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Session: State Capitol, Room 423 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-4940 Fax: (907) 465-3766 Send E-Mail Interim: 716 W 4th Avenue, Suite 450 Anchorage, AK 99501-2133 Phone: (907) 269-0106 Fax: (907) 269-0109 145 Main Steet Loop Kenai, AK 99611 Phone: (907) 283-7996 Fax: (907) 283-3075 |
March 3, 2000
The Anchorage Times
P.O. Box 100040
Anchorage, Alaska 99510
Nearly a year ago our Legislature created the Commission on Privatization and Delivery of Government Services to find ways to save the state money and provide better services for all Alaskans.
The Commission met 13 times over an 18-week period before this legislative session began. At the outset, the Committee realized that the best and only way to fulfill its mandate was to obtain the advice of Alaskans from all walks of life. Where better to begin the discussion on privatization than to tap into the collective experiences of private Alaskans.
The call went out and the public responded. Over 250 Alaskans volunteered to serve on 20 subcommittees that focused on each department of state government, the University of Alaska, the legislature, and the court system.
Our citizens volunteered their time and developed over 400 recommendations. The Committee adopted 20. Your legislative leadership recognized the tremendous volume of work and sacrifice and passed all of the recommendations on to the Senate and House Finance subcommittees.
The idea of privatization is a good one. It is one mechanism for the legislature to fulfill its obligation for fiscal responsibility to reduce state spending by allowing market place forces to perform these functions in the most cost efficient way.
I am saddened that some critics have chosen to forget the message of privatization to single out specific volunteers for attack. It is a classic example of failing to see the forest for the trees. It is also ultimately inaccurate.
The privatization process is about seeing the forest and the trees.
It is a process of collecting the widest array of viewpoints and synthesizing them at the subcommittee, committee and ultimately the legislative levels to make good decisions that will save the state money. The process ensures that reasoned reflection and not individual agendas will be our guidepost.
It is because of this process that challenging the opinions of individual volunteers as conflicts of interest misses the mark. All of our volunteers have their own opinions and that is why they volunteered their time. To single out a few is the same as challenging them all.
Senator Jerry Ward
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