Anchorage Daily News - Parnell Campaigns To Restore Public Trust

Interview

Anchorage Daily News - Parnell Campaigns To Restore Public Trust

PROBLEMS WITH YOUNG: Lieutenant governor thinks incumbent is out of touch.
Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell was in the state Legislature from 1992 to 2000, ending as co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Alaska's most compelling race for the U.S. House in decades is under way. Three Republican and two Democratic candidates talked recently about why they should occupy Alaska's only seat in the House of Representatives. Today's Q and A is with Sean Parnell.

He's running against incumbent Don Young and Gabrielle LeDoux in the Aug. 26 Republican primary for the U.S. House.

Below, Parnell talks about his clashes with Young, his proposal to freeze federal earmarks for a year and other issues.

Q. Tell me about the personal interactions you've had with the incumbent, Don Young.

A. This last fall's meeting ... I went into Congressman Young's office and sat down with him and a couple of his staff members, and he immediately launched into a angry tirade about the governor. And I was there to try to bridge some communication between the two but it was clear from the words he was using that was not going to occur. And towards the end of that first 10 minutes or 15 minutes, when he was pretty hot, he held out his hand towards me and said, "You know what the governor is don't you," and I said, "What?" He said, "She's like a crystal figure. I'm going to crush her." And he brought his hands together, "I'm going to crush her." And he warned me at that time, basically, that if I aligned myself too closely with her the same thing was going to happen to me.

That didn't sit well with me. I didn't think a public servant ought to have that kind of attitude.

And that was my last meeting with our congressman. ... It was at that moment I realized our congressman was out of touch with Alaska and Alaskans, and in particular our governor.

Q. Young has said, "Anybody running for this job, ask them what they can do better than Don Young. In fact, ask them, really, what hasn't he done?" What's your response to that?

A. I can build the respect and trust of Americans in Alaskans' ability to bring value to the table. Secondly I can restore the trust of Alaskans in the integrity and in the openness and transparency of their government.

Q. You talked about restoring trust. What role do you think Don Young has played in regard to trust?

A. We've come to the point where the incumbent puts forth a request for funding or a policy proposal that his requests are viewed with national skepticism.

Q. Here's what Don Young says about you: "He's done nothing if you check his legislative record. He's a zero. A zero." What's your response to that?

A. I've been field-tested in the Alaska Legislature when the state had severe financial circumstances. And when we had a billion-dollar deficit here in the state I chose to lead by cutting government spending. When the nation faces a deficit Don Young chooses to lead by getting as much money as he can and passing the debt onto our children.

Q. In a state that has traditionally embraced federal funding, where it has really driven the economy, how do you think people are going to respond to a campaign that talks about reduced federal funding?

A. As our state is now 50 years old and we have a surplus, I think we can start taking care of ourselves. We don't always need to rely on the federal government to provide. We are an industrious, creative people and we have a great future ... yes, I'd like to bring federal dollars to Alaska, but I'd like to do it responsibly.

Q. How do you reconcile your run as a conservative with your support for the proposed $100 a month state energy debit cards and last year's tax increase on oil companies?

A. With respect to (the oil-tax increase in 2007) when you have proven corrupt influence on a tax regime, like we had with the PPT (the 2006 tax increase), that destabilizes the investment climate in Alaska and change is required. ...

(On the debit cards) I support the governor in her attempt to craft a short-term and a long-term energy plan. Frankly I'd like to see more state funds put toward alternative energy. Like taking some of our fossil fuel taxes and royalties and putting them toward new hydro, for example, that's renewable over time.

Q. What's your position on earmarks?

A. Earmarks in certain situations are acceptable, for instance for national defense and life safety reasons. I think we are in a place where earmark abuse has been so rampant that I would support a one-year moratorium on earmarks so the whole process, front to back, can be reviewed and changed so the public can have confidence. Most of Alaska's federal money comes through other avenues besides earmarks. ... There are members of Congress who have people in their offices devoted to helping their states compete for agency funding, rather than using the earmark process, and I think that's a legitimate role for a congressional office, is to help our state compete for federal funds.

Q. At the end of the one-year moratorium, what would you like the earmark process to look like?

A. I would like to see the number of earmarks dramatically reduced; the number has escalated significantly in the last decade. I'd like to see more openness and transparency there so the earmark sees the light of day and bears public scrutiny. I would like to ensure that earmarks do not get changed in the clerk's office, once they've reached the clerk's office, after coming through the House and Senate chambers.

Q. You've supported giving motorists a summer break from the federal gas tax, which helps to support the highway system. Young says that tax break would save middle-income families an average of $24 this summer while more than 2,000 Alaskan construction jobs would be lost. What's your response to that?

A. Where does he get this figure on 2,000 construction jobs being lost? ... You don't have to travel very far in this state to understand that high energy costs are hurting Alaskans. And for our congressman to propose increasing the gasoline tax to $1 a gallon demonstrates how out of touch he is with real Alaskans' real needs.

Q. Well of course, he's said that he is not really proposing that gas tax increase ...

A. He's brought it up three or four different times in the past; I'd be happy to find those for you. But the bottom line, to even say something like that in the context of a committee hearing and to make a comment in the same committee hearing that he doesn't care what the general public thinks, I think it's the height of arrogance. ... He's lost focus as a public servant and needs to be replaced.

Q. What do you think should be done about the Iraq war?

A. I support Iraq in becoming capable of governing itself. And then, two, give our troops and their families the equipment and support they need to accomplish the front end of that mission. And, finally defeat al-Qaida in Iraq so that leads to a stable, democratic country there.

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