Legislature 2001: New Opportunities for a New Session.

• Author: KELSEY, MARK

With the 2000 census complete, more legislative seats will likely go to populated regions of the state, taking away the voice of rural Alaska.

In its relatively short history, the Alaska Legislature has overseen--and initiated--some major changes that have shaped Alaskans' everyday lives. With a long-range fiscal plan and subsistence solution identified by both voters and lawmakers as high priority concerns, the state is at a crossroads. But it remains to be seen in which direction the Legislature will choose to go when the new session convenes next month.

Despite the issues, one former legislator says the bottom line remains the same from year to year.

"Ninety percent of what government does is about spending money," says Hugh Malone, who represented Kenai in the state House from 1972- 1984.

But there are different opinions about how that money should be spent, and the measure of a particular legislature's success is often viewed in terms of the results of that spending. Some years, policy changes enacted by the Legislature have been sweeping and progressive, while other years have seen little or no substantive movement. There are many factors determining the outcome of any legislative session, but there is never any guarantee about which way it will go.

"It's the luck of the draw," Malone said. "From time to time, you'll have a legislature where people want to work together, where they're thoughtful and altruistic. Other times it won't be as good. On the average, it's just average."

If social and economic landmarks are an accurate measure, Malone's dozen years in the Legislature were much closer to the above average end of that scale. During that time, some of the state's most notable and transforming actions were taken. The trans-Alaska oil pipeline was built, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act were both placed on the books, and the Alaska Permanent Fund was born.

"(That time period) was demographically significant," said Malone, who served as House Finance Committee chair and Speaker of the House during his tenure as a lawmaker. "There was an avalanche of money and the people it brought (to the state)."

Malone, who makes his home in Juneau now, said the building of the pipeline and the subsequent spending spree that followed accelerated a trend toward rapid growth of population centers, particularly the Anchorage area That trend was largely responsible for putting Malone in the Legislature. Following the decennial census in 1970, the Kenai Peninsula was given an extra representative in Juneau. Good for Malone, but bad for other areas of the state.

"That new seat was no doubt taken away from a rural district," he said.

One legislative seat may not seem significant, but over time, the demographic shift toward the cities has widened the gap between urban and rural that continues to be a divisive issue today as lawmakers grapple with striking a balance between the needs of city- and bush-dwellers. With another census recently completed, that divide is likely to worsen.

"It will happen again. Political power will be concentrated in the population centers," Malone said. "Anchorage will have complete control over the Legislature and, therefore, over the purse strings."

Sitka Democrat Ben Grussendorf, who recently retired after serving 20 years in the state House, agreed that the shift in...