Justin Parish has my vote for State House District 34 this year.
Alaska is in dire straights. We must elect forward-thinking people to find solutions. The current legislative majority has not addressed the fiscal crisis. Instead, they have led us to the brink of disaster where we have no savings — that will happen this coming year. If we continue to condone that behavior by re-electing them, we could be following them right off the fiscal cliff.
Justin’s opponent, Cathy Muñoz, is part of the majority that abdicated their responsibility to be leaders. Rather than do the hard work to craft a fiscal plan, they dithered and now are pointing fingers at everyone else — the governor, the feds, minority members, whomever. They need to be replaced by people who will take action for the people of Alaska rather than special interests.
Cathy Muñoz has been part of the do-nothing majority for many years. Yes, she is very friendly and has helped people out. That’s certainly what a public servant should do and people are thankful for that help. Sometimes, though, a public official needs to be more aware of who and why they are helping someone, especially around sexual assault and abuse of vulnerable Alaskans. She certainly showed poor judgment when she supported the abusers in the three cases recently reported in the media involving pedophilia.
It is the responsibility of an elected official is to lead — to act and vote in the interests of her constituents. Muñoz supported the SB 21 giveaway even though her constituents voted to repeal it. She opposed the Coastal Management Plan reinstatement although her district voted for it. She also put two bills forward for passage, one to limit a woman’s choice and the other to make it harder for to school districts to provide sex education.
Justin Parish is a young man raised and schooled in Juneau. He would be great role model as the first person with a UAS degree to serve in the Legislature. He is willing to put his considerable intellect and positive youthful energy into solutions that will avoid more severe cuts to education, state jobs, public safety and other essential services.
It’s time for a fresh outlook and voice. He knows that we need to fight to keep the capital in Juneau and stop the loss of state jobs, and he is committed to doing both. Mostly he understands that we absolutely need to get out of this fiscal mess before we spiral down into a deeper, Legislature-caused recession.
Chris Ashenbrenner,
Juneau