JUNEAU -- With an optimism that belied the state's yawning budget deficit, the 29th Alaska Legislature gaveled into session Tuesday afternoon.
First on the agenda in both the House and Senate was the oath of office. Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott presided over the swearing-in of all 40 members of the House and 18 of the 20 members of the Senate for what he said was going to be significant and "likely to be history-making" sessions over the next two years. Two senators were ill and will complete the formalities later.
Legislators took care of some official business Tuesday, like setting up committees, but also began one of their favorite activities: introducing guests. One of the highlights for citizens visiting their remote Capitol is being introduced by their local legislators, but on the session's first day the guests in the visitor galleries tended toward friends and family of the legislators.
Those in the galleries heard lots of praise for supportive spouses, beloved children and friends who encouraged them, along with how many years they'd been married or how long they'd been friends.
Eventually newly elected Rep. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, introduced her mother, Kay Silverton.
"She's been my mom all my life," Tilton said.
In the House, first-day jitters were compounded by malfunctioning microphones, forcing most representatives and guests, including those providing the invocation and performing the state song, "Alaska's Flag," to use a central floor microphone.
In the House, Rep. Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, nestled into the speaker's chair, a perch he knows better than anyone. It's his record fourth time as speaker.
He urged his members to think about the dignity of their job.
"Remember we are in the eye of the public with every session and every committee hearing we conduct," he said.
In the Senate, last year's president, Charlie Huggins, R-Wasilla, gave way to new President Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage.
"It's pretty comfortable up here, Kevin," Huggins said, before stepping down.
Meyer has been in the House, and then Senate leadership for years, but this is his first stint as a presiding officer.
"It's a different perspective up here," Meyer noted from his new view in the president's chair.
Huggins said he was confident the new president would do well.
"'We're in good hands,' as the Allstate people would say," he said.
But behind the scenes, some potential points of conflict were already developing.
The House and Senate finalized their committee assignments, with the Senate majority using its power to deny the Democrat minority seats on the Legislative Council and the Legislative Budget and Audit committees, two influential joint committees that operate between legislative sessions.
Among the actions of those committees last session was an expensive remodel and expansion of the Legislature's Anchorage office building.
Senate Minority leader Berta Gardner, D-Anchorage, said she was disappointed that the majority didn't appoint Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, to the Legislative Council.
That committee handles the day-to-day business of the Legislature, including issues related to the Capitol itself, which is vital to Juneau.
"We just felt that it is very important for a host of reasons to have Sen. Egan, specifically, on Leg Council," Gardner said. "It's no aspersion on anybody else who has been appointed, it has to do with the capital city being very well-represented," she said.
She said the Senate minority didn't complain last session about not having a seat on the Legislative Council because Egan was then caucusing with the Republicans and was one of its appointees to the council.
Senate Majority spokesperson Carolyn Kuckertz declined to say why Egan hadn't been appointed, but said that because Sen. Lyman Hoffman, a Democrat who caucuses with the Republican-led majority was on the council, the statutory requirement has been met.
The House appointed Rep. Sam Kito, D-Juneau, as one of its representatives to the council.
The Capitol is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar remodel and seismic upgrade. Work on that multi-year project has been suspended for the winter and the ongoing legislative session, but some scaffolding remains up.
Building manager Jeff Goodell said plans to remove the scaffolding from the building's interior courtyard were changed as a cost-savings measure. That saved the time and cost of taking the scaffolding down last fall, and allows work to get underway more quickly later this year.
"We opted to try to save a dollar any way we can," Goodell said.
The more visible scaffolding on the Main Street side of the Capitol was taken down, but the less-visible structure was left in place.
"It's not gorgeous, but it's the back of the building," he said.
This week the Senate is also expected to hire two former Parnell-era commissioners, Bill Streur and Angela Rodell, on contracts to help them with budget issues.
That may indicate an intent to challenge Gov. Bill Walker on issues such as Medicaid expansion, which Streur dealt with as head of the Department of Health and Social Services, or spending and oil tax issues that Rodell dealt with as head of the Department of Revenue.
But Senate Finance co-chair Anna MacKinnon, R-Eagle River, said the intent was not to be confrontational. She said she and Sen. Pete Kelly, R-Fairbanks, her co-chair, let Gov. Walker know that bringing in two top members of the former administration was not intended as a challenge.
"We absolutely wanted the governor to know our sole purpose is to better understand the issues we'll face over the next session," she said.
The Senate has not yet revealed how much Streur and Rodell will be paid as consultants.