Here we are again with “let’s move the Legislature to Anchorage,” which in my opinion is nothing more than the first step to moving the capital. My first question is why is it necessary to be on the road system what with all the modern conveniences to having the Legislature right in your home. You say you can’t talk to your legislator. Why can’t you? Don’t you have a phone?
But there are other reasons I feel it wrong. They say there is such a lack of money in the treasury they must take from the Permanent Fund to pay the bills and that, which the residents receive must be change to $1,000 permanently, until it’s decided to lower it again or eliminate completely. Also services and construction need to be cut. So where are they going to get the money it’s going to cost to make this move? Moving offices and people is not cheap. I’m talking about the need to build new offices. Oh, I know there are probably empty or semi-empty buildings available until it’s deemed they are no longer adequate. I understand the existing legislative building in Anchorage cannot hold both chambers. I’m also talking about offices needed for the support staff and the commissioners and their staff because all of a sudden there would be need for commissioners to be in the same town. (Although right now it doesn’t since I believe we have at least one that refused to leave Anchorage.) All of this will become an added expense.
By the way, my understanding is the per diem in Anchorage is higher than Juneau and yes those that live there or close by would also get per diem. What is going to happen to all the buildings the state owns here? The State Office Building, Alaska Office Building, Health and Welfare, Records, Public Safety, the legislative building they just purchased and refurbished for a lot of money, etc, etc. There would eventually be not enough employees left to fill all of them. All of these buildings must be maintained or they will go to rack and ruin and an unused building falls apart faster than one that is being used. They are too big to be used by anyone else that would be left, so selling them is not much of an option. Then there are the homes that people purchased or rent. Is the state going to purchase them from the owners when the jobs moves or eliminated forcing them to find work elsewhere? There would not be enough people left to purchase them.
The killing of jobs here, which is more than state jobs, the businesses that support the state, the retail businesses, the schools that would be shuttered — it all would bring devastation to Juneau and Southeast. Fishing, mining, tourism and bit of logging can support only so much. Also the many federal jobs that are tied to the state would leave. So before we jump into moving the Legislature, stop and think of the money that will be needed to make this move and the devastation of we who live here. I think we can find better ways to spending our money and it’s our money that would be spent.
• Ardyne Womack lives in Juneau.
