Since Gov. Mike Dunleavy favors optics over governance, here is a proposal that should get his attention: Evict the governor from the third floor of the state capitol building.
That’s right. The Legislature makes decisions about space allocations in the capitol. The presence of the governor on the third floor is based on tradition that proximity serves the interests of comity and good governance. Well, the Dunleavy administration has quashed that tradition. He has administered his office primarily from Anchorage this session. When he is in Juneau, he enters and exits through the back door, lest he face a legislative critic or a member of the public.
Gone are the public receptions in the governor’s mansion that were highlights of every administration save his. He has organized his communication team to operate like a one-way political campaign, complete with a boiler room filled with trolls and talk radio personalities. The governor has continuously assailed the separation of powers and asserted control over the budgets of both the judiciary and the Legislature.
In his latest cynical move that throws red meat to his radical base, Gov. Dunleavy has cut the per diem budget for the Legislature. It is time to remove the governor from the capitol. The Legislature has a need for more room to improve the work of the people’s House and the Senate. The governor is a poor and disruptive tenant. Give him the boot.
Elstun Lauesen
Anchorage
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