Anchorage Daily News

Alaskans face this choice for the U.S. Senate Tuesday:

We can re-elect Sen. Ted Stevens, a six-term incumbent and champion of Alaska who stands convicted of seven felony counts for not disclosing hundreds of thousands of dollars in secret gifts from a corrupt businessman.

Or we can elect Mark Begich, a former assemblyman and two-term Anchorage mayor who has brought together people of all walks of life and political persuasions to build a strong community with a healthy economy.

We recognize that Sen. Stevens has done much to benefit our state, but, like many Alaskans, we are troubled by the arrogance, poor judgment and lack of personal integrity revealed during his trial. Since the verdict, the condemnation of his conduct has been bipartisan. Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Gov. Sarah Palin and Senate colleagues of both parties have called upon Sen. Stevens to resign his office.

A PRAGMATIST

Mayor Begich offers Alaskans a fresh, effective start. A pragmatic Democrat, he has demonstrated a willingness to work with politicians of all political stripes, from a Republican governor and legislative leaders to his ideological opponents on the Anchorage Assembly. If elected to the Senate, he would be a member of the majority party, unlike incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski, which would give Alaskans a voice in both the majority and minority caucuses.

Mayor Begich is no left-winger. He is the son of a political family with deep roots in Alaska. His father, Nick Begich, was twice elected Alaska's lone congressman. He is a small-business owner who has spent much of his adult life working in government at the grass-roots level. He is young, energetic and full of ideas. As mayor, he has proven time and again his ability to advance those ideas to reality.

He came into office with a daunting budget shortfall of $33 million and restored the city to sound financial footing. He did it by finding efficiencies, collecting delinquent fines and fees, and charging more for services such as building permits. Anchorage residents responded by voting in favor of every city bond proposition on the municipal ballots, four times.

BUILT UP DOWNTOWN

Now in his sixth and final year as mayor, Begich has reenergized downtown with construction of a new convention center, heated sidewalks and other projects. He built up the police department, adding new officers and launching an anti-gang initiative. He got curbside recycling up and running in the city. Anchorage's woeful park maintenance efforts got a real boost when he helped create the Anchorage Park Foundation, which raises money from private sources. He got the city and Chugach Electric power companies to work together to reduce duplication and cut costs.

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

Sen. Stevens claims he is innocent, but the evidence demonstrated otherwise. He exercised stunningly bad judgment by entangling his personal financial affairs with Bill Allen, a fat-cat power broker with a long public history of illegal campaign contributions. If Sen. Stevens' appeal fails, as it likely will, he may face expulsion from the Senate as one of the few felons ever to sit in that chamber.

Begich knows that integrity and ethics are topmost in the minds of Alaska voters these days, and he has made important commitments on that score. He says any staff member or family member of a staff member who becomes a lobbyist will not be allowed to lobby him, ever. In contrast, a number of Sen. Stevens' former staffers have become top-tier lobbyists, using their personal connections to cut deals behind the scenes on Alaska issues.

Both Stevens and Begich have had questionable business dealings with Anchorage developers Jonathan Rubini and Leonard Hyde. Begich has struggled to explain why, during a time that he was out of public office, he was given a $50,000 interest in a Rubini-Hyde real estate venture. Earlier, Sen. Stevens was offered the opportunity to invest $100,000 in a different deal with the same developers that eventually earned him $1 million. The parties all say their dealings were on the up and up.

BETTER ON ECONOMY, IRAQ

As mayor of a city that has had its fiscal ups and downs, Begich will bring a real-life, practical perspective to the Senate as it works to restore the U.S. economy. He has a vision of what needs to be done, from restoring consumer confidence, to getting the budget under control, to re-investing in public infrastructure.

Regarding national security, Begich says the U.S. needs to leave Iraq as soon as possible, but he does not specify how fast our troops should be withdrawn. He says the U.S. needs to send additional forces to Afghanistan. Sen. Stevens has consistently supported the Bush administration's prosecution of the war in Iraq.

Despite Sen. Stevens' legal problems, Alaskans are rightfully grateful to him. Alaska is far better off because of his work to secure money for roads, docks, clinics, sewer systems and many thousands of other projects across the state. Again, we thank him for 40 years of service to Alaska and the nation, but we cannot support his reelection, as we have in the past. What message would Alaskans convey to the rest of the country if we sent a convicted felon to represent us in Washington?

LOOKING FORWARD

Mayor Begich will have a lot to learn in the Senate. It will take him time to master the legislative process the way Stevens has. He will lack the longevity that is the lifeblood of Senate power. But whether through expulsion by his colleagues or simply the march of time, Sen. Stevens' days of service are drawing to a close.

Now is the right time, and these are the right reasons, for Alaskans to pass the torch to the next generation of leadership. We urge you to let Mark Begich work for Alaska in the U.S. Senate.

BOTTOM LINE: Sen. Stevens' conduct has besmirched Alaska and crippled his effectiveness. Mayor Mark Begich is the best choice to represent Alaska.

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