By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
State Sen. Bert Stedman is running unopposed for re-election to the Senate R seat – but he still wants your vote, he says.
“I’m still out campaigning,” he said from Ketchikan today. “I’m asking people to get out and vote and I’m asking for their consideration, for their vote. I’m not taking anything for granted.”
Stedman, a Republican, has represented Sitka and other Southeast communities since 2003. He was appointed to the position by then-Gov. Frank Murkowski and elected in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.
He soundly defeated his Republican opponent Michael Sheldon of Petersburg in the August primary, and is the only candidate on the general election ballot next Tuesday.
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
“It’s important people exercise their constitutional right to vote,” Stedman said. “A lot of people around the world don’t have that. It’s an opportunity to show support for the past work and future endeavors we’ve been working on around our district. Even though there is no opponent, I’m hoping they’ll mark the box.”
State Sen. Bert Stedman
Stedman represents southern Southeast Alaska, District R, which includes Sitka, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell and dozens of smaller communities.
“We have a good record of trying to be fair to everyone in the district and to get things done, and not get pushed around by the Railbelt,” Stedman said. “I hope voters think I did a good job and a reasonable job and worked in the best interest of the community, and for future Alaskans.”
Stedman listed a few projects he feels he pushed over the past 17 years, regionally, around the state and in Sitka, including rebuilding harbors and promoting library construction projects.
“Harbors were in tough shape, and we wanted to rebuild them for when tough times came, we would have new harbors,” he said, of the 50 percent matching grant program. “We’re in tough times now and we have new harbors.”
Moller Field and ANB Founders Hall are other projects he worked to secure state funding for.
“ANB Hall is one of the most important buildings in the state,” he said. “It was important in the early days of the anti-discrimination movement - and Alaska was on the forefront of the national movement. With the refurbishment of the building, it will look proud for the next 100 years, for everyone to have.”
The expansion of the Sitka Public Library, the water tower above Halibut Point Road, $50 million in funding toward the Blue Lake expansion project, the new diesel generator on Jarvis Street, Harrigan Centennial Hall renovation, Nelson Logging Road construction, the boat ramp at Starrigavan, the Katlian Bay Road, the pedestrian and bike path along Sawmill Creek Road, and the Mt. Edgecumbe Aquatic Center were other projects Stedman listed as among those he worked on during his tenure.
“The Sawmill Creek Road walkway is one of the most scenic walkways, and it’s used by hundreds of people every day,” he said.
One of the projects Stedman is working on is the establishment of an endowment for Mt. Edgecumbe High School, to help fund future projects and provide an additional revenue stream. Initial funding for the school endowment would come from land sales and leases for such projects as a new floatplane facility and the SEARHC expansion.
The establishment of the fund “has been a major focus point for us for the last six months,” Stedman said.
He’s also looking for funding for dorm upgrades, and classroom expansion.
In the Senate, Stedman is co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, a position he has held for eight of his 17 years in the Senate.
He’s against using the Permanent Fund to solve the “structural deficit” of the state operating budget, he said.
“We have to work to rectify our structural deficit,” he said. “And the sooner we do it, the better everybody is.” He said the outcome of Ballot Measure 1, related to oil taxes, will help direct the next step.
“The concern of fixing the structural deficit problem - when that’s concluded, the Permanent Fund will remain intact for future generations,” he said. “We want to make sure the Permanent Fund is not raided to meet our current budgetary needs, and people continue to receive a Permanent Fund dividend.”
Stedman has also been working with other coastal senators on solutions for the Alaska Marine Highway System, which faces ongoing funding challenges.
“After the election, we’ll have discussions with the governor on how to proceed,” Stedman said. “I hope he supports the concept of having a couple of professional ferry people come in and work on the culture of the marine highway, and restructuring of the governance of the marine highway. They both have to be undertaken at the same time.”
Stedman, 64, was born in Anchorage, during the time his father was serving in the U.S. Army. Stedman is a 1974 graduate of Sitka High, and has a degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Oregon. Until four years ago, he owned and operated Pioneer Capital Management in Sitka. Stedman in Sitka served on the Assembly and the Sitka Planning Commission, and is currently on the Sitka Investment Committee. He and his wife Lureen have a daughter, Susan.
