Two Republicans from the Matanuska-Susitna Valley are poised to step into seats left vacant as a potentially substantive legislative session sits just on the horizon.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Two Republicans from the Matanuska-Susitna Valley are poised to step into seats left vacant as a potentially substantive legislative session sits just on the horizon.he appointed both men to fill the seats.
Now, they await confirmation by the state’s House Republicans to become lawmakers. “I appreciate the willingness of these Alaskans to step forward to serve at a pivotal time for our state,” Dunleavy said in a press release. “Their experience and commitment to their communities will help ensure their districts continue to have a strong voice in the Alaska House of Representatives.” Nelson is a nine-year Sutton resident and chair of the Sutton Community Council, according to the Christmas Eve announcement. St.Clair has lived in Wasilla for 15 years and is a retired Military Police First Sergeant, the release said. He spent seven years in Juneau as a legislative staffer for Tilton. St.Clair and Nelson listed different policy priorities for the upcoming session, but both agreed they would need to find their footing in Juneau. “It’s kind of a convoluted mess I guess, from an outsider’s perspective because I still am an outsider,” Nelson said on his expectations for the session. “I recognize that I have a tremendous amount to learn. But I’m excited to be part of the process.”“We have to incentivize businesses coming to Alaska,” St.Clair said, referencing legislation proposed by the governor to reduce property taxes for the pipeline.“You have to capitalize on momentum, and we definitely have it right now,” Nelson said, before adding the state should also look to diversifying the economy through other measures, like leaning into agriculture, timber or the production of data centers. Education, too, was a pressing issue in the last session. The governor vetoed $51 million from the Base Student Allocation, or per-student funding, prompting aMadeline Aguillard, superintendent of the Kuspuk School District, located in Aniak, told Alaska’s News Source before the veto that their district faced a $2.4 million deficit. That’s an amount which could have “lead to us not being functional.”. Tilton and Rauscher, the lawmakers then sitting in the House seats St.Clair and Nelson will fill if confirmed, voted against the override. Were St.Clair in office, he said he would have done the same. “We’re not done with education. You can’t just throw money at it and expect changes,” St.Clair said. “We need to make requirements, incentivize.”, including in Alaska, which currently operates under an uncertain economic future. When asked if Alaska is affordable, the two differed. “I mean, it’s not,” Nelson said. “It’s not inaffordable because we’re here, but it is a tough place and it’s because the vast amount of things that we buy and consume as individuals, they have to be shipped in. That wasn’t always the case.” “You’d have to define affordability,” St.Clair said. “Is Anchorage affordable? ... I live down in the Wasilla, have for the past 15 years, things are cheaper down here, but they’re more expensive out in the bush.” St.Clair said his top priorities for the legislative session would be the budget, health and social services and education. Nelson differed slightly, saying he would be dedicated to using money responsibly and brining more money in for the state.Potential data breach at Fairbanks health clinic, officials sayMurkowski criticizes heavily redacted Epstein files: ‘This is a problem’Sullivan assured after seeing ‘double-tap’ boat strike video, says U.S. actions were legal
St.Clair Nelson Wasilla Sutton
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