After a chaotic start to Wednesday, the Alaska House of Representatives elected Wasilla Republican Cathy Tilton as the House speaker.
Tilton stated after the vote, “We are ready show Alaskans we’re ready for business.” “We did not want to repeat the previous sessions in which Alaskans waited for business to start.
This is the third consecutive legislative cycle that the House has started its session without forming a coalition. However, in recent years, it took longer to organize — sometimes as long as five weeks.
Tilton stated that the majority coalition includes all House Republicans except Wasilla Rep. David Eastman, and Kodiak Rep. Louise Stutes. It also includes the Bush caucus which is comprised of Bethel Democrat Rep. C.J. and Dillingham Independent Rep. Bryce Edgmon. McCormick and Utqiagvik Independent Rep. Josiah Patkotak.
McCormick was also the only member to vote against Tilton’s speakership. McCormick has not responded to our request for comment.
Tilton stated that the coalition was based on policy agreement.
“I believe that we can all agree that the fiscal stability in Alaska is a priority for this session. She stated that this is the most important issue we will be working on.
Tilton stated that the House would begin announcing assignments to committees on Thursday.
The Wednesday morning session saw representatives spend a lot of time deliberating privately with each other. Multiple names were proposed by members for the speakership. These included Edgmon and Stutes, Kenai Republican Rep. Justin Ruffridge and Northern Kenai Republican Rep. Ben Carpenter. Carpenter and Edgmon declined to be nominated.
Members voted 26-14 in favor of Tilton being elected to the Speaker seat. Foster and Juneau Rep. Andy Story were the only House Democrats who voted against. Tilton stated that the votes are not in line with those of the Republican-led majority coalition.
The Senate passed Tuesday’s leadership confirmations and is moving forward with plans to increase education funding and redesign the state pension system. Zack Fields, Anchorage Democrat Representative, stated that most of his House counterparts support these priorities.
He stated that he believes it is imperative for both the majority and the minority to work together towards their common goals. “Those are the two most pressing issues facing us this calendar year.”
