Alaska Legislature

Democrats seek candidates to replace Westlake

The resignation of Rep. Dean Westlake, D-Kiana, after several allegations of sexual misconduct has left an open position that now must be filled by someone from the district, which includes the North Slope, the Northwest Arctic and portions of the Interior.

"The seat was vacated by a member of the Democratic Party and as a result, the party has a process for filling this vacancy," said Abel Hopson-Suvlu, the Young Democrat representative for the party.

By the third week after the seat is vacated, the governor has to have three names from the region for consideration.

Because of when Westlake stepped down, the deadline for nominations for his successor falls in the first week of January.

"It is ultimately up to Gov. Bill Walker to choose the successor, and we are in a time crunch, as the new legislative session is soon underway," said Hopson-Suvlu.

The Legislature gavels in for its next regular session Jan. 16.

Jane Winzer, who chairs the Democratic Party in House District 40, is currently putting together a committee that will review the applications, with the help of Hopson-Suvlu.

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"We want this to be an open and transparent process, and to make sure our district has a seated representative before the legislative session starts," said Hopson-Suvlu.

[Report: Rep. Westlake fathered a child with a teenager in 1988]

According to the party's website, the nominating committee will select a few vetted applicants for follow-up interviews. Then the committee will forward the three final names to the governor no later than Jan. 15.

Applications must be received by the Alaska Democrats by 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4. They must include the general form, a resume and responses to a series of policy questions, all of which can be found on the party's website.

This story was republished with permission from The Arctic Sounder.

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