April 30, 1999

Dear Constituents of District 32:

Thank you for contacting me about funding for the University of Alaska. A lot of people have let me know what they think about this issue.

I am torn over the priority of funding for competing segments of our responsibilities. The Education of the people of Alaska is high on my priority list and has had my voice here in our Capitol. However I have to tell you that I am reluctant to spend money that we do not have.

The situation that we Alaskans find ourselves in is akin to a family losing over one third of its income with no immediate increases in the near future. A savings account that yields some income has saved the day but only has a short life. We must resist solving our financial woes by depleting our savings accounts. A series of actions; reprioritizing, reductions in spending, doing without for a while, new sources of income, combining of missions and not starting costly new projects, must be put into action.

We are seeing a unique time in history. President Hamilton is a powerful advocate and a generator of enthusiasm. President Hamilton, the students, the Board of Regents, and several communities are all focusing on the revitalization of the University system throughout Alaska. This is an encouragement to me and a challenge to us legislators.

Notwithstanding the challenge, I am not willing to say at this point that a 16 million-dollar increase in the University budget is a higher priority than many other budgets that have been cut or done away with or squeezed to the point of ineffectiveness.

In order to fund any increase now, the legislature must take the dollars away from someone else. This means take programs or services out or more taxes. Up to now I have not gotten clear direction from my constituents about bringing on new taxes or how they should be spent. I campaigned on the premise that I would not be for more taxes until we took a good hard look at services or programs that we can do without or can be done by the private sector. I also campaigned on the premise that we need to balance our state checkbook. I understand that people connected with the University are willing to tax themselves or give up their permanent fund dividend check to maintain its growth but I am not sure that many other Alaskans are.

I hope this helps you understand why I am reluctant to champion the University request.

Thank you for your input and please feel free to respond with suggestions, I am open.

Sincerely,

Representative John Coghill