to catch these people and when we do catch them, send them to jail,” he said.

Gatto said he’s seen corruption during his time in the Alaska Legislature. Most recently, former Wasilla Rep. Vic Kohring was sentence to more than three years in prison for accepting bribes from Bill Allen, the former CEO of VECO.

VECO didn’t escape mention during Gatto and Cheezem’s exchange. Cheezem accused Gatto of accepting campaign contributions from VECO, to which Gatto responded he wished people would not make implications without providing evidence.

Senate District G

Republican Linda Menard and Democrat Erick Cordero, both of whom were unopposed during the primaries, are running for the seat held by outgoing Sen. Lyda Green, R-Wasilla.

One question Thursday asked if the Legislature should make a law requiring open and transparent investigations of legislators.

The question was relatively unclear, since court proceedings are public, and indicted lawmakers are sent through the court system.

Regardless, Menard offered an idea for legislation creating term limits for House and Senate members as a one way to combat corruption.

Menard would propose two terms for senators, or eight years, and four terms for House members, also eight years.

By doing so, Menard said, many lawmakers could retain their integrity without feeling the obligation to repay favors, no matter what they are, that might build up over time. Also, term limits would allow for variety in office, since incumbents in Alaska have been known to have a significant edge over their opponents.

“I think it’s really arrogant on our part if we think we’re the only one who could possibly serve in the Alaska state Legislature,” Menard said.

Cordero said he thinks all investigations should be open and transparent, except for where confidentiality might protect security or personal issues.

He added he has faith in people, and doesn’t believe all lawmakers can fall prey to corruption.

“I don’t think everyone falls into the category to be corruptible,” he said.

Candidates appearing Thursday will continue to campaign ahead of the Nov. 4 general election. That’s when Alaskans will elect not only local representatives, but Alaska representatives on the national level and a new U.S. president.

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.