With no opponents this election cycle, Juneau Representative Cathy Munoz has spent much of the campaign season attending regional gatherings, such as Southeast Conference and the Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand Camp, or helping fellow Republicans with their campaigns. She’s also had time to think about her priorities for the upcoming 28th Alaska Legislature.
Munoz has represented the Mendenhall Valley and north end of Juneau’s road system in the state House since 2008.
She’s the only Republican in Juneau’s three-person legislative delegation, which also includes House Minority Leader Beth Kerttula and Senator Dennis Egan, who’s one of ten Democrats on the Alaska Senate’s Bipartisan Coalition.
Kerttula is also running unopposed this year, while Egan is the only legislator whose seat is not on the ballot. All three ran unopposed in 2010.
“I don’t know why there’s not opposition, other than we’re doing a good job for Juneau,” Munoz says.
Her district (House District 31) was left largely intact by the state’s once a decade redistricting process, while Kerttula and Egan’s districts (House District 32 and Senate District P) expanded to include Petersburg, Skagway and a handful of smaller Southeast communities.
All told, Southeast Alaska lost one House seat and one Senate seat to redistricting. Munoz says that makes it all the more important for the region’s lawmakers to collaborate.
“In Southeast Alaska we all have to pull together,” she says. “Especially now that our numbers have decreased relative to the rest of the state. We need that close working relationship in the region to continue and I predict that it will continue.”
During campaign season, Munoz has stumped for other Republicans, including Wrangell’s Peggy Wilson and Bill Thomas of Haines.
Wilson is locked in a three-way race in the new House District 33 with fellow incumbent Republican Kyle Johansen and Democrat Matt Olsen, both of Ketchikan.
Johansen dropped out of the Republican primary to run as an Independent. Even though he’s still technically a Republican, Munoz says she’s backing Wilson.
“It’s difficult to take sides,” Munoz says. “But Peggy was the primary winner, so I don’t have any problem supporting her in the general. And she’s favored to win that race. I think she’s doing very well down in that area.”
Munoz sounds less confident about Thomas’ race against political newcomer Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins in the new House District 34.
“It’s a close race. There’s no question about it,” she says. “And it’s a concern, yes, because as co-chairman of the House Finance Committee, Representative Thomas, he’s in a position to have influence over a lot of projects that affect our region.”
While she still thinks Thomas will win, Munoz says she and Wilson are prepared to seek a seat on the Finance Committee should he lose.
“Most legislators agree, if not all that I’ve talked to, that Southeast will have a seat on Finance,” she says. “It’s a matter of whether it would be Representative Wilson or myself in the Majority caucus taking that position, if he were not elected.”
Munoz expects Republicans to retain control of the House, and she believes Nikiski Representative Mike Chenault will be reelected Speaker.
As usual, the majority and minority caucuses will meet the day after the election in Anchorage to organize for the 2013 session. She has her eye on chairing either Legislative Council or the Community and Regional Affairs Committee. Both panels deal with issues that affect Juneau’s role as the state capitol.
Munoz would also like to continue serving on the House Resources Committee, which dealt extensively with Governor Sean Parnell’s oil tax cut proposal in 2011. She voted for the plan, which would have cut taxes on oil producers by about $2-billion a year.
Munoz says oil taxes are almost certain to be an issue again in 2013, but she does not expect the contentious debates of the past two legislative sessions.
“What I’m hearing is that the legislation will look at new field development, as a way to incentivize new production and increasing production in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline,” she says.
Munoz says her specific priorities for next session include getting the final pieces of funding in place for a new State Library, Archives and Museum facility in Juneau, as well as energy and transportation infrastructure improvements throughout Southeast.
She also favors increasing the base student allocation, the formula used to provide the bulk of state money to Alaska school districts. Not all her fellow Republicans supported such an increase earlier this year, but Munoz thinks it might be unavoidable now.
“Our schools clearly need additional help,” Munoz says. “And I think most people recognize that the time has come for a BSA increase.”
Munoz plans to spend election night in Juneau watching results come in with friends. She’ll leave for Anchorage the next morning to attend organizational meetings.
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