Alaska House race in South Anchorage presents contrasts, despite common party affiliation

State Rep. Craig Johnson and erstwhile authorities Rep. Chuck Kopp. (Alaska Beacon)

Two Republican candidates pinch legislative acquisition coming contrasting visions for representing a South Anchorage district.

Rep. Craig Johnson, a businessman who was first elected to nan House successful 2006 and presently chairs nan powerful House Rules Committee, is being challenged by Chuck Kopp, who served successful nan House from 2017 to 2020 aft retiring from a rule enforcement career.

The matchup in House District 10, which encompasses nan leafy Oceanview and Klatt neighborhoods, nan Dimond Center – Alaska’s largest shopping promenade — and different spaces, would not person been imaginable without nan ballot inaugural that ushered successful classed prime voting successful Alaska. That initiative, successful summation to authorizing a ranking system, mandated unfastened primaries. Even though Kopp and Johnson were nan only candidates connected nan superior predetermination ballot, some precocious to nan wide election.

That contrasts pinch Kopp’s acquisition successful 2020, erstwhile he was defeated successful nan superior by existent Rep. Tom McKay, R-Anchorage. In nan wide predetermination that followed that primary, voters narrowly approved nan ranked-choice initiative.

Four years later, Kopp stands by his determination to beryllium portion of what was past a caucus of Democrats, Republicans and independents.

“The champion solutions are ne'er nan gift of 1 party. And I opportunity that arsenic a proud Republican,” he said.

“As a legislator elected by nan citizens of District 10, I will ever beryllium connected a squad to champion service and correspond nan district,” he added. “I will not hesitate to put group first complete nan party.”

Whatever conjugation he joins should beryllium accordant pinch his “Republican values” of debased taxes, infrastructure investment, assets improvement and responsible budgets. “And I want an statement that is not going to spell into nan ditch complete a societal agenda,” he said. “I don’t for illustration it erstwhile I spot nan legislative process hijacked.”

To Johnson, Kopp’s party-line crossing attack is simply a negative.

“You look astatine who supports him and who supports maine — you tin spot a stark difference. Who influences him, versus nan benignant of group that want to spot maine get reelected,” Johnson said. There is simply a “very clear difference,” he said. “It’s conscionable very difficult to differentiate erstwhile you’re sitting pinch an R by your name.”

Those ties are evident successful nan superior predetermination results, successful which Kopp won 60.5% of nan vote, Johnson said, noting nan debased turnout of 17.8%. “We’ve sewage a Republican who’s sewage mostly Democratic support successful Chuck, and nan Democrats turned retired rather heavy and nan Republicans didn’t,” he said.

Johnson pointed retired that nan existent Republican-dominated House mostly does see agrarian Democrats. But he does not favour much evenly balanced bipartisan coalitions, specified arsenic nan nine-Democratic, eight-Republican mostly caucus successful nan authorities Senate.

“I would not beryllium willing successful joining a caucus that put committee chairs successful positions to walk aliases clasp up things that I consciousness I americium philosophically opposed to,” he said. “I will not discuss my ideals and morals for power.”

For Kopp, nan overarching rumor successful nan predetermination – and for Alaska – is nan state’s continued outmigration and shrinking working-age population. That nonaccomplishment is nan consequence of nan state’s nonaccomplishment to put successful itself, he said.

“You besides person to look astatine nan costs of doing nothing, and nan costs of doing thing has been catastrophic for our state,” he said.

There are, for example, astir 70 Alaska authorities trooper positions presently unfilled, on pinch astir 50 Anchorage constabulary positions. Also affected are basal services for illustration roadworthy maintenance, pinch departments short-staffed, and education, he said. “We person schoolhouse districts that are starting precocious because they can’t capable nan coach positions,” said.

The arena that crystallized this interest — and his determination to tally against Johnson — was nan House majority’s refusal to see the Senate-approved measure, Senate Bill 88, that would person resurrected a defined-benefit pension strategy for nationalist employees.

Legislation passed successful 2005 established a caller 401(k)-style defined publication strategy for what were past caller nationalist employees, but successful caller years location person been calls to return to nan defined-benefit pension systems for illustration those utilized successful nan past.

Kopp favored nan Senate’s bill, which he said crafted a reasonable attack that would person been some little costly than past nationalist worker defined-benefits plans and little costly than doing nothing.

“Absolutely, I’m successful favour of that defined-benefit plan,” he said. The scheme that nan Senate measure crafted would person been little costly than past public-employees’ defined-benefit plans, and a worthwhile finance successful nan workforce, he said.

Kopp is peculiarly attuned to nan rumor because of his law-enforcement experience, which included a stint arsenic constabulary main successful Kenai. As of now, Alaska constabulary officers are moving successful a very difficult occupation without nan committedness of “anything meaningful waiting for them” astatine retirement, he said. He besides noted that authorities labor are mostly not eligible for Social Security benefits.

Johnson, arsenic Rules chair, blocked nan Senate’s defined-benefit measure from reaching nan House floor. He is proud of that action and highlights it connected his campaign website as 1 of his cardinal legislative accomplishments.

The Senate’s scheme was excessively expensive, Johnson said.

“For nan first 10 years, it’s not a bad strategy because not galore group person retired,” he said, referring to actuarial accusation that was presented to lawmakers. “But erstwhile you get past 10 years and 15, 20, 25, it turns into billions of dollars and we’re going to extremity up for illustration we were earlier we sewage free of it, wherever we had a $9 cardinal successful indebtedness and our in installments standing was affected. Our expertise to enslaved was affected. So, it could person a immense effect connected early generations,” he said.Johnson opposes immoderate return to a defined-benefit programme and does not judge status benefits pull workers. In nan lawsuit of constabulary officers, he pointed to departments successful different states that do connection defined-benefit pensions but person problem attracting applicants, nonetheless.

“Retirement is not really you pull people. You pull group pinch activity environments and nan opportunities to beforehand and occupation satisfaction. And it’s very difficult to beryllium a policeman correct now,” he said.

Rather than return to a defined-benefit system, nan authorities tin summation salary and perchance summation nan magnitude it contributes to worker status accounts, he said. And Anchorage’s municipal authorities has nan action of creating its ain use strategy without placing nan load connected nan state, he said.

Both Kopp and Johnson favour an summation successful nan Base Student Allocation, nan per-student level of authorities acquisition backing granted to schoolhouse districts.

Johnson said he was instrumental successful crafting a bill, which yet was passed by nan Legislature, that would person accrued nan BSA. After Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed nan bill, to nan dismay of galore educators and students, Johnson was among nan legislators who voted against a veto override. Johnson said continuing efforts to summation nan BSA complete nan agelong word would person simply been vetoed again; instead, lawmakers were astatine slightest capable to unafraid a one-time increase of $680 per student.

Kopp said he would person voted to override nan veto, which was sustained by 1 vote.

People successful nan territory are highly concerned astir acquisition backing and worried astir authorities support that has atrophied, he said. “They were alarmed erstwhile 1 of our section simple schools was connected nan chopping block,” he said.

Klatt Elementary School, which is successful his House district, was one of six schools that nan Anchorage School District successful 2022 considered for closure for fund problems.

The problems facing acquisition successful nan territory and successful Alaska much mostly are tied successful portion to nan nonaccomplishment of qualified workers – teachers successful this case, Kopp said. “My territory really cares astir nan recruitment and retention of that workforce,” he said.

Both candidates mention nationalist information arsenic a apical interest for their district. That class includes homelessness successful Anchorage, which some candidates characterized arsenic a analyzable problem that defies easy solutions.

Both candidates besides mention a request to make power supplies successful Anchorage and nan Cook Inlet region much dependable, an rumor of increasing interest arsenic nan travel of earthy state utilized for energy and power has go little secure.

While Kopp supports retention of nan classed prime voting system, Johnson will beryllium supporting nan ballot measurement to overturn it.

Johnson believes nan ranked-choice strategy encourages immoderate candidates to clasp backmost connected campaigning anterior to nan superior predetermination to prevention their money for nan wide election. “You know, I did immoderate of that and it didn’t cookware retired peculiarly well,” he said.