Economist Ed King of Juneau has filed a letter of intent to run for House District 34.
It’s a district that in 2016 did not reelect longtime moderate Rep. Cathy Munoz, but put far left Justin Parrish in her place. He lasted two years before bowing out, and school board member Andi Story ran for the seat, beating Republican candidate and City Assemblyman Jerry Nankervis in 2018.
King is a registered nonpartisan who will not run in the August primary but go straight to the General Election ballot. He is an economist and owner of King Economics Group.
“I’ve been analyzing, advising, and assisting with the state’s finances for 7 years now,” he wrote on Facebook. “Or, I should say my advice has been mostly ignored by the commissioners, governors, and legislators I’ve advised for the last 7 years.”
“The reactionary and politically motivated decisions of the past have lead us to the place we are today. Watching it unfold in real time has frustrated me to the point of quitting some well-paying jobs,” he wrote. King said he can’t stand on the sidelines and watch the state walk off a fiscal cliff. He intends to try to break up the partisanship in the Legislature.
“I’ve filed a letter of intent to run for State House as an independent. Over the next week or two, I’ll be seriously contemplating the decision,” King wrote.
“Anyone that really knows me understands that I am a centrist and a realist. I don’t follow any party line and I reject rhetoric. I follow the data, and I’m willing to update my understanding when better data arrives. I seek objective truth and try to dismiss hyperbole. Most of the time, that leads me to politically unpopular and contrarian conclusions. But, it also tends to lead me toward better, unbiased decisions,” he wrote.
King has a bachelors degree in economics from the University of Washington, an MS in applied economics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a certificate from Stanford University in strategic decision and risk management. He runs a blog on economics of Alaska at King Economics Group.
Same story, old verse. The residents that receive the PFD need to go against this. The PFD produces enough to pay bills of the state and a full PFD for each resident. The rest should be tax to pay the way of everything that is a bill to the state and cities and boroughs. Long over due to organize all boroughs. The organized boroughs pay their share and then some. The unorganized boroughs pay nothing for any service, so the sooner the legislative body and the governor looks at that reality, the light bulbs and the pay as you go will produce better results.
” “[…]Watching it unfold in real time has frustrated me to the point of quitting some well-paying jobs,” he wrote. King said he can’t stand on the sidelines and watch the state walk off a fiscal cliff. ”
But did he actually quit those well-paying jobs? I’m pretty certain the answer is is no, he didn’t. That’s a line of BS right there.
Fish Head, He filed a letter of intent, he says he is either not taking well paying work now at the present or that he will be barred by law from accepting work if elected… a bit fuzzy.
What surprised me is Mr. King’s statement that he hasn’t any political beliefs and that objective truth alone will be his guiding light. It will be interesting to see if a Data Candidate is able to prevail at the polls. Most folks want to know a Candidates general political leanings, things like do you support the full PFD disbursement?
No thanks, we can do better.
In his field, he would have to be registered non-partisan if he wanted any work.
That said, without knowing where he stands on moral issues, he’ll be a one-issue candidate without a known stance. It’s tough to get a voter base riled up with, “I want to balance the sheets” without some guiding principles mixed in.
People get excited about issues, and they’ll sacrifice for principles, but they seldom get out the vote for prescribed pain and uncertainty.
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