Attitude Gap

They say admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. So it bodes well that as the legislature returns to work, Gov. Frank Murkowski has admitted that Alaska has an attitude gap. Apparently we’ve gone from “the stars are aligned” to “Houston, we have a problem”.

With one recent poll showing Gov. Murkowski’s approval rating at 38%, it doesn’t take much to figure out why Alaskans need an attitude adjustment. For the last year we’ve experienced an administration that has never quite grasped the concept of first do no harm.

Ironically, one of the criticisms levied against the prior administration during the campaign was they studied issues too much. In contrast, this administration doesn’t seem to study important issues at all. In the last year we’ve seen the governor veto legislation, then say it was a mistake. We’ve heard him say legislation is a mistake, then sign it into law. And his hastily thought out tax credit policy is rivaled only by his poorly thought out taxing policy. However it appears the lights are turning on in the capitol.

The governor’s State of the State address did an excellent job of highlighting the importance of solving the state’s crippling financial problems. And his proposed commission tasked with finding common ground on the use of permanent fund earnings shows progress. In addition, a special session will finally spotlight senate leadership whose strategy of shadow boxing a growing budget crisis continues to threaten Alaska’s economic future.     

And judging Alaska’s attitude gap, it’s not a moment too soon.

For the residents of the Matanuska Valley and Homer, coal bed methane spells the attitude gap. When the legislature passed and governor signed legislation that eliminated local input on key development issues, landowners became angry when they realized their voice had been silenced from an important public process.  “We’re talking about my house, my land,” said Valley property owner Josh Klauder.

Alaskan seniors have three words for their attitude gap, longevity bonus program. The governor eliminated funding only after the legislature failed to pass the same statewide sales tax he opposed during the campaign. After abruptly canceling the program without studying the impacts on low-income seniors, the administration scrambled to provide over 7,000 seniors with temporary federal aide that will expire in June.

The veto of municipal revenue sharing widened the attitude gap in Alaska communities. Pelican lost $75,000 that funded a yearly insurance premium. Anchorage’s loss of  $10 million meant that fees went up, services went down and local police went without needed resources until U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski stepped in to protect public safety.

These pressures have expanded the gap in neighborhoods as well.

Residence in Sand Lake have an attitude gap the size of a gravel pit caused by the public process surrounding 600 hundred homes being proposed for a neighborhood gravel pit. Even with unanswered questions regarding well water contamination and traffic impacts, the development was approved. Neighbors sat stunned during a public hearing when a planning commissioner ignored the absence of important science and voiced support for the project because the city desperately needed the tax revenues.

All of these situations share one common thread, the omnipresent fiscal gap.

Coal bed methane was fast tracked because the state needs to quickly generate resource development revenues to fill the fiscal gap. Seniors and communities paid a heavy price because the governor hasn’t solved the fiscal gap. And with the elimination of revenue sharing, more local governments will approve questionable proposals to generate needed local tax revenues.

There is a solution.

To bridge the attitude gap the governor must solve the fiscal gap. With fiscal stability, we can enjoy economic development while protecting private property owners and their single largest asset. With fiscal stability, we can increase investments in education and grow a more sustainable economy. These efforts will transform the brain drain into a brain gain and will undoubtedly turn frowns upside down.

The governor has taken an important first step in recognizing the attitude gap. Lets hope he finds the proper tools to bridge it.