ANCHORAGE — Alaska’s House Democratic Caucus announced Friday its leadership for the 28th Alaska Legislature.
Representative Beth Kerttula (D-Juneau) will be House Democratic Leader, and Representative Chris Tuck (D-Anchorage) will be the House Democratic Whip. The leadership will work as a team and share responsibilities. Representative Max Gruenberg (D-Anchorage) will remain House Democratic Floor Leader.
“Representative Tuck knows firsthand what it’s like to be a hard-working Alaskan trying to earn a living and build a future in this state,” said Kerttula. “I’m excited to have him join me in leading this caucus as we look to build a strong economy and expand opportunity for Alaskans, and he will be invaluable as we stand up against oil giveaways and affronts to our individual rights.”
“I am honored to earn the chance to lead this caucus with Rep. Kerttula,” said Tuck. “We have a strong team, with some great new members, and we’re committed to the values embodied in the Alaska constitution and shared by hard-working, independent Alaskans across the state. I look forward to helping our caucus develop our resources for the maximum benefit of Alaskans, working across the aisle to lower energy costs, growing our economy, and building an education system that will give everyone who wants a good job the skills they need to get it.”
Tuck is a lifelong Alaskan, electrician and father. After serving on the Anchorage School Board, Tuck was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 2008 and has worked on the House Resources, Energy, Rules, and Economic Development Trade and Tourism committees.
The House Democratic Caucus also announced its assignments to the House Finance Committee. They are as follows:
• Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage)
• Representative David Guttenberg (D-Fairbanks)
• Representative Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks)
The caucus will announce committee assignments at a later date.
Comments (18)
Add commentWho cares how these haters
Who cares how these haters orginize them self's.
Ha...
Then why are you saying anything?
Ignore madison
He's just a troll who adds nothing to the dialogue. But he does seem even more belligerent than normal - must still be stinging from Tuesday's results.
Happy Veterans Day, veterans.
Thank You from all of us, for your service to our country.
The reality is we need to
The reality is we need to think in terms of sustainability as opposed to growth because our resources are finite.
1. We need to protect our fisheries and wildlife.
2. We need to keep our water and air clean
3. We need to protect our forests.
Our forests are the most cost effective way to combat climate change.
It took millions of years for our eco-systems to evolve, so lets not allow greed to destroy our eco-systems. Eco-systems work, nature works, look outside - its working, we have to work with our eco-systems.
We have to stop allowing our ocean and atmosphere to be treated like sewers, there not sewers.
Lattie
What results? Nothing changed...Still a Democrat White house and Senate. Still a Republican house. Or maybe you are talking about what happened here in Alaska? Hey?
Plenty of results, denny
Obama's in for FOUR MORE YEARS. Hurts when I say that, doesn't it? And he doesn't have to worry about a reelection. That's a major difference.
The republicans took a major beating when they should have been dominating. I mean, really, with the terrible job Obama's been doing over the past four years (as you conservatives have pointed out every chance you've had), the state of the economy, and all of the other flaws in the democratic approach, how could the republicans have possibly f___ed this up??
Could it be that your message is seriously flawed, and the tide of the demographics has turned against you? The dems gained seats in the Senate and the House.
You might think nothing changed. But I'll bet the House republicans think differently. Watch them cave on the fiscal cliff and immigration reform. I'm betting the Dream Act coasts right through congress this time around.
But I encourage you to dig in. Don't give an inch. Maybe the reason that you got spanked was because you were too accommodating, not solidly conservative enough. You should be louder, more demanding about no taxes, no abortion, guns everywhere, more military spending, denial of global warming, and all of the other winning positions you've held. And keep letting the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Ted Nugent be the spokesman for your party. Go for it, baby!
What!!!!!
Beth needs to talk to Dennis if she REALLY wants to help Juneau. Why hasn't she joined with the Republicans----What am I missing?
Unlikely Beth would be Dem leader had she pitched camp with
the other team.
Lat: Lets try to remember how close the popular vote was. Noone 'owns' the field here.
Republican Party?
What republican party, they are irretrievably broken and have been that way for years, it took this election for them to wake up and see it. America has spoken in both electoral and popular voting systems so get a band aid from your neighbor the Democrat and quit you whining please.
@RoughCut
It's union THIEVES, not thiefs ---
Children, if you pay attention in school you can more effectively insult teachers and their "thievery" when you grow up... :)
Union?
Usually you will find that the Union hater was informed by a Union in the past that their craftsmanship does not qualify them to be part of the Union. Fact.
Don't kid yourself, Ken
It was a decisive victory. Not overwhelming, but decisive.
And I don't know how you can say one side doesn't "own" the field - Obama's president for four more years. The Senate is more democratic than it was, but a healthy margin. And the republican majority in the House shrank by a considerable degree.
And just as importantly, the trends are going strongly against the republicans. They'll have to make some fundamental changes to their philosophies, and there're many reasons to believe that they won't be capable of doing that.
Texas is headed toward being a battleground state - more urban and rapidly more Hispanic. If Texas shifts blue, with its 38 electoral college votes, it's all over for the republicans.
@madison89
"orginize them self's."
Good job there Madison, good job. This is why nobody takes you seriously.
lat: so I am looking at four more years of the same gridlock
because one side or the other believe they hold the higher ground. Great.
Remember when the Dems got too big for themselves back in 2010?
Not likely, Ken
The repubs can't afford to be viewed as the "Party of No" for another 4 years. A very large part of the electorate (approaching 70%) believe that tax increases should happen, particularly on people earning over $1 million. The repubs will cave on that.
They'll also cave on immigration reform. Perhaps on gay marriage too. And they'll stop shipping up anti-abortion bills that have no chance of passage.
At least for the next couple years. If they get back into power, they'll commence with their old tricks. But they won't be getting back into power without an entire remake of their image, which will cause their heads to explode.
The Dem's heads did not explode when they shifted gears to
align themselves with the new demographics of civil rights, and they have been successful in selling their party as the savior of the minorities despite having wreaked so much havoc upon those same minorities beforehand, so there is hope for the Republicans.
I am certain the Republicans will "cave", as you so delicately phrase it, much as the Dems did, but be careful what you wish for.
Tax increases on the rich mean little and will do little more than make the rest of us feel better. It is an 'old trick' cliche used to mollify the populace and avoid true tax reform.
I am awaiting President Obama to be the great statesman and 'unifier'.
I wouldn't count on that, Ken
Obama's not going to be a great statesman. That requires bold ideas.
I agree on the taxes issue. They should nick the rich pretty significantly, but tax reform needs to be more than that. Much more.
The repubs are hitting this wall at a particularly inopportune time. They need to make a significant shift in their platform just when the tea party types are driving them off the cliff. And they have the fundies forcing the social issues. And their older white base frightened by the changing demographics of the country.
And then they have the right-wing media echo chambers (Fox, Limbaugh, etc.) who keep repeating fantasies, distracting everyone from the facts of the situation. Some really interesting reading about how the Romney campaign was totally blindsided by the loss, even though the polls were very clear to anyone who cared to examine them. The same blindness will be their undoing here.
They need to be nimble. The sand is shifting beneath their feet. But they're paralyzed by civil war.