UAF hosts candidate debates for districts 7, 10 & 11

Photo by Nina Schwinghammer
Representative Mike Kelly displays scholarship information during a debate against challenger Karl Kassel on Friday night in the Schiable Auditorium.

The sequel was as good as the original.

ASUAF and Pi Sigma Alpha held the second half of their local debate series Friday, with three state house seats in contention. The debates last week focused on the races in House Districts 7, 10, and 11. As in the debates from the week before, the hits kept coming.

Mike Kelly (R) and Karl Kassel (D) traded jabs in their debate, with incumbent Kelly mostly playing defense. Kelly and Kassel are contesting House District 7’s seat in one of this year’s hardest-fought local races. Kelly is a former president of both GVEA and the university’s Board of Regents. Kassel has just retired from a position as director of the borough’s Parks & Recreation department, and formerly served as president of the Alaska Dog Musher’s Association and the Yukon Quest.

Kelly and Kassel differed on the majority of the issues under discussion, including aid for Alaska’s college students. Kassel stated his firm support for need-based financial aid for students meeting merit requirements, saying, “We can’t let people fall through the cracks.” Kelly was much more stand-offish with regard to student aid, saying, “I’ll listen, but I’m skeptical.”

Kassel attacked Kelly for many of his actions in Juneau, citing Kelly’s opposition to the state energy rebate and his attempt to stop the legislature’s Troopergate investigation from disclosing its findings. In response, Kelly staked out a position that echoed Republican presidential candidate John McCain—that he voted based on his principles, which often made him unpopular among his colleagues.

The two also sharply disagreed on whether the pending gas line contract should include project labor agreements or PLAs. Kassel spoke in favor of the agreements, saying that they provide for fair wages and help ensure local hire. Kelly came out against PLAs, stating that he feels they unfairly favor unions.

Kelly and Kassel exchanged their strongest words over Kelly’s controversial stance in opposition to a domestic violence bill. The bill established stronger penalties for a third conviction on domestic assault charges, and Kelly was the only legislator in opposition. “We’ve got to take action, we’ve got to move forward,” said Kassel. “And 59 to one says a lot to me.” Kelly responded that he voted against the bill because he felt its language was overly complex.

In the debate for House District 10’s seat, incumbent Jay Ramras (R) and challenger John Brown (D) found common ground on a few issues, but had fundamental disagreements. Ramras, a local businessman who owns a restaurant and a hotel, is running for a third term in the legislature. John Brown is an engineer and former union representative for Operating Engineers Local 302.

Brown and Ramras struck similar notes in opposition to a proposal to move Alaska’s capital, saying such a move would be tremendously costly and would devastate the Juneau-Douglas community. Both conceded, however, that the capital’s location provides obstacles to constituents who wish to visit and make their voices heard. As a solution, both men said they support the construction of a road to Juneau.

The two differed on the subject of university funding. While both expressed their support for land grants from the state as a means of funding the UA system, they disagreed on how the land should be managed. Ramras stated that he supported selling the land through private agencies, Brown favored leasing the land to keep it under public control, saying, “I’m wary of putting the University’s land into private hands.”

Like Kelly and Kassel, Brown and Ramras also disagreed over the issue of project labor agreements. Ramras opposed PLAs, saying that they unfairly favor unions over private contractors. Brown retorted that Ramras was “sadly misinformed,” and that plenty of PLAs have gone to non-union contractors. Brown cited Fort Greely’s missile defense project, saying that due to PLAs, the project had been built by both union and nonunion workers, and had been finished on time and on budget.

Contrasts were harder to come by in the first debate, as Rep. John Coghill (R) squared off against Corey Allen (D). Coghill and Allen are contesting House District 11’s seat, which Coghill currently holds. House District 11 consists of the greater North Pole area, and both candidates reflected the district’s conservative sentiments.

Although Allen and Coghill are opponents, they rarely disagreed on the issues fundamental to the election. Both staked out similar positions on energy issues, revenue sharing, and opposition to benefits for same-sex couples. The candidates even agreed on the usually contentious subject of Alaska’s partial-birth abortion ban, with both men favoring the ban.

Coghill and Allen did draw contrasting positions on a few issues. Allen came out strongly in favor of merit- and need-based aid for Alaskan college students. Allen specifically supported Rep. David Guttenberg’s pending bill that would establish college grants for Alaska residents. Coghill was reluctant to support higher education grants, saying, “It depends on what’s put together,” and that he was generally wary of entitlement programs.