Daily Sitka Sentinel

Candidate Says Issues Are Crime, Economy

By THAD POULSON
Sentinel Staff Writer
    State Sen. Kevin Meyer, running mate of Republican governor candidate Mike Dunleavy, was in Sitka Thursday for an Alaska Day campaign visit, and sat down for an interview with local reporters.
    Crime and economic development are issues in the forefront of the Republican campaign, and they are related, the 62-year-old Anchorage legislator said.
    “People don’t feel safe in their homes any more ... you have to feel safe in your community, and right now that’s not happening,” he said.
    “We have to fix our laws to punish those who are selling drugs. Right now there are no consequences, so that is a risk they are willing to take”
    But developing the economy and reducing unemployment are part of the solution, he said.
    “If you don’t have a job you’re going to steal or do whatever it takes to provide for your family.”
    “I think the future looks bright as far as our economy and budget goes,” Meyer said. He said his career in the private sector is valuable ”in an area that Mike wants me to help him with,” diversifying the economy.
    “Some of the businesses are already here, we just need to help them grow. Tourism comes to mind – I think we have just scratched the surface on tourism,” he said, adding that he would market it worldwide.

Lt. Gov. candidate Kevin Meyer hands out candy during the Alaska Day parade Thursday. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

    He said he’s running for lieutenant governor after 26 years in the Legislature – and nine special sessions in the past three years – after deciding that “what we needed was a change in the executive branch,” and that he could work with any of the Republicans running for governor.
    “My job would be to work with legislators and sell the governor’s ideas to them, and not keep calling them back for special sessions. I think one of the weaknesses (Gov. Bill) Walker and (Lt. Gov. Byron) Mallott had was neither one had been elected to state office and didn’t know how to work with the legislature.”
    Responding to a question about state funding for education, always a hot topic in Sitka, Meyer said:
    “I think the question is: how can we improve on our educational system?
    “And Mike and I aren’t convinced that more money is going to make the system better, because we already give more money on a per student basis than any other state but New York, and yet our outcomes are toward the bottom of all the states. So we have a real disconnect here, and I think we need to fix that ... we’re not totally convinced that more money is going to help until we improve the outcomes.”
    A longtime employee of the oil firm Conoco-Phillips, Meyer said his background in business, combined with Dunleavy’s career in education, “is what makes our ticket really strong.”
    “I’ve worked in the private sector all my life, but Mike’s background is all education,” he said. “He spent over 20 years in rural Alaska, as a superintendent of schools, as a teacher, and on the school board....
    “He has a pretty good handle on education and especially education in rural Alaska,” he said, adding that Dunleavy wants to get a commissioner in place “who will have ideas on how to improve our educational system ....”
    Asked for comment on the resignation of Byron Mallott as lieutenant governor and his replacement by Valorie Davidson, Meyer said “it’s their issue to deal with and we’re not commenting on that.”
    “Our focus has been on crime and other issues, the economy, health care. I do know Valorie Davidson. She is a very nice person... she will be a very good lieutenant governor for the next three weeks – hopefully after three weeks we’ll have a new lieutenant governor.”
    Asked about the Dunleavy campaign’s policy position on Southeast transportation issues, Meyer said “we understand the ferry system is very important to Southeast, we understand it’s your road system. If there is a way to do it differently or more efficiently, then that’s what we want to do, and the only way we can get a handle on that is to talk to the users.
    “Mike and I will be the first ones to tell you we don’t know much about it because it doesn’t serve our communities. We don’t use it but we also know how important it is to the state and to Southeast in particular. We want to talk to the users before we do anything.”
    Speaking of the campaign, Meyer said the polls he has seen show Dunleavy ahead, in part because “Mike and I have been doing this over a year.” One effect of that, he said, is that they expect some negative attacks in the days leading up to the election.
    “I’ve been encouraging people that if you hear something that sounds a little weird, especially in the last two weeks of the campaign, that hopefully you will contact us.”
    He said there has been criticism about Dunleavy’s missing debates with Gov. Walker and Democratic candidate Mark Begich, but contended that Dunleavy has taken part in more forums and “debates” with interest groups than either of the other candidates the past year, “and frankly, his schedule just doesn’t allow you to be everywhere.”