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House District 11: Anchorage: Lower Hillside

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    Julie Coulombe
    (Rep)

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    Walter Featherly
    (NON)

Biographical Information

How do you plan to address the challenges of funding, teacher recruitment and retention, and ensuring educational equity across remote, rural and urban communities in Alaska in order to improve overall educational outcomes?

According to the U.S. Energy Administration in 2023, Alaska generated about 25% of its total electricity from renewable energy sources. What other alternatives do you think would help with our energy issues?

What options would you suggest where Alaska can increase our state revenue?

What could the Alaska legislature do to help restore voters’ trust in the integrity of our elections system?

Do you support or oppose continuation of our current open primary/ ranked choice voting election system.  Why?

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Campaign Mailing Address PO Box 110595
Anchorage, Alaska 99511
Campaign Phone (907)802-9087
Campaign Email walter@alaska.net
As a lifelong Alaskan, the son of two Alaska school teachers, and a former Anchorage school board president, I understand the importance of quality education, and I’m deeply troubled by the lack of action taken to adequately support our schools. Investing in education is investing in Alaska's future. Beyond funding the BSA, we must invest in comprehensive support of our public education system, including competitive compensation and retirement programs for teachers and school staff, home-schooling, student transportation, reading intervention, rural broadband, career-tech programs, and charter school administration.
To address Alaska's energy issues, one alternative is to enhance natural gas production from Cook Inlet. Despite substantial reserves, market failure has hindered development. Increasing local production will decrease energy costs for residents and reduce the environmental impact of importing gas via freighters. By leveraging the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), we can acquire equity interests in companies holding leases to untapped Cook Inlet gas reserves. This state-led initiative would mitigate investor risk, stimulate production, ensure a stable gas supply, and give us time to build robust renewable alternatives.
In light of the volatility in state revenue since 2014, my approach to a sustainable fiscal plan for Alaska focuses on prudent management and growth without increasing or imposing new statewide taxes. While I believe the repeal of the state income tax in 1980 was misguided, reinstating the income tax, or raising or adopting new taxes now would hinder economic recovery and growth, especially as businesses struggle to hire and retain workers. Instead, I advocate for protecting the Permanent Fund, ensuring a responsibly sized Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), and actively developing state-owned assets to generate revenue.
I will work to enact legislation to increase ballot and election access and participation for all Alaskans, especially rural and Indigenous populations. Key legislative measures I support include: 1. Universal vote-by-mail for all elections to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to vote, regardless of their location. 2. Elimination of the witness requirement for mail-in and absentee ballots, making it easier for individuals to cast their votes without unnecessary barriers. 3. “Ballot curing” measures that notify voters if their ballots are defective and provide a reasonable opportunity to correct any issues.
I support open primaries and ranked-choice voting because these systems, supported by a majority of Alaskans in 2020, ensure that our representatives reflect the broad, inclusive views of our population rather than catering to extreme or fringe ideas. Ranked-choice voting encourages candidates to appeal to a wider audience, resulting in leaders who truly represent the majority. Reverting to the old system would undermine this progress and hinder our ability to elect leaders who align with the diverse perspectives of Alaskans.