Tight Anchorage election races show targeting of incumbent’s education records
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Two Anchorage House election races, only separated by a razor-thin margin, show challengers using incumbents education voting records to target what they tell voters ahead of the November election, which will determine who controls state legislative power.
In the South Anchorage District 11 race, nonpartisan House candidate Walter Feathery — who only trails incumbent Rep. Julie Coulombe by 121 votes — has highlighted to voters Coulombe’s support of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of a comprehensive education package that included permanent education funding instead of one-time funding.
“Many in this district were very, extremely disappointed that she had held herself out and told people that she was for education, and she, in fact, voted for the bill, voted for SB 140, and then within two weeks, she caved to political pressure and voted against that bill,” Featherly said.
However, Coulombe said if she had voted to override the veto, she feels the governor would have likely vetoed the eventual per-student funding increase — known as the Base Student Allocation — which was eventually approved in the budget as a $174.6 million one-time $680 BSA increase.
“I’ve explained to them (voters) the situation that there would be no money coming this year,” Coulombe said. “The school district would have gotten no money if we hadn’t done that, and I would rather be the bad guy and go back and work on a more long-term solution.”
“Secondly, I think there was a concern around accountability that really wasn’t addressed… I asked the sponsor of the bill, if we, if we get the increase, will that improve scores? So that was a concern for me. I think coming up this year, it will be back, and I’ll be willing to work with people. I think the schools do need an increase. They’re getting killed by inflation, and I know that it affects teachers, the ability to hire teachers and retain teachers,” she said.
Furthermore, Coulombe questions if her education veto will have an impact on her general election race, considering she won the primary race
“And so I’m encouraged. I’m not discouraged at all,” Coulombe said.
The Republican incumbent beat Featherly in 2022, but the incumbent has raised considerable money this time to beat Coulombe. According to campaign financials from February 2nd to July 19, Feather outraised Coulombe significantly, $90,185 to $17.839.
“I’m putting a lot more energy in this campaign. I beefed up my campaign staff. I’ve raised a lot more money, ton more money than I did last time, but mostly I’m going to just work harder. I am working harder to earn the vote. The vote of every voter in this district…we deserve better and we can do better,” Featherly said.
The challenger also outraised Coulombe in 2022, but she said she isn’t threatened by the amount of money Featherly has raised. She feels her record as a lawmaker is more important, pointing to legislation she sponsored to expand eligibility for families to provide financial assistance for childcare and offer tax incentives for companies to invest in childcare options. The legislation is now law.
Coulombe said that if re-elected, she would like to help find permanent funding solutions for education and address energy issues. But that’s not everything she said.
“I’d like to work some more on victim restitution, which I had bills that I ran that didn’t make it all the way to the finish line. There’s some issues around corrections, OCS (Office of Children’s Services) I’d like to work on as well,” she said.
Featherly, who has lived in Alaska for 58 years and considers himself a fiscal conservative, has said he would also like to address energy issues if elected, but when asked about his background in education, which included him being recalled from the Anchorage School Board in 1992, he said he is “proud of it.”
“I hope they use that to judge my character because that does demonstrate my character. I took a bullet at that time in order to get rid of a superintendent who was undermining education and undermining this school district,” Featherly said.
While Coulombe’s lead over Featherly is slim, the Northeast Anchorage District 22 race — which includes the Muldoon and DeBarr areas — is even closer. Democratic Ted Eischeid, a retired teacher and Mat-Su Borough planner, leads incumbent Republican Rep. Stanley Wright by 35 votes.
Even though Wright, who did not respond to comment, voted to override the governor’s education veto, Eischeid feels Wright’s overall voting record gives him an advantage.
“I think ... when you look at education, you have to look at a body of votes. So on that issue, he voted well, but he also voted against education funding increases in various amendments and other bills,” Eischeid said. “He also voted to kill the public employee pension bill, which would fill some of those vacancies in our public schools.”
Like the Coulombe and Featherly race, Eischeid was beaten by Wright in 2022 and has out-fundraised the incumbent so far.
According to finance records, NEA-Alaska donated money to Eischeid and Featherly.
Eischeid, who taught middle school science for 25 years, said he will have “a laser-like focus on properly funding education.” Something he said voters are talking about as he his door-knocking around Anchorage.
The Democratic challenger said public safety and infrastructure are also issues he would like to focus on if elected, but raising the BSA is his top priority.
“They need $1,400, so the $680 is a band-aid. It’s halfway there., Eisheid said. “Because, you know, those children are not my children, they’re not your children, they’re Alaska’s children. And I think we need to bring legislators into schools and see what the issue is,” he said.
Alaska’s News Source contacted Wright’s office numerous times before publishing this story.
His office initially showed interest in an interview but did not respond after being informed Alaska’s News Source would not provide questions before the interview.
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