How legislators keep their seats without doing their jobs

JUNEAU — A reader recently asked me a question that has puzzled me too. How do we express our will through this democracy?

Alaskans overwhelmingly give the Legislature failing grades. We want a solution to the fiscal crisis. But another special session is collapsing. Gov. Bill Walker called legislators back to work Monday, they met in private caucuses, and many were on planes home Tuesday.

We want legislators to study the problem and pass a solution, then defend their actions at election time. But neither house even voted on a solution. A couple of pieces got through one house or the other, but no major part of a fiscal plan was approved, on the revenue or expense side.

[New ADN poll: Alaska lawmakers get D's, F's, while governor's Permanent Fund proposal faces opposition]

Last week, Ron Oman sent me an email like many I get from readers. He put it better than most, saying:

"I've wondered for some time now how I could make a difference and I'm sure there are many others wondering the same thing. I always vote with as much common sense as I can muster, not just party line sheep voting. But voting for change, conservative values, open government, etc., doesn't seem to do the trick anymore and maybe never has.

"I'm an average guy with a basic understanding of how government works or at least should work. With that being said I have to admit I have no idea what citizens like me could do to convince government officials and legislators to act more responsibly.

"So, would Alaska Dispatch publish articles guiding those that want to make a difference?"

I talked to Oman and accepted the challenge.

He came to Alaska in 1972, fresh from serving in Vietnam. He's technically talented and worked a 32-year career as an instrument control technician at the Beluga Power Plant, off the road system on the west side of Cook Inlet. He's also a pilot and along the way invented an aircraft engine preheater.

Today Oman is retired and living in the Birchwood area, where he keeps his machine shop as a hobby. The first time I called he couldn't talk because he was painting the inside of a gear box with epoxy.

Oman respects directness and decisive action. His first priority is to cut the cost of government, but he recognizes that the state cannot survive without significant new revenue. Without taking the time to research all the details — which few people can do — he would accept Walker's plan, because it seems fair and it works. He would like the Legislature to follow that lead.

He applauded Walker's veto of half the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend and other spending.

"That guy's got some balls," Oman said. "Maybe he doesn't do everything right, but he steps up to the plate."

[Walker's courage shines a bright light on legislators' cowardice]

Oman said he has sent emails and called legislators, but it didn't seem to have any impact. He wasn't sure who his own representatives were and didn't know how to find out how they voted on Walker's plan.

That information isn't as easy to find as it should be. Oman is represented by Sen. Bill Stoltze and Rep. Cathy Tilton, both Republicans, as he is.

The Legislature's Basis website contains voting records, but unless you have been paying careful attention you don't know which bills to look up and which votes were the ones that really mattered. Also, since the Legislature does its real work in private caucus meetings, floor votes often don't happen on big issues. Legislators use the caucus process to hide from voters.

Stoltze voted against the Permanent Fund restructuring, Senate Bill 128, the only major bill to pass either house of the Legislature to address revenue. Tilton never voted on SB 128 because the House Finance Committee kept it from getting to the floor. Earlier, she voted against an oil tax credit reduction that a bipartisan group passed in the House.

I went to see Stoltze and Tilton at the Legislature's temporary offices in Juneau on the first morning of the special session and left notes on their doors. I also sent emails, voicemails and left messages with staff, giving more than 48 hours to arrange an interview.

Stoltze is retiring from the Legislature and never responded. Tilton called Oman directly instead of talking to me. In an email to me she said, "I will not support new taxes, tax increases or capping the dividend until we reduce state spending to sustainable levels."

That's at least a clear position, but isn't what her majority did. After years in power, the Republicans in charge haven't come close to cutting spending to a sustainable level. They can't. Spending is now down to what it was a decade ago, according to the Legislative Finance Division, but the budget is still 70 percent in deficit.

[Oil price drop erases budget cuts, but legislators still call for cutting]

Oman wasn't impressed with Tilton's phone call.

"What I received as an answer was a political answer, it wasn't a real answer," he said. "It's unfortunate that she wouldn't allow you an interview, because you would probably ask some really good questions, and that's what she was afraid of."

I tried to contact all the candidates for Stoltze's Senate seat and all responded except the Democrat, who doesn't seem to have a campaign. The Republicans all had versions of "cut first," with varying levels of detail.

Tilton's Democratic opponent for the House, Gretchen Wehmhoff, provided a detailed response essentially supporting Walker's position. But the district is deep red. Tilton beat Wehmhoff by a 44-pecentage-point margin two years ago.

The districts were designed to be noncompetitive. In fact, many of this year's toughest elections are in the primary, with Republican leaders trying to defeat their own members who worked for bipartisan compromise.

The Legislature didn't do its most important job because too many members were afraid to take a position. As a Republican House member told me in an ice cream shop Tuesday, they're waiting for the voters to be ready.

The bottom line is that Ron Oman's suspicion was right. The system is rigged to keep voters in the dark and blunt their will.

Charles Wohlforth's column appears three times weekly.

The views expressed here are the writer's 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. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com or click here to submit via any web browser.