Will Halcro run for governor?

'I'm absolutely planning on being at the dance'

Sept. 18, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON\Frontiersman reporter

HOUSTON -- Former state representative Andrew Halcro gave a strong indication Friday night that he plans to run for state governor in 2006.

Speaking to a group of about 50 National Education Association members at Houston High School, Halcro said he could use some good luck come Nov. 9, 2006.

After addressing the NEA crowd about the need for a "vision for education" in Alaska, Halcro told a reporter he is probably two months away from making a formal announcement regarding his candidacy. He quickly added, however, that his plan is to make a run for state governor.

"I'm absolutely planning on being at the dance," he said. "I just have a commitment at work for 60 days more."

Halcro is owner of Alaska's Avis Rent A Car, the largest rental car company in the state. He said he is currently tied up trying to finalize a plan to expand his company to a Mat-Su location.

Halcro represented South Anchorage from 1999 to 2003 as a Republican representative but indicated Friday that he plans to run as an independent.

During his tenure in Juneau, Halcro often challenged Republican leadership, especially as it related to closed-door meetings and majority caucus control over the votes of his fellow Republicans.

During his speech Friday, Halcro challenged current state leadership over a lack of educational vision for the state, especially as it relates to funding.

He said the $82-million increase in education funding for fiscal year 2006 is simply making up ground after years of underfunding. Ultimately, Halcro said the state needs to implement a long-term funding formula that would put an end to the annual political debates in Juneau about how much money to approve for education.

"We spend a lot on education because education costs a lot and it should," he said, adding that money spent on education is money saved on prisons and social programs. "We need to stop thinking about education as an expense and think of it as an investment."

Contact Joel Davidson at 352-2266, or joel.davidson@

frontiersman.com.