Walker taps Kowalke for Dunleavy's seat

JUNEAU – Governor Bill Walker today appointed Randall Kowalke of Willow to represent District E in the Alaska Senate.

Mr. Kowalke is a Republican who has served on the Mat-Su Borough Assembly since 2015, representing a district which encompasses Meadow Lakes, Talkeetna, Trapper Creek, and Willow. In addition to Mr. Kowalke’s background in public service, he is a retired businessman who worked in oilfield services, telecommunications, and an array of other sectors. He is a former director of the Alaska Support Industry Alliance and board member of the Resource Development Council.

“Randall is the best person to represent this district,” Governor Walker said. “He brings a wealth of perspective to the Senate at this critical moment in Alaska’s history, and will do an excellent job representing the values of the people of Senate District E.”

By law, when a legislative seat is vacated, the Governor has the authority to choose any resident of that district as a replacement so long as they are a member of the same political party of the previous representative. This replacement is subject to confirmation by a majority of members of the Senate who are in the same political party.

Senate President Pete Kelly (R-Fairbanks) today issued the following statement in response to Gov. Bill Walker’s appointment of Randall Kowalke to represent Senate District E.

“While we recognize a fine choice by the governor in Mr. Kowalke, we would prefer the governor work through the traditional process involving local participation from the districts. The Senate Republicans will meet next week to discuss the governor’s appointment.”

Dunleavy wasn't pleased, either.

“Governor Walker has made his choice – and he chose to ignore the elected nominees of the Republican District leaders. His decision is an affront to these men and women who literally spent hundreds of hours vetting 11 different applicants for this seat,” said Dunleavy.

Dunleavy said that the traditional process of selecting from a list of nominees chosen by local party leaders is designed to help maintain public confidence in representative government. He predicted that violating the process would have unfortunate consequences.

“The crucial question is this: Who owns this seat, the voters of District E, or Governor Walker? The Governor has chosen to substitute his own judgment for the views of local leaders. This kind of arrogance has become a trademark of this Governor, and it gravely erodes public confidence that their representative in Juneau is there to represent their values, instead of the Governor’s personal agenda. Once again, Governor Walker ignores the will of the people,” Dunleavy stated.

Fellow Mat-Su Senators David Wilson and Shelley Hughes also expressed disappointment, but were more conciliatory toward Kowalke.

Hughes stated, “Although under the law, the governor can go off-list and choose

whomever he desires, the question is, should he have? Should he have sidestepped the people? I believe not. I don’t believe the governor knows better than the people who can best represent them.”

Wilson added: “Picking someone not on the original list shows how little regard Governor Walker has for the people of Mat-Su. He believes he knows best when it comes to picking their representatives in the legislature.”

Senators Wilson and Hughes congratulated and welcomed their new colleague, if confirmed, to the legislature despite their concern with the governor’s indifference to the people of District E.