Alaska's new transportation commissioner, off to a rocky start with legislators and their ferry advisory board, went a long way toward rebuilding that relationship Tuesday.
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Pat Kemp had kept the Marine Transportation Advisory Board (MTAB) out of the process of changing ferry construction plans and the appointment of a deputy commissioner overseeing the Alaska Marine Highway System.
Kemp told legislators that despite his long history with the department, he wasn't there when the Legislature created the board to give the public a formal, if only advisory, role in ferry plans.
"I understand the sensitivities a little bit better," he said.
After being named commissioner by Gov. Sean Parnell, Kemp replaced Mike Neussl, his deputy commissioner for marine operations, and excluded the advisory board from the decision to abandon the Alaska-class ferry project's direction and replace it with smaller shuttle ferries.
That irritated both legislators and the board, but Kemp said he's been hard at work learning about both the board and ferries themselves. He met with the board last week.
Legislators on Tuesday praised Kemp, who has a long history with state highways and Southeast leaders. He was able to call upon the respect he's earned over the years to rebuild the relationship.
During a hearing before the House and Senate Transportation Committees Tuesday, key legislators said Kemp had earned their trust. Senate Transportation Committee Chair Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, said he was working for the then-Department of Highways when Kemp was first hired in 1971.
"Pat's always been straightforward with everyone," Egan said.
House Transportation Committee Chair Peggy Wilson, R-Wrangell, said she's worked with Kemp for a number of years on road projects. She called him "so polite and gentle, even when he has to tell you no."
And Rep. Jonathan Kriess-Tompkins, D-Sitka, who represents one of the state's most ferry-dependent communities, praised Kemp for rebuilding the relationship with the advisory board that the Legislature created. Kemp's "respectful and considerate apology was well-received," he said.
While Kemp said he was on firm legal ground to appoint a deputy commissioner without the board's involvement, he said he saw a strong role for the board in the future.
The Transportation Committees forwarded Kemp's name to the full House and Senate for confirmation later in the session.
Kemp also gave the legislators a few hints about the state's new smaller shuttle ferries, but he said he still wasn't ready to say what type of hull they'd have or whether they'd be open to the weather.
The new ferries are expected to cost $49.5 million apiece, or about $100 million altogether.
That compares to the $120 million a single Alaska-class ferry had been expected to cost before it went over budget. Kemp said Parnell had originally wanted to simply reduce the cost, but it took a major redesign to accomplish that.
The new ferry design is expected to be released in a couple of weeks, but Kemp acknowledged that it is already two weeks past the mid-January date that was first expected.
Contact Pat Forgey at pat(at)alaskadispatch.com