An Alaska resident for 31 years, I had been visiting Alaska for military and professional reasons since the 1960s. Since 2017, I have been “unretired” and work as an analyst. Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget alarmed me immediately. I wrote an economic analysis for the Senate Finance Committee within days. I concluded that, after the longest recession in Alaska history, we should not drive it back into recession, or perhaps into a depression. My initial analysis was later confirmed by professional economists.
Gov. Dunleavy has been unwilling to work with the Legislature which, with great difficulty, overcame many divisions to come up with a reasonable budget, incrementally moving us toward a better balance between income and costs. Instead, he issued a record number of vetoes, decimating years of hard work from Alaska leaders and devastating many important institutions. He shows no awareness that a governor is a steward who needs to guard the interests of all Alaskans. His pledge to fund “vital” services was not kept. We dare not wait four years to replace him.
— Sid Trevethan
Anchorage
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