Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Claman visited Sitka last week as part of his statewide campaign. The state senator from Anchorage has served in the Alaska Legislature for more than a decade. Before that, he served on the Anchorage Assembly and as Acting Mayor of Anchorage in 2009.
Claman said he’s spent time working and traveling in Southeast Alaska over the years — he first came to the state to work a summer job for a mineral exploration company 45 years ago. In an interview with KCAW, Claman emphasized the need for more state ferry funding.
“That first summer I was here, in 1980, I rode the ferry from Haines to Ketchikan, and the frequency of ferry service was better in 1980 than it is today,” he said. “I think we need to work to build back the ferry system so that it’s more reliable and can provide better service to communities.”
As governor, Claman would be responsible for selecting the commissioner for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and members for the Board of Fisheries, decisions that could have a great impact on the region’s fisheries. Claman said when appointing people to those seats, he intends to have “a balance that reflects commercial fishing interests, sport fishing interests, and also subsistence interests.”
“Too often we’ve had folks on some of the appointments that are more politically driven, less committed to a scientific approach,” he said. “Sometimes science takes time to figure it out, but I think we really need folks in all those positions that are very committed to a science-based approach, that are willing to really look into the research and hear from the scientists that are doing the work, and not think that they’re smarter than the scientists.”
As for education, Sitka schools, along with schools throughout the state, are facing big deficits and expecting to make cuts. Claman said the state has been underfunding education for years, and it’s time for that to change. He said the base student allocation process — what the state pays per student — started out as a good idea, but in application, it really hasn’t worked.
“I think we should actually step away from the base student allocation,” he said. “The formula can stay in place, but stop making adjustments and treat education like every other department. Look at what was last year’s funding, adjust for inflation, and then have the discussion about, how are we going to fund education?”
Claman also addressed the Permanent Fund Dividend, climate change, and outmigration from the state.
“Part of the way we get people back in Alaska is [to] make it an attractive place, [where] people want to live here and like the opportunities, like the lifestyle, like the work opportunities,” he said. “We need to support and have an economy that is attractive for people to come here. I don’t think the government can do that alone. That’s a function of businesses thinking there’s lots of opportunities here. And I think part of that is, how do we have a level playing field for businesses to be here?”
Claman said some things that separate him from the other Democratic candidates in the governor’s race are his record of working with business interests that are typically thought of as more conservative and his time spent in bipartisan coalitions.
