Columns 2015

Kudos to Governor Walker

Normally I use this last column of the year to recount those people, places and things that will live forever in my own personal Hall of Infamy. Talk about an embarrassment of riches, this year politicians alone would fill that hall. So I thought I’d hand out kudos instead, the biggest and only one of which goes to Governor Bill Walker.

I’m probably not the only person who was skeptical about how long he’d keep his independent status when elected to office.  I figured by now he’d have returned to the Republican Party and been received, if not with wide-eyed enthusiasm, at least with relief that he wasn’t going to play the independent game any longer than necessary. But Walker actually seems to be walking the independent line and for that we should all be grateful. He may actually be more interested in the welfare of the people of this state than in advancing his political career and financial future. What a concept!

Walker’s appointments to various government posts have, for the most part, annoyed everyone with a political affiliation. My personal philosophy has always been that if you are annoying both the right and the left, then you are probably doing fine. Many of his appointees would be hard to categorize as political given that they have never been active politically. So hats off to Bill Walker who seems to be actually intent on carrying through on his promise to Alaska that his will be an independent administration and not one beholden to any given party.

The governor comes in for even more kudos for moving the lite gov’s offices near his. Maybe this is just a showy display to placate Dems who have had their noses out of joint ever since they realized they had no candidate in the gubernatorial race. Moving Mallott this close to the seat of power makes it seem as though Walker truly does intend to reshape and redefine the role a lit gov can play in an administration. Given Mallott’s bone fides, that’s probably wise. With the state budget tanking and finances looking grim, Mallott’s financial background could be a critical asset in the coming months. So it would seem that despite the general low regard in which politicians are held nationally – a low regard, I should hasten to add, they worked very hard to earn – here in Alaska we seem to have found a new way to proceed.

The coming year is going to be a difficult one for Alaskans. That rainy day has arrived and our financial future is bleak. After years of being warned that total dependence on oil was not a good idea, the house of cards seems to be collapsing. The truth of those warnings is coming at us every day in the headlines about state budget deficits. As that old saying goes, this is where the rubber meets the road. I can’t imagine any corner of state government not up for scrutiny and review as every penny possible is cut to meet declining revenues. I can picture the rush of people to Juneau during budget hearings, all clinging to the frantic hope that their program won’t be axed.

I imagine that Walker will have as many people unhappy with him over the budget as he does over his appointments. I imagine I will be one of them since it’s almost a guarantee that social service programs will, as always, suffer greatly. We blather and bleat a lot about taking care of the most vulnerable in our society but the truth is that homeless people and alcoholics don’t vote in great numbers. Politicians looking for places to cut that won’t create future election problems don’t have to look much further than the programs geared towards those populations. If I’m going to be even slightly accepting of the inevitable cuts coming to programs I feel are critical, it’s only because I think if anyone will attempt to do a fair job of cutting, it’s the administration that Walker is assembling.

Maybe that’s a false hope. Maybe it’s the holiday eggnog talking. I just don’t want to be writing about this as 2016 approaches and apologizing for thinking Walker would stay the independent course. As we wave goodbye to a year that saw oil prices plunge and our financial future sag like an old swaybacked nag, any hope is worth clinging to.

Happy 2015.