As the new governor's leadership team starts to take shape, it is obvious that the partnership between Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott is different.
Who knows what agreements were made when Mallott, a longtime Alaska Native leader, agreed to join forces with Walker, relinquishing his own bid as the democratic candidate for the state's top post. But if these early days are any indication, Native Alaskans and rural Alaskans will have more voice in this state administration than any since, perhaps, the late Gov. Jay Hammond.
Among the first to be named to top posts was Valerie Davidson of Bethel, who was named Commissioner of Health and Social Services. Davidson most recently worked with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium as senior director in legal and government work, and Walker noted her appointment was key to expanding Medicaid coverage, a subject he called her an authority on. Having a Native leader in this position is key in a state that has huge health and social service issues in its rural communities.
Others with ties to rural Alaska include Fred Paraday, former CEO of the North Slope Borough School District, who is now the acting commissioner of the Department of Commerce, and Randy Hoffbeck, former chief financial officer for the North Slope Borough, who is being appointed to lead the Department of Revenue when he returns from Africa.
And Walker named Sam Cotten as acting commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, to resounding applause from many in the rural Alaska coastal communities he represented while serving two terms on the North Pacific Fisheries Council. Cotten was most recently a fisheries analyst for the Aleutians East Borough, but also knows his way around Juneau, having served in the stare House of Representatives for 16 years.
A look at the governor's transition committee list also shows a diverse selection of rural Alaskans and leaders, demonstrating the new leadership's awareness that the borders of Alaska stretch far beyond Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.
That's not surprising considering Mallott's background. A Tlingit leader, Mallott was sworn into office in full ceremonial dress, something I'm sure his parents and grandparents could never have imagined. But having a certain ancestry doesn't necessarily guarantee your primary focus will be on the often-underserved needs of those in Alaska's rural communities. And it takes a lot of determination to bring the issues facing those regions to Juneau, where the majority of lawmakers are from urban centers far removed from honey buckets, village public safety officers and heating bills that eat up most of your paycheck.
So far, however, Walker and Mallott have stayed true to their campaign, and by putting people with real experience and ties to rural Alaska in key positions, they have paved the way for open lines of communication across the state. That's a big switch from the past administration, which alienated so many rural Alaskans with lawsuits and closed-door sessions.
The question is, how ready is rural Alaska to help this team solve its problems? Alaska's rural regions are so diverse, but they face so many of the same crippling problems. There is a desperate need to find true solutions, solutions that would serve not only the rural communities, but the whole state.
At the same time, given the right tools, Alaska is poised to launch itself into a new era. As the Arctic opens up, new economic opportunity is coming that, if properly cultivated, could help provide infrastructure and an economy that many Alaskans already take for granted.
But it's folly to think that Walker, Mallott and their dream team are going to pull off this feat on their own. It's going to take the effort of the entire state to make these things happen, especially once the honeymoon period with the new administration wears off and the politics begin in earnest.
Rural Alaska must be ready to remind these administrators of their priorities. But most importantly, rural leaders must be ready to do more than bring attention to the problems in their community. This is about seizing the opportunity to make real changes that will last long beyond this administration for generations of Alaskans to come.
Carey Restino is the editor of the Arctic Sounder and Bristol Bay Times/Dutch Harbor Fisherman where this commentary first appeared.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.