Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, left, Sen. President Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, center, and Majority Leader Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, study their play book on the opening day of the 31st Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Sen. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, left, Sen. President Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, center, and Majority Leader Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, study their play book on the opening day of the 31st Session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Opinion: A fresh start for working Alaskans

It’s time to do things differently and reject partisan politics.

The 31st Alaska State Legislature will be the first session that I am not on the floor and in committee doing the people’s work since I was first sworn in in 2003. Every session starts with a great sense of optimism, as it should. Lawmakers have the opportunity for a fresh start that I hope will allow them to come together and cooperate on our shared priorities as Alaskans.

Every Alaskan has their list of priorities. Crime and lawlessness are major concerns; public safety issues must be addressed in a way that is meaningful for all Alaskans. Rural, urban and bush Alaska all have public safety issues. These issues span the social, economic, geographic and political spectrums. That means that the challenges are great, and the answer needs to be finessed and not forced. We all want Alaskans to be safe in their homes, businesses and out in public. If the members of the House and Senate always keep that in mind, they can work together on solutions that will make Alaska a safer place to live, do business and raise a family.

[Infographics: Alaska’s 2019 Budget]

The other issue that lawmakers must come together to solve is the fate of the Permanent Fund and the annual dividends paid out to eligible Alaskans from the earnings of the fund. Continuing PFDs is a priority of Democrats, Republicans, Independents and many of those who eschew politics. Protecting the Permanent Fund and future PFDs is a shared priority that nearly all Alaskans support and all lawmakers can rally around. I urge all Alaskans to watch the fiscal briefings that will be aired on Gavel Alaska to understand the magnitude of the issue. The fund doesn’t belong to any one of us; we own it in common.

Another issue where I see the possibility of consensus is the ongoing recession, which is about to stretch into its fourth year. By working together to solve our fiscal challenges, lawmakers can provide the confidence and economic boost needed to push our economy out of recession and into a period of sustained economic growth.

[Dunleavy unveils plan for PFD back payments]

None of this will be easy, and none of it will be done without hard work. In the coming days, weeks and months, the people of Alaska will be watching the work of our elected representatives in Juneau. Rest assured that they will hold accountable those who refuse to work cooperatively on important issues. I see tremendous promise in the lawmakers the people of Alaska elected to the House of Representatives. This diverse group of lawmakers has the knowledge, work ethic and the will to find solutions. The only things preventing success are partisan politics and petty differences. The challenge I hope every member of the Alaska House of Representatives and the Alaska State Senate embraces is to ignore the things that divide us and instead focus on the things that bring us together.

Politics is too often judged by who wins and who loses. I believe the people of Alaska will be the losers if the members of the House can’t come together to work cooperatively on their behalf. Winning requires the members of the Alaska Legislature to put aside party politics and work together as Alaskans on the things that we all agree are important.

[House names temporary speaker, swears in Jackson]

During my time in the Alaska Legislature, I found that the legislative process works best when lawmakers have the freedom to make decisions for the greater good. The start of a new Legislature gives lawmakers the freedom to do things differently and reject the partisan politics that have led to legislative inaction and in some cases legislative dysfunction.

It is my sincere hope that a bipartisan coalition can be created in the state House that includes all the Democrats, the lone Independent lawmaker and all the Republicans who are more interested in doing what’s best for the people of Alaska than they are in toeing the party line and doing what they are told. I know from firsthand experience how easy it is to be partisan and say no to every idea and proposal that requires compromise. I also know that it is much harder to put aside partisanship and cooperate, but that’s exactly what the people of Alaska want from those they elected to take the tough votes and make the difficult decisions.


• David Guttenberg is a former member of the Alaska House of Representatives. My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.


More in Opinion

Web
Have something to say?

Here’s how to add your voice to the conversation.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, at the Capitol in Washington on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. Accusations of past misconduct have threatened his nomination from the start and Trump is weighing his options, even as Pete Hegseth meets with senators to muster support. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
Opinion: Sullivan plays make believe with America’s future

Two weeks ago, Sen. Dan Sullivan said Pete Hegseth was a “strong”… Continue reading

Dan Allard (right), a flood fighting expert for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, explains how Hesco barriers function at a table where miniature replicas of the three-foot square and four-foot high barriers are displayed during an open house Nov. 14 at Thunder Mountain Middle School to discuss flood prevention options in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Our comfort with spectacle became a crisis

If I owned a home in the valley that was damaged by… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Voter fact left out of news

With all the post-election analysis, one fact has escaped much publicity. When… Continue reading

The site of the now-closed Tulsequah Chief mine. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Maybe the news is ‘No new news’ on Canada’s plans for Tulsequah Chief mine cleanup

In 2015, the British Columbia government committed to ending Tulsequah Chief’s pollution… Continue reading

The Alaska Psychiatric Institute in Anchorage. (Alaska Department of Family and Community Services photo)
My Turn: Rights for psychiatric patients must have state enforcement

Kim Kovol, commissioner of the state Department of Family and Community Services,… Continue reading

People living in areas affected by flooding from Suicide Basin pick up free sandbags on Oct. 20 at Thunder Mountain Middle School. (City and Borough of Juneau photo)
Opinion: Mired in bureaucracy, CBJ long-term flood fix advances at glacial pace

During meetings in Juneau last week, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)… Continue reading

Rosa Parks, whose civil rights legacy has recent been subject to revision in class curriculums. (Public domain photo from the National Archives and Records Administration Records)
My Turn: Proud to be ‘woke’

Wokeness: the quality of being alert to and concerned about social injustice… Continue reading

The settlement of Sermiligaaq in Greenland (Ray Swi-hymn / CC BY-SA 2.0)
My Turn: Making the Arctic great again

It was just over five years ago, in the summer of 2019,… Continue reading

The Alaska Psychiatric Institute in Anchorage. (Alaska Department of Family and Community Services photo)
My Turn: Small wins make big impacts at Alaska Psychiatric Institute

The Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API), an 80-bed psychiatric hospital located in Anchorage… Continue reading

President Donald Trump and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy pose for a photo aboard Air Force One during a stopover at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage in 2019. (Sheila Craighead / White House photo)
Opinion: Dunleavy has the prerequisite incompetence to work for Trump

On Tuesday it appeared that Gov. Mike Dunleavy was going to be… Continue reading