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Articles by Matt Claman
Opinion: It’s time to move from one big dam project to smaller, affordable dam projects
Alaska stopped work on the Susitna-Watana Dam in 2014 because it is too expensive, too big, and too risky. During the current election year, some have tried to raise this project as an effective option for our state’s energy future. But Susitna-Watana remains as financially impractical today as it was more than a decade ago. Alaska’s energy future lies in smaller projects — like expanding the Bradley Lake hydroelectric facility — that are more affordable, more efficient, and more likely to succeed.
Opinion: It’s time to move from one big dam project to smaller, affordable dam projects
The Susitna River winds its way toward Cook Inlet at the foot of Mount Susitna. (Anne Raup/ADN) Alaska stopped work on the Susitna-Watana Dam in 2014 because it is too expensive, too big and too risky. During the current election year, some have tried to raise this project as an effective option for our state’s energy future. But Susitna-Watana remains as financially impractical today as it was more than a decade ago.
It’s time to move from one big dam project to smaller, affordable dam projects
Alaska stopped work on the Susitna-Watana Dam in 2014 because it is too expensive, too big, and too risky. During the current election year, some have tried to raise this project as an effective option for our state’s energy future. But Susitna-Watana remains as financially impractical today as it was more than a decade ago. Alaska’s energy future lies in smaller projects—like expanding the Bradley Lake hydroelectric facility—that are more affordable, more efficient, and more likely to succeed.
Time to move from 1 big dam to small ones
Alaska stopped work on the Susitna-Watana Dam in 2014 because it is too expensive, too big, and too risky. During the current election year, some have tried to raise this project as an effective option for our state's energy future. But Susitna-Watana remains as financially impractical today as it was more than a decade ago. Alaska’s energy future lies in smaller projects — like expanding the Bradley Lake hydroelectric facility —that are more affordable, more efficient, and more likely to succeed.
Opinion: Justice for all Alaskans means support for a comprehensive crime bill
Law enforcement officers investigate the scene of a shooting in Centennial Park campground in Anchorage, Alaska, Wednesday, July 20, 2022. (Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News via AP) Over the past two years, Alaska’s Legislature has undertaken some of the most consequential and difficult work a lawmaking body can do: listening to the people who have been harmed, sitting with their pain and crafting legislation designed to prevent that pain from being inflicted on anyone else.
Opinion: Alaska’s budget shouldn’t hinge on a supermajority
Alaska's State Capitol in Juneau. (Loren Holmes / ADN archive) Approving the budget is the only legislation the Alaska House and Senate must pass each year, and the public should have a strong voice in the state budget. Unfortunately, the constitutional requirement that three-fourths of legislators must vote to override a governor’s budget veto has weakened the public’s voice.
Letter: The Assembly should not put the Anchorage sales tax proposal on the ballot
Assembly member Randy Sulte and the sales tax proponents estimate $60 million annually for municipal area projects (”Now is the time for action to make a stronger, more sustainable Anchorage”). But all of the projects listed — sports centers, recreation complexes, trailside facilities — would cost far more than $60 million. This year, the total cost of all 12 Anchorage bonds on the ballot is over $130 million — and mostly just for essential maintenance.
The rest of the country should learn from Alaska's successful ranked-choice voting experiment | Op-Ed
Look at the byline on this opinion piece, and you’ll see something rare in these divided times: A Democrat and a Republican writing together. But in Alaska, where we both serve in the Legislature, cooperation across party lines is becoming the norm, and we think we’ve established a model that would benefit the rest of the country. It isn’t that Alaskans agree on everything. Political factions have differences of opinion here just as they do everywhere else.
OPINION: Combating Alaska’s suicide crisis will take all of us
Editor’s note: This commentary discusses suicide. If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 24-hour support. I recently received an email from a friend. It was a suicide note. It included instructions on who should get the dog, what to do with clothing and some favorite things, and a request to be cremated. The note included apologies to some, criticism for others, and thanks for all those who had tried to help.
OPINION: We must protect Alaska’s fundamental right to privacy Original
A good constitution protects the fundamental rights of every citizen and limits the government’s power. Our state has a long-established tradition of giving distinct meaning to the Alaska Constitution, which often provides more protection for individual freedom than the U.S. Constitution. Protecting individual rights was key to the voters’ decision to amend the Alaska Constitution in 1972 to protect the right to privacy.
OPINION: Crisis Residential Centers - the next step in addressing Alaska’s behavioral health needs
House Bill 172, which establishes crisis stabilization and residential centers, recently became law in Alaska. The legislation provides much-needed improvements for Alaska’s mental and behavioral health system and will improve public safety. Passage of HB 172 is part of a multi-year effort in which the Legislature, the governor and the community have worked together for Alaska.
OPINION: Alaska has a crisis hiring and keeping competent state attorneys. Here’s how to fix it.
Public safety is one of the essential duties of government in our country. The Alaska Constitution guarantees the right to be secure in our persons and homes, the need to protect the public, and the right to speedy and public trials. After years of high turnover among our state prosecutors and their civil counterparts — in all, there are nearly 600 public sector attorneys in Alaska — we are experiencing a recruitment and retention crisis, and we resolved to stop the hemorrhaging this year.
OPINION: First responder retirement reforms will help Alaska retain talent, save money
The Alaska State Legislature changed to the current retirement system in 2005 in response to an alleged $5 billion gap between what the state was collecting and what it needed to pay for the state’s pension fund. The state’s actuary had miscalculated how much money would be needed, then hid the miscalculation from the state. The state sued the actuary, but that didn’t solve the issue with pensions.
OPINION: Bronson administration and Assembly members should put partisanship aside
By Matt Claman and Dan Coffey Updated: 1 hour ago Published: 1 hour ago Anchorage Assembly chambers. (Erik Hill / ADN archive) As former elected Anchorage Assembly members, we are both saddened by the current level of partisanship between the Assembly and Mayor Dave Bronson. As we watch, we are reminded of our public service on the Anchorage Assembly from 2007 to 2010.
Babcock shouldn’t be confirmed to Alaska Judicial Council
The Alaska Constitution established the Alaska Judicial Council to serve an essential role in building and maintaining fair and impartial courts throughout Alaska.
The strength of coalition leadership in the Alaska State House
Earlier this month, the Alaska State House organized with a tri-partisan majority coalition to continue a tradition that began in 2017. While harsh partisanship all-too-often characterizes the political landscape in Washington, D.C., and the other 49 states, the Alaska House of Representatives is the only legislative body in the country that shares leadership among the parties.
The acting mayor should serve through June
Congratulations and thank you to Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson for stepping up to lead our great city. Austin is a hardworking, dedicated public servant who is committed to making Anchorage a better community. Like many communities across the United States, Anchorage is facing myriad challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we tackle these public health issues and economic crises, we need strong and stable leadership.
Decrease in crime is good news for Anchorage
Improving public safety and making wise use of our public safety resources are the keys to effective criminal justice policy in our community and across Alaska. The Anchorage Police Department recently reported crime statistics that showed positive steps in improving public safety. For example, calls for vehicle theft and other property crimes dropped by roughly half from 2017 to 2020 and the number of homicides is the lowest in 15 years.
The importance of legal counsel in ending Alaska’s domestic violence epidemic
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s red-pen cut of all state funding to Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC), which helps provide essential legal services to domestic violence victims, undermined our common commitment to improve public safety and betrayed the governor’s promise to help crime victims no matter the cost. Through ALSC, the state helps improve public safety by connecting volunteer attorneys with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
July 4th: A time to respect and honor American institutions
As we celebrate our nation’s independence, we should be concerned about the growing lack of respect for the very institutions that our ancestors fought for in the American Revolution. Three independent branches of government and respect for the rule of law are the foundations of the American way of life. Our Founding Fathers knew that the three branches would sometimes disagree, which is why they made each branch independent.
Paying a dividend was not the original intent of the Permanent Fund
As Alaskans debate Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget, which includes a $3,000 Permanent Fund Dividend and “payback” dividends totaling more than $3,600, we often hear comments about the “right” to receive a dividend. History shows, however, that the payment of dividends was not part of the debate when we amended the Alaska Constitution to create the Permanent Fund.
Privatization isn’t a long-term answer for API. But it could help us get out of this crisis.
The controversy surrounding the Dunleavy administration’s announcement to bring in a for-profit company from Nashville to run Alaska’s only psychiatric hospital is a reminder that effective governing is hard and complicated. Given the scope of the problems at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API), it’s important to scrutinize the details of the governor’s plan. It now appears that the short-term contract with Wellpath Recovery Solutions is the first step by Gov.
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