to see a vibrant economy that will give my kids the chance to make a life here if they so choose. My primary goals for this year in the legislature are to reduce our spending, bring some accountability to our budget, and restore the PFD to the people as their share of the mineral rights in this state. Oil will continue to be part of our economy for a good long while, but it will be a smaller part than it has been in the past. In the Interior, our best hope for the future will be in mining. One particular opportunity will be in the area of rare earth metals. These met- als are necessary for construction of advanced electronics, which the world is building at an ever-increasing rate. But most of the world’s supply of these elements currently comes from China. That is unacceptable. Some of the big- gest deposits of these metals outside of China are right here in Alaska. The state can help in two ways. First, it can help push back against the federal overreach that locks up our state. The second way is by creating the roads and other basic access and infrastructure required to tap into these resources. I will be heavily focused on getting our operating budget down in part so that we have the space available for the capital budget we need to create that infrastructure. Marna Sanford, Unaffiliated Candidate I was raised in Tok, the daughter of a pipefitter, teacher and small business owner. I’ve protected and cultivated our natural resources at Alaska State Parks and as a wildland firefighter. As a Public Defender and Advocate, I’ve dedicat- ed my professional life to fighting for vulnerable Alaskans. I’ve worked on complex budgets, have lengthy experi- ence researching legal issues, working regulatory processes, and crafting and lobbying legislation at all levels. I am not a stranger to hard discussions. It’s time we had those hard discussions about Alaska’s future. I’m running as an unaffiliated candi - date. Now more than ever, Alaska needs independent leaders who prioritize Alaskan families and long-term solu- tions over special interests and political safety. This begins by ending the stalemate surrounding the PFD and the budget. We need to follow the law or have the courage to change the formula to fit the
SENATE CANDIDATES Senate District B Evan Eads, Non-Affiliated Candidate I am a lifelong Interior Alaskan and President and founder of the The Alas- ka Gift Company LLC. My Values include Individual Rights and Responsibilities, Self-reliance, Self-determination, Strong Families, and Community. My priorities include: n Ownership Share for Alaska’s Re- sources (Article 8, Section 2) n Return Power to We the People (Article 1, Section 2) n Abolish the Binding Caucus (En- force Open Meetings Act) n Education: Focus on Reading n Mental Health and Suicide Preven- tion n Reform Civil Forfeiture Laws n Balanced Budget n Term Limits Mining and Alaska’s Future: With rising metal prices and low en- ergy costs the future for mining in Alaska is very promising. The Great Land has a wealth of untapped potential. Unfortu- nately, I do not believe that the people of Alaska are getting an ownership share for their resources as required by the con- stitution. Article VIII, Section 2 requires that all the natural resources of Alaska be utilized, developed and conserved for “the maximum benefit” of the people. This is the constitutional duty of the legislature, and they have abdicated that responsibil- ity. This also hurts development projects since the people of Alaska (as owners of the resources) are not motivated partners. I am proposing a 1% gross severance tax on all large-scale precious metal pro- ducers. These operations are all foreign corporate interests who are taking our resource wealth not only out of state, but out of country. We have allowed our legislatures to make deals with our public wealth that we would never accept in our own private business. My message is simple: let’s stop making deals on public lands with public resources that we would never accept on our own private proper- ty. Let us consider ourselves as business partners, as owners, as co-heirs of all the resource wealth of Alaska. And let’s act accordingly. Together we can build a better future. Robert Myers, Republican Candidate I am a lifelong Interior Alaska resi- dent and currently work as a truck driv- er. I’m raising my family here and want
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The Alaska Miner
October 2020
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