The co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee is retiring from office after 12 years in the Alaska State Legislature. Sen. Anna MacKinnon will spend more time with family, she told Steve Quinn of KTVA.
The Eagle River Republican who has served as co-chair of Finance for four years is known for hard work, methodical attention to detail, making tough calls, and unflinching transparency.
But as a wife and grandmother, she has other things in mind for the coming years.
MacKinnon served on the Anchorage Assembly before running for District 17 House in 2006. She challenged Pete Kott, who was embroiled in a corruption probe and ended up going to prison.
In 2008, MacKinnon was re-elected with 6,857 votes, while Democrat Bill Gossweiler received 1,675 votes.
In 2012, she took on Sen. Bettye Davis, and with redistricting having changed the demographics of District G, she moved into the Senate.
She and John MacKinnon married in 2014 and she changed her last name from Fairclough to MacKinnon. Both have children and grandchildren across the Northwest.
Political observers earlier this year noted that she had not filed for re-election, nor had she indicated that she would.
Rep. Lora Reinbold of Eagle River is likely to file for the Senate seat. When Must Read Alaska spoke with her earlier this year, she said she would defer discussion of that until after the session concludes. Others who might file include Rep. Dan Saddler.
Good by and good riddance Anna no longer to you have to tow the AGC & Union agenda… to Steal the peoples PFD . Your support of all those bellied up to bloated state spending…shame on you!
Senator MacKinnon has made a selfless and remarkable contribution to Alaska. She has been tireless. She has always been helpful and fair. Yes, she has been a big spender and has never looked at real cuts in state operations so far as I know. Some legislative staffers would disagree but I have always found this senator’s staff to be extremely helpful and way above average for honest, hard work. Their stock in trade is competence instead of gossip, and if they can trust you to be intelligent and discreet they will give you cogent and straightforward advice even when it’s not the best news for you. So far as a replacement, Representative Reinbold did not always articulate her budget ideas in the most understandable way years ago but I have never found her to be wrong nor has she been unconstructive or inaccurate; she has always been true to her Republican roots, and right now there is not one fiscal conservative on the Senate Finance Committee. In some ways being in the minority tests a legislator, and Reinbold has passed that test very well whereas Saddler has not. In any event we must all work hard to end the test and return Saddler to the House Majority.
Anna MacKinnon has served the Eagle River/Chugiak area on the Anchorage Assembly, as a member of the state House of Representatives and the Alaska State Senate in an honorable and unselfish manner for two decades. Public service can be hard work and politicians rarely get recognition for their willingness to serve our state. Alaska has been well served by her commitment to our state. Anne, you have earned time to be with family. Thank you for your service and I wish you all the best in the future.
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