We are 40-plus-year residents of Juneau. We have raised our families in Juneau and have dedicated our working lives to making Alaska a better place to live and prosper for all of us. We believe the future of our great state is currently in jeopardy. That’s why we write in support of the Walker/Drygas gubernatorial campaign.
The issues our state faces are significant, in some cases daunting; our ferry system must be expanded, restored and maintained; our education system must be appropriately funded, including the University of Alaska; deferred maintenance must be funded before it is too late. All of this requires funding. Despite the current high price of oil, we know that will not last. Hard choices must be made.
And then, there are the issues of basic human rights — a woman’s choice to manage her own body; a person’s right to live a life free of racial, sexual or gender discrimination. All of this is threatened right now and in the years to come. The Walker/Drygas team is committed to maintaining a woman’s right to choose and has said so repeatedly.
When it comes to making hard decisions, Walker has been criticized for his role in reducing the amount of the Permanent Fund dividend to Alaska residents. Given the choice between saving the state from near bankruptcy or choosing popularity by mainlining an unsustainable dividend he made the hard decision to protect the state, and in effect, all of us. The legislative sessions since then have proven that was the right decision.
Alaska needs that commitment, that dedication, that integrity, that strength of purpose more now than in recent years. We face momentous challenges going forward. It is critical we make a change in our state.
Please join us for a Walker/Drygas meet-and-greet at our house, 5980 Thane Road (the last house on the right side of the cul-de-sav), 5:30-7 p.m. Monday, July 18.
• Sue and Larry Cotter are longtime Juneau residents. Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire. Have something to say? Here’s how to submit a My Turn or letter.
