Begich makes rural outreach part of campaign for Senate

MARY LOCHNER

May 29, 2008 at 9:21AM AKST

Mark Begich hosted the first of what he says will be several teleconferences with rural Alaska newspapers on Thursday, May 22, as the Anchorage mayor revved up his U.S. Senate campaign’s outreach to the Bush.

Sen. Ted Stevens’ Democratic rival said that on the way to the Nov. 4 finish line he’s visited several rural Alaska communities, including Bethel, Kotzebue, Nome and outlying villages.

He pledged to use technologies such as teleconferencing, videoconferencing and live online discussion to stay connected with rural Alaska as a candidate and, if elected, as senator.

The Begich Senate campaign also plans more visits to Western Alaska.

During the teleconference, Begich offered his views on how if elected he would address the concerns of rural Alaskans on ethics, energy and the economy.

He described increasing ordinary Alaskans’ access to D.C. representatives, their information on representatives’ political work and participation in government decision-making.

The candidate said he would push for expanding federal requirements for financial disclosure by congressional candidates and representatives to include more detailed information available to the public online and kept permanently in the public record.

He said he would support the formation of a citizens’ oversight committee on ethics in the Senate.

He also said his office schedule as sitting senator would be posted online so the public could view which lobbyists have come into his office, along with listings of formal and informal requests for earmarks including identification of who made the request and for what purpose.

Begich’s Senate bid and ethics platform comes at a time when Stevens has struggled with allegations of ethics violations, which have included investigations and a high-profile raid of Stevens’ Girdwood home by the FBI and IRS.

But Stevens also has a history of garnering federal dollars for rural Alaska. In 1986, he successfully persuaded Congress to grant Alaska Native corporations the right to “sole bid” federal contracts under the federal 8(a) Business Development Program for minority-owned businesses. The program has recently come under fire as part of wider criticism of the federal government’s process for awarding contracts.

“We have to look at what we do today for the next 20 to 30 years of the 8(a) program,” Begich said. “Because of the controversy around that issue, I think there’s been limited capacity for Stevens to have input. I would provide a fresh approach to how to repackage it and to help people understand the value of it in Alaska and around the country.”

Begich said he would also work for a state and national energy plan that battles fuel price rises in the long term by investing in infrastructure for harvesting alternative energies.

During a recent trip, he toured a solar panel project in Nome and wind farms in Kotzebue.

“Fuel cost is huge, and the reason it’s now a bigger issue than ever before, is because we’ve never had an energy policy for Alaska or our country for 40 years,” Begich said.

“I respect (Stevens’) service, but we still have no energy policy, people are paying enormous costs, we’re deeply reliant on foreign fuel, and we’re putting our nation’s economy and security at risk.”

Mary Lochner can be reached at (907) 348-2480 or toll free at (800) 770-9830, ext. 480.