Fansler vs. Herron — Final Thoughts
Early voting has opened for the Democratic Primary and I’ve already cast my vote for Zach Fansler. If you had a chance to listen to the debate this past week, I imagine you know why. Zach put forth a positive vision for our region and proposed solutions for our State budget that do not put the burden on us out here in rural Alaska.
To start this letter, I want to say that I have nothing but respect for Bob Herron as a person. I have known his family for most of my life and believe them to be good people. I also believe that holding politicians accountable for official actions is important for a democracy to function. I believe that this letter focuses solely on Rep. Herron’s performance as a legislator and hope it is not taken any other way.
I will now address some of the comments made by the incumbent in the debate and in his op-ed a few weeks back. First, Republican Majority Whip Herron repeatedly said he supports measures but never got the chance to vote on them. This claim has left me scratching my head. The majority has the power to decide what gets voted on. As one of the leaders, it seems that either he is not pushing for votes on the matters our region cares about or he does not have as much power within the majority as I would have thought (and that concerns me when “power” is his biggest argument for joining the Republicans).
Recently, Rep. Herron tweeted proudly about his “B” rating from the Alaska Business Report Card. At first, I was intrigued. It sounded like a good thing. But then I dug a little deeper and saw that this “report card” is essentially the oil companies trying to give a boost to politicians who vote on bills that help the oil industry (most Democrats are proud to get an “F”). Presumably a big part of the good grade is because Rep. Herron voted with the oil companies on tax credit reform (though he later switched his vote). The Midnight Sun, a political blog, noted the “coincidence” that the report card was released on the first day of primary voting and also the “coincidence” that Rep. Herron flip-flopped on oil tax credits after Councilman Fansler filed as a challenger (the ADN article also pointed this out). I will let you draw your own conclusions.
While all these things worry me, the most concerning is that all members of the Republican Caucus are required to vote the Republican Party line on the budget (or they get kicked out. Seriously, it happened to a legislator this past year; she voted against the Republicans on the budget and was stripped of all her committee assignments). In the current climate, the votes that matter are on the budget. To be forced to vote the Republican Party line on the budget is to give up our region’s voice.
A lot of people have asked me if I think Zach can actually. The answer is yes, yes he can. Mike Williams, Mark Begich, and people across the Delta support him and he is running in a Democratic primary against a leader of the Republican Party. If a challenger can win any race in the state, it is this one. Voting is already open, so please, go vote. You have until August 16th to get over to your City or Tribal Hall. This election could determine the future of our state.
Quyana cakneq for reading.
Chuck Arrsauyaq Herman
