POT PROPOSITION GARNERS LITTLE CANDIDATE SUPPORT

If the proposal to legalize marijuana passes on the Nov. 2 ballot, it
will happen without much help from Fairbanks-area candidates for state
office.

All 10 state House of Representatives and Senate hopefuls that
gathered for an Associated Students of the University of Alaska
Fairbanks-sponsored forum Thursday afternoon said they'd be voting
against the proposition, citing reasons like workplace safety concerns
and the potential rise in drug use among minors.

"It will create anarchy in our society," House District 10 Republican
candidate Jay Ramras said.

There were other areas of wide agreement as well: The candidates
raised objections to some or all of the federal USA Patriot Act, which
has frequently been denounced as degrading civil liberties.

Most said the state should not be allowed to focus the university's
research goals. And everyone told the crowd of a few dozen people at
the UAF Wood Center that they support "full" or "adequate" funding of
the university.

"No one here is going to tell you they don't support full funding of
the university," said Ward Merdes, independent candidate for House
District 7.

Here are some highlights of the debate, sorted by race:

Senate District E

Rita Allee, the Democratic challenger for Senate District E argued
that the state can't develop its way out of its long-term fiscal gap
and needs to find a "long-term fiscal strategy" to balance the budget
over the long run.

She said the permanent fund shouldn't be touched and pushed for a
re-examination of the taxes charged to oil companies as a way to
increase state income.

"Anyone who says development will take care of everything is telling
you a big lie," she said.

Incumbent Sen. Gary Wilken, R-Fairbanks, pushed a proposal to balance
the state budget in the long term by matching money from the state's
budget reserve with money from Alaska Permanent Fund earnings.

But he argued that a lean budget was even more important, citing this
year's model as an example of increased services with only a small
increase in total cost.

"That's not a good budget, that's a great budget," he
said.

House District 7

Republican Mike Kelly called himself a "resource development person"
and said that would be his focus in the Legislature. He argued against
both taxes and any use of the permanent fund for government and
questioned how feasible a long-term fiscal plan could be given the
difficulty of binding future Legislatures.

Kelly also stressed his service on the University of Alaska Board of
Regents, noting he was a member when UA president Mark Hamilton was
hired, and when the board had the president's house built in Fairbanks.

"We built it here, he stayed here and that helps us tremendously,"
Kelly said.

Democrat Kathy Dietrich told the crowd she was running because she
objected to some of the practices mainly used by the majority in
Juneau, such as closed caucuses and agreements to all vote the same on
procedural matters.

"I'm against the roadblocks of party politics," she
said.

Dietrich said the permanent fund shouldn't be touched and that the
state should look to re-examining oil taxes as a way to fund services.
She also said she thought the recent university tuition increases have
been too high.

Merdes pitched himself as a true alternative to partisanship, telling
the crowd that his conservative stances on fiscal issues and moderate
ones on social matters left him out of either party's platform. He
also talked about raising oil taxes and he said the state needs to
have an objective review of every department.

"(That way) you know which departments to fix, you know which
departments are doing a great job," he said.

Alaskan Independence Party candidate Sean Ryan didn't
attend.

House District 8

Incumbent Rep. David Guttenberg, D-Fairbanks, also supports a
re-evaluation of oil taxes, noting that he co-sponsored a bill to that
end this year.

Guttenberg emphasized in his answers the importance of job training
for Alaskans. He also brought up the caucus issue, noting that House
Democrats hold open ones and don't have any agreements about votes.

"We don't agree to do anything lock step," he said.

Republican challenger Joe Miller agreed that oil taxes need "another
look," but called development of the state's resources crucial to
balancing the budget.

Miller also said the university needs to look into being the catalyst
for an "incubator" project that would encourage business startups. And
he stressed the advantages of electing a member of the majority, which
include committee chairmanships and more likely support for
legislation.

House District 9

Incumbent Rep. Jim Holm, R-Fairbanks, spoke in favor of pursuing a
major grant of state land to the university to help it produce income
and also of more partnering with private industry.

When asked about the fiscal gap, Holm talked about the state taking
advantage of the cheaper energy and opportunities for related
development that would come with a natural gas line.

"We have a gas line that's imminent," he said.

Democratic challenger Scott Kawasaki, a Fairbanks City Councilman,
spoke about providing tuition reimbursements for UA graduates who take
jobs in fields where Alaska has shortages, such as teaching and nursing.

"We don't have enough trained, skilled professionals to run the K-12
here," he said.

Kawasaki said the state should keep the permanent fund intact and
instead evaluate oil taxes.

House District 10

Ramras suggested the impact of university tuition increases could be
mitigated if each individual student was charged a flat rate of
tuition for the first five years at university.

Ramras said he wanted the government to "till the soil" to make Alaska
a fertile ground for private business. Asked about the fiscal gap, he
said that resource development and the permanent fund represent "the
blueprint for the next 20 years."

Democratic candidate Carole Ann Newcomer didn't attend the forum.