This election day it's time for a change

Spectrum, by Mike Chmielewski

This year on election day you have a clear choice. You can vote for an independent voice who will stand up for our private property or someone who traded away our property rights for coal-bed methane leases.

You can vote for an independent voice that will stand up for open public process or someone who excluded folks like you and me from the people's business.

I'm Mike Chmielewski. I believe we have the right to say how our property is used. I believe that closed legislative meetings supported by my opponent, Carl Gatto, break our faith in government.

My primary concerns are the same concerns expressed by voters I've met. I want to make sure the schools are adequately funded. I want to protect private property rights. I want to get that gas pipeline built and I want to protect the permanent fund dividend.

Let's take stock: I know from five years on the school board that the last-minute, inadequate funding from the state has not helped our schools meet the new mandates posed by NCLB, never mind keep pace with inflation.

The coal-bed methane fiasco perpetrated by our Valley legislators must not be repeated. I have signed on to the Property Owners' Bill of Rights.

There has been movement in Washington, D.C., on the gas pipeline. I want to build on that action and get that pipeline built. And, I want to make sure the permanent fund dividend is protected from government raids.

I have been disgusted with the gridlock and secret meetings in Juneau. You be the judge. Did incumbents develop a fiscal plan? What happened to municipal revenue sharing and the longevity bonus? What happened to our property taxes and business license taxes? What about open meetings legislation? Has Gov. Murkowski and the team of Valley legislators earned your respect over the last two years?

I have served you on the school board for the past five years. This fall I was part of the successful resolution of the school district contract negotiations that have so often divided us in the past.

The bottom line is that problems can be solved with persistence, willingness to look at new options and open dialogue. I'll provide that same kind of leadership in Juneau.

I'd appreciate your vote on Nov. 2. Together, we can do better.

Mike Chmielewski is a candidate for state House District 13.