State Government

Fourteen of Alaska’s 60 legislators are women – ten in the state House and four in the Senate.

From the first territorial legislature in 1913 to the 27th state legislature, only 13 percent of lawmakers have been women, or 87, compared to 685 men over the years.

Those women were honored Friday at a special event for National Women’s History Month. Sen. Bettye Davis organized the historical celebration, and brought together current and former female legislators from across the state.

Some of the notables included Katie Hurley, 92, who served one term in the House in the 1980s, but has been part of Alaska governing since territorial days, first as Territorial Gov. Ernest Gruening’s executive secretary. Hurley was chief clerk of the Alaska Constitutional Convention, and was the first Alaska woman to win nomination by her party to run for lieutenant governor (the Democratic ticket lost that year to Republican Gov. Jay Hammond).

Arliss Sturgulewski served in the state senate from 1978 to 1992. She was the first woman in Alaska to receive her party’s nomination for governor, running in both 1986 and 1990, though she lost.

Fran Ulmer also ran for governor and lost, but she was the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor. She represented Juneau in the state House for three terms. Ulmer told the crowd that women do have a special skill for governing:

“We have learned through the culture and the society we live in that to get along it is often very important to be a good listeners first,” Ulmer said. “And to be able to listen in a way that allows you to bring people together.”

Gail Phillips was the second female speaker of the Alaska House (Ramona Barnes was the first). When Phillips was a freshman legislator, Ulmer periodically held gatherings for women legislators at her home. Phillips recalled this conversation years ago as the women were assembling in the back of House chambers for such an event:

“We were talking about the few number of women in the legislature and I made the comment ‘I won’t be satisfied until the legislature is 50 percent women.’ There was a gasp from the front of the room. The majority leader at that time was Max Gruenberg, and he stood up and he turned around and he said, ‘Gail, the men would never have a chance if that happened.’ We’re working on that,” Phillips said.

Nell Scott of Seldovia was the first woman elected to the Alaska territorial legislature in 1937. Since then, women have served in most, but not all, Alaska legislatures.

Rebecca Braun of the Alaska Budget Report frames the debate around proposed oil tax changes and explains why she thinks both chambers of the Legislature may not agree on a bill before the session ends.

The state’s Marine Transportation Advisory Board has added its voice to a legislative citation commending the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The citation came from the office of Representative Bill Thomas, a Haines Republican, and was approved by the House.

It was presented to ferry chief Mike Neussl during this week’s Southeast Conference meeting in Juneau.

Thomas aide Cecile Elliott read from the document.

“Every year, alert crews assisted those in trouble on land and sea. In 2011 there were at least three notable rescues that, without the assistance of the AMHS crew, could have meant the loss of life,” Elliott said.

In one case, the Malaspina rescued a hiker who had fallen off a cliff near Skagway. In another, the Fairweather helped a boat that lost power close to a reef near Hoonah. In the third, the Fairweather took a severely ill woman from a protected cove to Juneau.

The citation also praised ferry staff for helping sick or injured passengers.

Marine Transportation Advisory Board Chairman Robert Venables added his voice to the praise.

“We’re very, very pleased with the level of support that the Alaska Marine Highway System lends to not just the transportation side of things, but public safety. And we see that their efforts in the region have made a big impact,” Venables said.

Neussl accepted the citation of behalf of the ferry system and its employees.

The citation reads:

The members of the Twenty-Seventh Alaska State Legislature join with the traveling public and the citizens of Alaska in honoring the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) employees. Every day these public servants are asked to deal with a unique set of circumstances, in a dynamic environment, and with ever changing variables. Whether aiding an ill passenger or responding to a mayday call, they are plying Alaska’s waters and are always ready to serve.

As part of their job qualifications, members of the AMHS team are expected to respond and assist with customer needs, respond calmly to any emergency while maintaining the confidence of the traveling public, perform strenuous work for extended periods on steel decks, and successfully perform all their duties despite high winds, heavy seas, and severe weather.

Crew members are trained as Emergency Trauma Technicians (ETT) and at the USCG designated Medical Person in Charge (MPIC) level providing valuable skills for the safety of the traveling public and fellow crew members by treating and stabilizing anything from heart attacks, broken bones, sprains, cuts, and burns to diabetic shock. In the event that a crew member or passenger is in need of a doctor and there is not one on board, crew has the training required to respond with the help of a doctor by phone. The Alaska Marine Highway System makes every effort to procure and maintain state of the art medical equipment and supplies in order to respond to any medical emergency they may encounter while at sea.

Alaska Marine Highway employees also deserve great accolades for their assistance in responding to emergencies of all kinds. Every year, alert crews assisted those in trouble on land and sea. In 2011 there were at least three notable rescues that, without the assistance of the AMHS crew, could have meant the loss of life. The following rescue efforts by AMHS vessels and crews were performed:

— The M/V Malaspina performed the beach rescue of a hiker who had fallen from a cliff near Skagway. Had the alert bow lookout not heard the calls for help the hiker may not have survived his cold water immersion and rocky shore trauma.
— The M/V Fairweather responded to a distress call from the F/V Whisker III that had lost power near Hanus Reef. The AMHS crew launched the fast rescue boat to safely attach the towline from another Good Samaritan boat so the Whisker III could be towed safely to Auke Bay.
— The M/V Fairweather responded to a call in Barlow Cove where a small boat was seeking shelter from high winds and stormy weather. A young woman aboard the vessel was having a severe asthma attack and was approaching hypothermia. The M/V Fairweather, underway in the area on an engine maintenance test, retrieved the ailing woman and transported her to Auke Bay where an emergency medical team was waiting.

It is with great appreciation and gratitude that the 27th Alaska State Legislature honors the Alaska Marine Highway System crew for their tireless efforts to serve Alaskans and travelers alike. They are an excellent example of the Alaskan spirit! Keep up the good work!

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Legislature approved a citation honoring the late Guy “Buddy” Tabor, who died last month in his Juneau home at 63 years old.

The citation notes that Tabor was born and raised in Roanoke, Va., and made his way to Alaska in 1967. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service and the Alaska Railroad and on the trans-Alaska pipeline.

He spent a year in Mountain Village on the Yukon River in western Alaska, and eventually settled in Juneau.

All along the way, he played music, with enough original work to fill nine albums.

The citation says Tabor’s lyrics were gritty and full of real-world experiences and that his folksy, balladeer-style often featured just him and his guitar.

In the first part of our regular conversation this week, Rebecca Braun of the Alaska Budget Report provides some perspective on the state operating budget that will be considered by the full Alaska House of Representatives.

The Alaska Supreme Court has ordered the state Redistricting Board to redraw its proposed map of legislative boundaries.

A day after hearing oral arguments in the case, the Supreme Court issued its order late this afternoon (Wednesday).

The Justices point to an earlier case, Hickel v. Southeast Conference, in which the Court ruled that while the federal Voting Rights Act takes precedence over the Alaska Constitution, it should not be given so much weight that the constitution is “unnecessarily compromised.”

The order directs the board to make sure the plan first meets the requirements of the constitution, and only deviates when absolutely necessary to conform to the Voting Rights Act.

The Supreme Court also commends the Redistricting Board and Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Michael McConahy for their hard work on the issue. McConahy ordered the board to redraw four proposed House districts, after the plan was challenged by a pair of Fairbanks residents. Three of the districts he ordered redrawn include parts of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The other is in western Alaska, and includes Bethel as well as the western Aleutian Islands.

To read the Supreme Court’s order, click here.