Candidates for Senate districts P and R fielded questions at a forum hosted by the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Tuesday afternoon.
Senate District P candidates Leslie Hajdukovich and Scott Kawasaki and Senate District R candidates Mike Cronk, Savannah Fletcher and Robert “Bert” Williams discussed education, energy, retirement systems, Ballot Measure 1 and outmigration.
Education
Candidates were asked what reforms they would advocate for to improve student education outcomes in Alaska.
Fletcher said that state funding for education has not kept up with inflation. She suggested allocating funding for literacy aides to support the Alaska Reads Act so students can have smaller class sizes.
Williams said that children have been overexposed to electronics and social media leading to shortened attention spans.
“Perhaps the only solution lies with what Savannah said, and that is smaller settings where children can get more attention from educators to keep them on track,” he said.
Cronk claimed that the National Education Association (NEA) did not want legislators to pass the Alaska Read’s Act “because it was outcome-based.” He said his Senate district encompasses nine school district, and every district has different funding needs.
Hajdukovich said that she was focused on student achievement and learning when she served on the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Board of Education. “I believe education is the core of our communities,” she said.
Kawasaki said that the state has failed to keep up with education funding since 2014. “Since 2014, we’ve seen a constant erosion of education funding to our schools,” he said.
Energy
Candidates proposed ideas for ensuring Fairbanks has affordable and reliable energy.
“I believe we need an all hands on approach,” Cronk said, adding that the Alaska Legislature passed “really good legislation” in House Bill 307, which centralizes the Railbelt Power grid under the Alaska Energy Authority. He also advocated for completing a natural gas pipeline and building coal plants.
“In a perfect world, we would actually attempt to utilize the natural gas on the North Slope,” Williams said. He suggested developing “next generation nuclear power plants” to provide cost-effective energy.
Fletcher said that affordable energy is one of her top priorities “because that is how business can grow and move forward, and I think it’s one of the biggest costs holding us back.”
She advocated for funding natural gas transition programs and for the federal government to support maintaining the Dalton Highway.
“I’ve heard from many businesses that that road is falling apart, and if we’re going to be trucking our natural gas down, along with many other critical resources back and forth, we’ve got to make sure we focus on that so businesses do not get held up,” she said.
Kawasaki said that Fairbanks is paying some of the highest energy costs in the nation. “The person down in Juneau is going to have to push hard and advocate for Fairbanks,” he said.
Hajdukovich said that Alaska is at an “energy crossroads,” and she wants to work to solve energy needs.
Retirement plan
When asked if they would support a defined benefits pension plan for state employees, Hajdukovich and Cronk said that they are open to discussing a return to a pension plan to address workforce shortages.
“I think what we have to be careful of is that we do not put ourselves in the position again that about ten to 15 years ago and having a very large unfunded liability,” Hajdukovich said.
Cronk said that he has concerns about the potential debt that the pension system could create. “My first job and obligation is to this state is to make sure we are fiscally responsible and we don’t get ourself into further debt,” he said.
Kawasaki said that he would support a return to the defined benefits pension plan to retain workers and make Alaska a good place to raise a family. “We absolutely need to make sure we have a pension system that is solid, that is sustainable for the long term ... “ he said.
Fletcher said that she would support a pension system and public employees deserve a pension, but she would look to shift the burden to employees taking on the risk rather than the state. “And that’s how we do this sustainably,” she said.
Williams agreed that he would be open to a discussion and would be careful not to create additional debt for the state.
Ballot Measure 1
Ballot Measure 1 would raise the minimum wage from $11.73 to $15, require paid sick leave for employees, and prohibit employers from making employees attend meetings about religious or political issues. Candidates said that most businesses already pay a starting wage of $15 an hour, but differed on where they stand on Ballot Measure 1 and how it impacts Alaska’s economy.
Fletcher said that she supports Ballot Measure 1. “This is really raising the bar so that there are companies not taking advantage of workers and undercutting businesses that are doing it right...,” she said.
Kawasaki said he supports Ballot Measure 1. He said it would strengthen the economy, saying “people when they have money will spend that money right here in Fairbanks.”
Hajdukovich said that the paid sick leave is the “most egregious,” saying it would burden seasonal and small businesses that drive the economy.
Cronk said that he wants to support small businesses and Ballot Measure 1 would have “unintended consequences” on businesses in Alaska.
Williams said he was ambivalent, and thinks it would negatively impact small businesses.
Outmigration
Candidates proposed how they would attract people to Alaska to meet workforce demands.
Kawasaki said that the state should ensure that it has a strong economy and strong education system, as well as affordable child care.
Hajdukovich said, “I think cheaper energy is key” to make a great community. Williams agreed with Hajdukovich, saying that the high cost of living is impacting the lower and middle classes. “So our options simply are to a make energy cheaper, like Leslie said, and that is well within our power as a state, and to alleviate the housing crisis by making more land available for development.”
Fletcher emphasized the need for affordable and available housing, in addition to supporting schools and lowering energy costs.
Cronk said “I believe that, you know, lowering our energy costs is really key to keeping people here.” He said that schools should focus on teaching skills for trades.
Listen to the full forum at kuac.org.