The late 2000s were an extraordinary time that stressed both household and community resources in rural Alaska and threatened basic economic survival. It was often said that households needed to choose between heating and eating. Gov. Sarah Palin was seriously concerned and decided to establish among her commissioners a Rural Subcabinet to try to get a handle on the nature of the problem and possible solutions. The attorney general, the commissioners of Commerce, Environmental Conservation, Health and Social Services, Labor, Military and Veterans Affairs, Education, and Public Safety were called to serve. I have never seen in 30 years of working on Alaska issues such a broad-based effort made by the state on behalf of rural Alaska.
The formation of the subcabinet was followed quickly by the creation of an advisory group. I was named the chair of the Rural Subcabinet Advisory Group. The advisory group was made up of Native and industry leaders with no direct connections with the state government. We discussed issues of energy, economics, education, public safety, public health and possible solutions to the universe of immediate and long-term problems faced by small communities and households throughout rural Alaska.
It was during this 18-month period that I met and began to know Dan Sullivan. Dan listened earnestly and intently to the testimony offered by citizens during the many public meetings carried out in the regional centers of Bethel, Galena, Yakutat, Kotzebue, Ruby, Tanana, Dillingham, Naknek, Barrow and others. I was impressed by his energy, sincerity and, more importantly, his creativity at fashioning solutions. He wasn't just being polite; he was trying to dig in and offer fresh ideas to solve long-standing problems that plague rural Alaska communities and individuals who live and work there.
Dan's energy and his efforts paid results. He and the subcabinet got the administration to offer solutions to the Alaska Legislature that carried bipartisan support for:
• A fuel loan program that enabled cash strapped communities to buy needed fuel for the winters for public buildings and public utilities
• An examination of the fuel providers and an investigation into price gouging
• An increased emphasis on public safety through expansion of the Village Public Safety Officer program and an increase in the pay and benefits for these heroic individuals
• Recognition of the need for better job training opportunities and increased emphasis on the creation of private sector employment opportunities
Rural Alaska benefited from Dan Sullivan's engaged leadership and hard work in difficult times. I saw first-hand that Dan Sullivan is dedicated to all of Alaska and that he listens to Alaskans' concerns and gets real results.
Mike Black is a former deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. He now works in rural health.
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