"Ralph Townsend"

Everyone’s situation varies. But on the whole, a public employees’ union manager says work-from-home costs far outweigh the cost savings.

While a number of economists have pushed Alaska lawmakers to bring revenues in line with spending over the past few years, many now agree that setting aside normal fiscal discipline during the pandemic is justified.

As Alaskans debate Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget cuts, a different state occasionally enters the conversation to serve as a kind of cautionary tale: Kansas.

Townsend was the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Winona State University in Minnesota. He’s also worked internationally, serving as chief economist for the Ministry of Fisheries in New Zealand.