Contributed by Jim Cooper
I am Jim Cooper and I am a candidate for State Senate District F.
Why am I running? I am running because the State’s economy is in free fall. There has not been a fully functional balanced budget in over 20 years. The funding for health services and education has been cut for the last 5 years and the PFD has been cut for the last 7 years. Alaska has ranked near the top of all 50 states in domestic violence, alcoholism, sexual assault and now teen suicide for the past 2 decades. This is tragic and could be avoided. But the current majority in the legislature are not addressing those issues, they want to keep cutting the budget, thus taking monies away from any programs that can help with these problems. We can’t keep spending from our savings account while not replacing it with any income. It is a stark reality but if we keep going on the current path of continued cuts, we will be broke – and soon. We need to get income. We need to get the BILLION plus dollars a year that we are giving to the international oil companies. That is YOUR money, not theirs and all that money goes out of state and does nothing for our economy. This has an effect on many programs. Our education infrastructure is crumbling, our public safety and our health services are suffering and our roads, bridges, airports and ferries are in need of repair. You can’t run your household on just cutting expenditures, you need income to pay for your necessities – food, medicine, mortgage, utilities, clothes, gas. The same is true for the state. We need income so that the services you need, you require, the ones the state promised are met. That income needs to come from a variety of sources. I am willing and able, along with your help to make the tough decisions on how to get that income so that we, as a people and a state, will continue to prosper.
The issues facing us today need an individual who can use their experience and leadership skills and their ability to get the job done. I first moved to Alaska in 1958 and my first job (at the age of 11 and the younger brother) was to crawl under the halibut table and catch the heads before they were tossed into the ocean. I would then pass them to my brother and together we would cut out the cheeks and try to sell them for 25 cents a pound. It was slimy and stinky work but I learned the value of hard work. The lessons learned during my 26 years in the Coast Guard have stuck with me as well – how to get along with people, how to work together to accomplish the job – no matter how hard, how to work through difficult situations and how to persevere, how to work with a diverse group of people to come together for a common goal. During my Coast Guard career, I was responsible for the life and well-being of over 1000 people and their families. I know the hardship faced with death, the loss of income or housing. I can and will use this experience to help solve the state’s crisis.
After retirement, we moved to Palmer where my wife and I owned the JUST SEW fabric store. I know how hard it is to run a business and keep it successful. I was President of the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce, a Palmer city councilman and Palmer Mayor. I know the difficulties of balancing the budget, attracting new business to town, increasing wages for city employees so they are not on food stamps. I was also President of the Alaska Municipal League where I represented 141 municipalities throughout the state. I know the difficulties they faced and I did my best to represent each of their needs to the legislators.
Today you need an individual who will look after your interests and concerns and one who will work tirelessly for all of you. You deserve better than you currently have. Don’t be confused by my opponent’s rhetoric. You need someone who will represent you and not any political affiliation or special interest group. I am that someone. Together we can make a difference. Please join me November 3 and vote Jim Cooper Senate District F.