A fundraiser for Nick Begich for Congress will be held at the offices of Dr. Matt Heilala, on Dec. 7. It’s a chance to meet one of the Republican candidates running for Congress. Dr. Heilala is a former supporter of Congressman Don Young.
At the most recent fundraiser this weekend in Palmer, about 50 people attended. This will be Begich’s third fundraiser in Anchorage since he filed to run in October, and it’s the hardest quarter to raise money in because people are often out of town.
By LEIGH SLOAN
Family Partnership Charter School is a homeschooling charter program that is part of the Anchorage School District.
Among the several homeschool charters in the state, FPCS offers the highest monetary allotment of $4,200 per year to families to help homeschool families get the resources they need to educate their children at home or participate in hybrid schooling programs offered by public and private vendors in the Anchorage area.
During the in-person school shutdowns of 2020 the school’s enrollment increased from just under 700 to full capacity at their cap of 1,500 students.
Anchorage parents realized that if students were not going to attend school in person, they wanted greater flexibility in the resources they could access. Because the allotment was capped, many Anchorage families were forced to look elsewhere for those opportunities.
FPCS face their charter renewal at today’s Dec. 6 Anchorage School Board meeting.
Normally charters are renewed for 10 years, but board members Andy Holleman and Pat Higgins are proposing limiting the approval to be extended for only five years as a sort of probationary period for “infractions” the school has faced.
These infractions broke no laws— only a few minor policies. The first “infraction” was merely a motion in a meeting— so not a real infraction.
The second was the purchase of religious curriculum that was reimbursed to the parents one time under a previous administration. The oversight was corrected and addressed.
The last two infractions involved a procedural mistake with teachers being allowed into a board meeting to voice their thoughts on the principal while the principal was under review. The first happened under the the previous principal, and the last happened under the current principal. Several other schools have faced more serious infractions and have still been approved for the full 10 years.
Margo Bellamy, Dave Donley, and Kelly Lessens spoke in support of extending the charter the full 10 years, while the remainder of school board members were undecided. If the charter is only approved for 5 years, this will be the first time that this has happened to any charter school in Alaska.
Family Partnership prides itself on keeping operating costs low in order to provide the most direct benefit to support families who are doing what is necessary to tailor their child’s educational experience to fit the student’s needs. It also helped support many of the small “micro-schools” that have popped up in Anchorage in response to the pandemic. ASD only receives 4% of the funds that are allotted for Family Partnership students.
In the last school board meeting concerning the matter, the enrollment cap was raised to 1850, but Family Partnership would like to see that number go up to 3,000.
Sixty-two percent of the school’s budget goes toward student allotments and the school says that with the 10-year charter, it will help them get the building space they so desperately need. They feel that they should be rewarded for keeping their own spending low so that families would be empowered as much as possible. In the past, ASD has tried to control the allotments that families are given, but Family Partnership asserted that this level of control was not appropriate.
At the school board meeting today, parents and other family advocates will ask the school board to extend the charter for the full 10 years and to increase the current capacity to 3,000 students. This would allow more families to access greater options for their children’s individualized learning plans. It would provide immediate solutions to more Anchorage families seeking alternatives during extenuating circumstances such as a worldwide pandemic or natural disaster.
Parents are now increasingly aware of the non-traditional and cost effective options that are available to them. The one-sized-fits-all approach to education is increasingly giving way to more innovative strategies as parents and educators work together to close the achievement gap for students.
To Anchorage community members, Family Partnership Charter School is a 27-year-old symbol of educational freedom in the state of Alaska and healthy competition that produces better outcomes for students.
Anchorage residents and other Anchorage community members may register (in person, on the phone, or via email) to testify by 2 pm today. The meeting begins at 6 at the Board Room at the ASD Education Center, 5530 E Northern Lights Blvd Anchorage. Follow this link to learn more. https://www.asdk12.org/school_board/calendar/
By SHANE LASLEY / NORTH OF 60 MINING NEWS
The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act brightens an otherwise gloomy outlook when it comes to federal policies that impact Alaska and its mining sector.
“I believe this is truly historic for our state,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said during a Nov. 17 address at the Alaska Resources Conference.
While the massive infrastructure bill passage was chalked up as a political win for President Joe Biden, the billions of dollars to be invested into upgrading and expanding Alaska’s sparse infrastructure will have an outsized impact on a state rightfully considered America’s Last Frontier.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, pointed out that Alaska has fewer road miles than Connecticut, a state about 120 times smaller.
“We are a resource-rich, infrastructure-poor state,” he said during the annual conference hosted by the Resource Development Council of Alaska.
This is why Alaska’s entire congressional delegation, all Republicans, as well as civic and political leaders across the 49th State, got behind the bipartisan legislation.
“It’s going to be a lot of money … billions of dollars to construct and modernize our roads, our bridges, our ports, our airports,” said Murkowski. “It’s not just going to be the opportunity for better roads, but to see more of them.”
More roads could help make Alaska’s rich mineral resources more competitive.
“It is often said that if Alaska’s impressive mineral deposits were in the state of Nevada, with infrastructure like roads, ports, and energy grids, they would already be mines,” said Alaska Miners Association Executive Director Deantha Skibinski. “We’re pleased that the infrastructure package includes significant investment in building Alaska, which will make investment in resource development more attractive.”
For Alaska’s mining sector, however, provisions to streamline the federal mine permitting process may be even more important than the massive investments into roads, rails, ports, airports, and other infrastructure that will be built from the minerals and metals these mines could supply.
“The federal agencies are going to have a responsibility and a requirement to start issuing permits more efficiently and with less delay,” said Murkowski.
Alaska’s senior senator pushed back on the notion that the infrastructure bill is a bad thing because it is being chalked up as a win for the Biden administration.
Editor’s note: This column first appeared in Must Read Alaska in September, 2021, and is reprinted due to the current situation with the Alaska ferries.
By PAULETTE SIMPSON
Many Alaskans enjoy fond memories of their first ferry rides on the Alaska Marine Highway. Sprinting to the solarium to stake out lounge chairs for sleeping bags and backpacks, pitching tents and picnicking on the upper deck, sleeping under the stars, guitars in the bars. It was a party.
In the summer of 1976, the “Blue Canoes” of the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) introduced us to Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell, Sitka, Juneau, and Haines. Six months later we settled in Juneau and have sailed the ferries ever since, regularly visiting some of the most beautiful places on the planet.
The decision to locate permanently in a community accessible only by sea or air came with the clear understanding that our transportation alternatives would be limited and expensive. Over 40 years here, ferry travel has become even more restrictive, unreliable, and unaffordable. But it’s what we signed on for and we’ll never argue we are entitled to a fully subsidized lifestyle choice.
Before the advent of air service or the AMHS, a healthy marine transportation system flourished in Southeast. Market-driven by the many mines, canneries, the military presence at Ft. Seward in Haines, and a burgeoning visitor industry, ships of all sizes called daily at docks in Juneau, Douglas, Treadwell and outlying communities. And well before the discovery of gold in Southeast, for purposes of hunting, fishing, trade and warfare, the indigenous and intrepid Tlingit navigated the region extensively.
The original 1957 state ferry route served the mainland communities of Juneau, Haines and Skagway. In 1963, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell, Sitka and Prince Rupert were added. Kodiak, Cordova, Homer, Seldovia, Valdez, and Seward came on in 1964. Over the years, smaller communities were added and today the AMHS serves 35 Alaska ports.
Some cite poor management for the ferry system’s current sad state of affairs. But the inability of the AMHS to meet the transportation needs of Alaskans is more correctly the result of economic and demographic shifts, unrealistic expectations about how ships can perform, and politics.
Alaska’s oil boom is over. The population of Southeast is stagnant, and Alaska’s Railbelt commands the lion’s share of political clout. Most Alaskans do not relate to a transportation system that requires a 67 percent state subsidy benefiting around 10 percent of the population. I can’t blame them. Next week we will ferry roundtrip from Juneau to Haines. The fare for two seniors and a pick-up is $542. The state subsidy is about $1,100.
(Just curious… if the AMHS is for Alaskans, why are non-Alaskans the beneficiaries of such generous subsidies?)
All public transportation systems – buses, subways, airplanes, ships – are impacted by forces beyond their control. (Example: Covid.) But the sheer size and complexity of ships and their systems cause maintenance issues unique to marine travel, resulting in heavy costs and frequent breakdown.
Central to the “politics” factor are conflicting opinions about what the state’s financial obligation should be and which alternatives should be pursued.
Perhaps it is finally time to get over our hopelessly sentimental and naive expectations about “frequent and affordable” ferry service and adopt alternatives that would actually minimize operating costs and improve travel.
The Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Work Group is soliciting public input, seeking “constructive” comments about “ports of call; levels of service; tariffs; contracting options; fleet size, type, maintenance, and replacement; governance and labor contract requirements.”
I would stipulate that transportation is a core function of government and Alaska’s island communities will always need ferries. We should still, however, expect fiscally responsible management of our state’s resources, and decision-making that is forward-looking and fair.
Fair-minded decision-making would dismiss the wishful thinking of a return to legacy levels of ferry service and low fares appropriate to a different era.
A forward-looking and environmentally sensitive mindset would reject the outmoded model of a diesel-burning mainline ferry whose enormous fuel consumption is mostly spent moving itself and not its payload.
Fiscally responsible management of limited state resources would embrace a “hub and spoke” system utilizing small dayboats or shuttles.
Fiscally responsible management of resources would also demand the shortest possible ferry runs connecting strategically located roads for travel by energy-efficient, Covid-free electric cars.
It’s not 1980 anymore. The party is over.
Email your comments to: [email protected]
Paulette Simpson lives in Douglas.
With a legion of supporters on her invitation, Eagle River’s Jamie Allard will hold her first fundraiser as she runs for House District 24, a new district representing her hometown in the northern “righthand corner” of Anchorage.
The event, which has a who’s who of co-hosts, starts at 5:30 pm.
Hear Anchorage Assemblywoman Allard on Monday’s Must Read Alaska podcast talk about local events at one of these podcast listening links. She will be discussing the Assembly majority’s new attempt to limit the public’s ability to witness ballot counting at the Election Office.
By RICK WHITBECK / POWER THE FUTURE
It was one year ago that the Bureau of Land Management published its intent to offer the first lease sale for lands within the Coastal Plain (10-02 area) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
That notice, kicking off the formal lease-sale process, led to immense posturing by environmental zealots and advocacy groups, including calling the Congressionally-approved sale “an act of violence”.
The hopes of so many a year ago may not have faded, but certainly, the circumstances have changed – significantly.
After holding the sale earlier this year, the Biden Presidency was then sworn in and immediately halted any new development activities in ANWR via executive order.
Then, after Alaska’s Congressional delegation all supported anti-fossil fuel, radical environmentalist Deb Haaland to be the next Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland and her team suspended the existing leases, using the bogus argument that the original permitting process wasn’t robust enough, and calling for a complete review of the environmental impact of leasing in the 10-02 area.
Setting aside the legal question about stopping progress on fully-contracted areas within the 10-02 for a minute, the entire argument that the permitting – done under what the even the eco-extremist organization NRDC has called the “Magna Carta of Environmental Law” – the NEPA process – was somehow flawed is laughable.
In response to Interior’s actions and a complete stonewalling by Haaland and her team to requests for information and consultation by leaseholders, the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority (AIDEA) filed suit recently against President Biden and others involved in the suspension of activity.
Power The Future which strongly supports AIDEA’s efforts and will stay on top of this story for our readers and supporters. While so much has happened in a year related to ANWR and the eco-left’s histrionics to keep it from being safely and responsibly developed, the fact is that the Coastal Plain still holds immense opportunity. We’ll keep fighting for ANWR, its tens of thousands of potential jobs, billions of barrels of oil and the continued economic and energy security of Alaska and America.
Rick Whitbeck is Alaska director for Power the Future.
By FRITZ PETTYJOHN
Nick Begich III seeks to represent Alaska in Congress, as his grandfather did from 1970 to 1972. Even though young Nick is a conservative Republican businessman, he is suspect in the eyes of many Republicans because of the politics of his uncles Mark and Tom.
A better place to look for young Nick’s inspiration is to look at the all-too-brief career of the original Nick Begich.
The elder Begich was elected to the State Senate in 1962 at the age of 30. In 1970, he beat Republican Frank Murkowski 55-45 for the right to succeed Republican Rep. Howard Pollock, who had run for governor and lost. At this time, development of the oil field discovered at Prudhoe Bay in 1968 was stalled because of Alaska Native land claims.
As a freshman Congressman in 1971, Begich worked with Alaska Natives and with Sens. Ted Stevens and Mike Gravel on legislation to settle these claims and allow construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. For Alaska this was, and is, the most important law passed since statehood.
Working closely with House Majority Leader Hale Boggs of Louisiana, Begich won passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Thirteen regional Native corporations were established, and given the rights to 40 million acres of Alaska lands. This critical bill passed the House 343-63, and the rush to the Arctic was on. This was the birth of modern Alaska.
Boggs was in line to become Speaker of the House following Carl Albert of Oklahoma. He was so impressed with Begich that he flew to Alaska in October 1972 to help him win reelection. On a flight from Anchorage to Juneau, their Cessna 310 went down in mysterious circumstances and was never found.
House Majority Whip Tip O’Neill took over for Boggs as Majority Leader, and Don Young was elected to replace Begich. In 1977, it was O’Neill, not Boggs, who became House Speaker after Albert.
Who knows how far Begich could have gone if he and Boggs had not been killed? He was destined for leadership in Congress, and was poised to become a great asset to the people of Alaska. If his grandson needs a role model, he will not be looking to his uncles. All he needs to do is walk in the steps of one of the founders of modern Alaska, the original Nick Begich.
The issue of federal lands in Alaska has not been settled to Alaska’s satisfaction to this day. In fact, the federal government still owns 61% of Alaska lands. Why? There’s no satisfactory answer to that question. In his 2016 campaign for President, Sen. Ted Cruz promised to support transferring federal lands to the states. His opponent, Donald Trump, was opposed. His son, Donald Trump Jr., acting on behalf of Safari Club International, convinced him to adopt this position, and in an interview with Field & Stream magazine, he said he didn’t trust the states with the land. The wealthy trophy hunters of Safari Club fear the states, if given title, would give hunting preferences to their residents.
Cruz was able to campaign and win on this issue in northern Nevada, Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah.
In the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, this question will resurface, as candidates compete to win delegates in the Mountain West.
As Ted Cruz proved in 2016, it’s a winning issue. As a result, if a Republican other than Donald Trump wins the presidency, Alaska and the other states of the Mountain West will almost surely have an ally in the White House as they seek to reduce federal landholdings in their states. Who better to represent Alaska on this issue than the namesake and grandson of the original Nick Begich?
Fritz Pettyjohn was chairman of Reagan for President Alaska and deputy campaign manager of Murkowski for Senate in 1980. He was elected to the state Senate in 1982, and served in the Legislature until 1990.
Former Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole of Kansas died on Dec. 5, 2021. He was 98.
Dole had served in the U.S. Senate from 1968 to 1996, and had been Senate president for the last 11 years of his tenure.
Dole won the Republican nomination for president in 1996 and chose Jack Kemp as his running mate. They lost in the general election to then-President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.
Earlier in Alaska that year, Dole finished third behind Patrick J. Buchanan and Steve Forbes, in the Republican presidential straw poll.
Dole had earlier run for president in 1988, and in Alaska lost a straw poll in the Republican caucus to televangelist Pat Robertson and then Vice President George H. W. Bush. Ultimately, Bush won the nomination of the Republican Party that year, and he lost to Bill Clinton.
Dole was the running mate for President Gerald Ford in 1976 after Vice President Nelson Rockefeller withdrew from the race. The Ford-Dole ticket lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale that year.
Dole was also the chairman of the Republican National Committee during the 1970s.
Before his political life and his career as an attorney, Dole was a World War II veteran who was badly wounded in combat in Italy. He nearly died from his wounds received from a German shell near Bologna, and only lived due to the use of an experimental drug, streptomycin, which reduced his severe infections and 109-degree fever. His right arm and shoulder were rendered useless, so he learned to write with his left hand, and often used his right hand to hold a pen.
Dole was married to the Elizabeth Dole, who served in several presidential administrations and who was a U.S. senator for one term, representing North Carolina. Dole died in his sleep on Dec. 5, according to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.
Learn more about Dole’s 79 years of service to the country at this link.
In 2006, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens offered a tribute to Dole on the floor of the Senate, noting that he and Dole were the only remaining members of the “class of 1968” when Dole resigned from the Senate in 1996:
TRIBUTE TO SENATOR ROBERT DOLE
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, yesterday, we honored our colleague,
Senator Robert Byrd, for achieving an important milestone in our
Senate's history. Today, we come to the floor to pay tribute to another
man who stands out as a giant among those who have served in this
Chamber. Senator Bob Dole, last Sunday, marked the 10-year anniversary
of his retirement from the Senate.
Bob Dole and I came to the Senate at the same time. We have worked
together a great deal. When I was Republican whip and he was our
party's Vice Presidential nominee, I was asked to help him prepare for
his debate when he debated Walter Mondale--the first Vice Presidential
debate in history.
Bob helped us pass the Alaskan Native Land Claims Settlement Act,
which paved the way for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. And he supported the
Alaska Lands Act and the Alaska Railroad Transfer. In short, Bob Dole
is a great personal friend, a friend to me and to Alaska.
Bob was--and still is--a leader in the truest sense of the word.
Whenever I think of Bob Dole, I think of the great many men I have
known who were tested in World War II. Like my good friend Senator
Inouye, Bob Dole is a true war hero. He was tested in war and injured
and struggled back through a long recovery. Like all great leaders, Bob
takes great challenges of life and uses them to improve the world
around him.
Having been injured in World War II, he dedicated much of his time in
public service to improving the opportunities for disabled Americans.
Those of us in the Senate who were fortunate enough to call Bob a
colleague for 27 years, chose him to serve as our leader six times,
when we were in the majority and the minority. He reached out to those
who disagreed with him. He listened to advice. You never had to ask him
twice to know where he stood; his word was--and is--his bond. As
President Reagan said:
His title of leader is not just a job title, it's a
description of the man.
I think Bob's decision to resign his seat rather than stay in the
Senate and campaign for the Presidency demonstrates what a devoted
public servant he is. I have now been in the Senate over 30 years, and
I have seen Members of this body run for President and miss vote after
vote because they were on the road campaigning.
Bob Dole loved the people of Kansas too much to leave them without a
voice in the Senate, so he resigned. I believe that took great courage.
If there is one thing about Bob Dole that there is no shortage of, it
is courage. Bob himself said, when he resigned from the Senate:
One of the qualities of American politics that
distinguishes us from other nations is that we judge our
politicians as much by the manner by which they leave office
as by the vigor with which they pursue it. You do not lay
claim to the office you hold, it lays claim to you. Your
obligation is to bring to it the gifts you can of labor and
honesty and then to depart with grace.
By his own standards, Bob Dole stands out as one of the most noble
and dignified men who ever graced these Halls.
Senator Dole did not win the 1996 Presidential election, but his
commitment to public service has not wavered. He still contributes to
the public debate through his writing and speaking, and he has remained
active on the campaign trail. We have been fortunate that since his
retirement another Dole has joined this Chamber--his wife, Senator
Elizabeth Dole, who serves the people of North Carolina and our Nation,
also, with great distinction.
When Senator Dole resigned from the Senate 10 years ago to run for
President, he and I were the only remaining Members of the class of
1968. We have a bond that was forged on the morning of January 3, 1969,
when we each took the oath to serve our country in the Senate. That
bond never fades, and I salute his service today.
The Anchorage Assembly is considering an ordinance change that drastically limits the ability of the election observers to witness what is going on inside the ballot-counting facility at Ship Creek during the ballot sorting and counting process.
The item, a rewrite of Title 28 of Municipal Code, is the subject of a public hearing; the meeting begins at 5 pm at the Loussac Library ground floor Assembly Chambers.
During the most recent election, the campaign of Mayor Bronson was vigilant with election observers, and also had someone posted outside the ballot-counting facility 24 hours a day to guard against fraud. Observers documented various incident that appeared irregular, including the mysterious setting off of a fire alarm during vote counting, which required clearing the building of all present. Municipal Clerk Barbara Jones became visibly agitated with the Bronson observers inside and outside the facility, and this proposed ordinance was prepared by her office and addresses her concerns with campaigns that are hyper-vigilant.
Jones has recommended significant changes to Title 28 of Municipal elections, which the liberal Assembly is likely to pass:
After the recent municipal election, the clerk issued a scorching report, in which it was clear she did not appreciate the intensity of observers from the Bronson campaign.
But the observers were able to document events, such as when Assemblyman Chris Constant, who was working on the Forrest Dunbar for Mayor campaign, delivered a huge bouquet of flowers to the clerk — while the vote counting was still underway. The flowers appeared to be an inappropriate gesture from one of the sides of the election.
“Although it may be legal to photograph people and cars in public areas, the intensity and tone appeared to be geared towards intimidating officials rather than serving a legitimate purpose,” Jones said in her report to the Assembly.
“It was apparent from the behavior and questions … that a number of observers had not been trained by their campaign, many had not read the manual, and many did not have any understanding of the processes at the Election Center,” Jones’ report said.
Citizen observers of the last election noted that after observers were told that business had concluded for the day, election workers remained in the building, working unobserved. This was documented by photographs taken from outside the building, after the observers had been removed.
In another instance, the building security was questioned after a campaign observer noted and documented a person opening the exterior door to the ballot counting facility late at night — the door had been left unsecured.
Observers also noted that while observers from Democrat candidates did not remain in the building as long as those from Republican candidates, they always showed up right before counting began, an indication that their campaigns were being given special courtesy notifications from the Clerk’s Office.
