State of the State: Parnell's new path

Smoothing bruised egos and deep wounds suffered in a tumultuous past year of Alaska politics, Gov. Sean Parnell calmly laid out a policy-based agenda in his first State of the State address to kick off his first legislative session.

The governor took office nearly six months ago when his predecessor, Sarah Palin, resigned after a dramatic run for national office. Alaskans rode out steep ups and downs as their governor and state -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- made headline news across the nation. Now, Parnell is setting a steady course that several lawmakers remarked is just what the doctor ordered to restore focus.

Parnell reached out beyond the lawmakers gathered in the state Capitol for his State of the State address on Wednesday evening, vowing to fight federal rules slowing resource development, to send Alaska's students to college on the state's dime, and to take care of a backlog of needs.

His voice deepened with emotion as he talked of a key initiative to fight domestic violence and sexual assault in Alaska. Parnell has proposed to boost law enforcement, increase court penalties, and launch campaigns to empower families to break the bitter cycle of violence that can span generations.

Nowhere is that epidemic worse than in rural Alaska, where small, isolated communities are often without a nearby law enforcement officer and cultural norms can discourage open disclosure of family violence.

His commitment to adding officers in every village that wants a law enforcement presence, plus a promise to deal with a backlog of rural school needs, drew the attention of typically taciturn Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel. Hoffman, the powerful co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, is serving his 23rd year in the Legislature.

"I was quite pleased with the presentation that I heard tonight," Hoffman said, adding his hope that rural Alaskans will soon be only a phone call away from police help, thanks to the law-enforcement increases that come in Parnell's domestic violence package.

"I think that is an ambitious goal," Hoffman said. "I think that is one that rural Alaska will embrace."

Coupled with Parnell's pledge to address rural school issues, this could mark a new era for the Bush.

"I see this as opening a new door for rural Alaska," Hoffman said.

In his first formal address to state lawmakers, Gov. Parnell reiterated a sweeping agenda laid out over the past six months -- an agenda he hopes to follow through on not just this year, but for the next four, pending his election in November. From fighting federal "encroachment" on the state's right to develop its resources to funding scholarships for high school graduates, Parnell told lawmakers he will focus on developing the economy and creating opportunities for Alaskan families.

For Parnell, whose first State of the State address fell about a week shy of his six-month anniversary in office, the stakes are high. He is running in November's gubernatorial election, facing a diverse field of challengers, some with strong momentum and funding.

Elected in 2006 to serve as Alaska's lieutenant governor -- sometimes dubbed the "lite guv" by pundits unimpressed with the position's largely procedural duties -- Parnell's ascent to governor was swift and unexpected. Then-Gov. Palin abruptly resigned July 26, 2009, with 17 months to go in her first term, and Parnell took over.

At his swearing-in ceremony at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks, Parnell, a Republican, vowed to focus on Alaska's economy and families. He's stayed true to his mission, announcing a number of initiatives over the last six months to address a host of issues. Along with fighting domestic violence and sexual assault, he'd like lawmakers to create a $400 million account to fund scholarships for high school graduates. He proposes adding tax breaks for oil companies to spur production on the North Slope. Parnell also wants to spend $100 million per year for the next five years on a backlog of infrastructure maintenance projects across Alaska.

First elected to the House of Representatives at age 29, Parnell rapidly built his political standing, gaining entrée into the Senate in 1996. He rose to Senate Finance Committee co-chairman, a powerful position that helped distinguish him as a fiscal conservative.