My name is Bill Wielechowski, and I'm running for re-election to the
Alaska State Senate, to continue representing Mt. View, Muldoon
and Russian Jack.

It has truly been an honor to represent you these past years.  During
that time, I have worked hard to fulfill the promises I made, and to
help improve our neighborhood and Alaska.
 I have pushed to ensure
Alaska gets our fair share for our natural resources, for a natural gas
pipeline, jobs and economic development, an improved education
system, public safety, an improved infrastructure and property tax
relief - all while living within our means.  In fact, under a plan I pushed
for, we now have the largest savings account of any state in the
nation - with over $8 billion in savings.

One of the most important rights we have is the right to vote.  I don't
believe elections should be about catchy slogans, sound bites,
gimmicks or empty campaign promises.  The people of Alaska want
and deserve better.  That's why I've laid out my positions on a number
of important topics, so that you'll know where I stand on the issues.  
And if you'd like to know more, don't hesitate to contact me.

I think
elections should be about which candidate has a positive
vision, the experience, energy and leadership skills to achieve that
vision and who will work the hardest to get results for the community.

I hope you'll take a few minutes to read about my vision for Alaska,
my experience and the things I've already done to improve our
community.  I believe Northeast Anchorage has an exciting future.  I
hope we both share a positive vision for Alaska, and I hope I can
work hard enough to earn your vote again.

- Bill Wielechowski

My Priorities...

Property Tax Relief...

When I talked to many of you during my last campaign, I heard your
concerns loud and clear -- rising property taxes are hurting many of
our families.  While we can't control what the Municipality of
Anchorage does,  I promised to push to use surplus State funds to
provide property tax relief.

We passed several pieces of legislation that, according to an
independent
Legislative Research Analyst have saved homeowners
thousands of dollars on their property taxes
.  Property taxes are still
high, so I will continue to push for property tax relief.

Natural Gas Pipeline...

Alaska has been hoping for a natural gas pipeline for the last 30
years.  But hope alone has never been enough. The proposed natural
gas pipeline is the most important development of our generation.  It
will generate hundreds of billions of dollars in wealth.  It will provide
jobs and revenues for our grandchildren and their grandchildren. If will
allow us to fund a world-class education system, grow our Permanent
Fund, create entire new industries in Alaska, power our State for
decades and pay for much of our State expenses.  

Four years ago, I promised you that this would be a top priority of
mine, and that while the oil companies were working hard to
negotiate a deal that was in their best interests,
I would work hard to
negotiate a deal that was in Alaskans' best interests, as required by
the Alaska Constitution.  

Working across party lines, we passed the Alaska Gasline
Inducement Act (AGIA).  Thanks to AGIA, we now have all the major
North Slope oil companies
competing to build a gas pipeline, and
we are now closer to a gas pipeline than we have ever been in our
State's history.  And under AGIA, Transcanada and Exxon will be
required to use Alaska hire, to provide in-state gas and to keep
tariffs low - which means billions more revenue to Alaska, and more
money into our Permanent Fund.  

Now some are trying to roll back all the forward movement we've
made on building a gasline on Alaska's terms.  I will continue to fight
for a gasline that's in Alaskans' best interests.

Fiscal Responsibility...

I said four years ago that we should not spend our entire state
surplus, and instead should
save and invest most of that money for
the future
.  Thanks to the passage of a new oil valuation bill, and high
oil prices, we have had large surpluses.  While some have wanted to
spend that money, I pushed hard to save that surplus.  I am glad we
did that, as
we now have over $8 billion in savings - the largest
savings account in the United States
.

With all the amazing resources we have in Alaska, the last thing I
want to see is government tapping into the pocketbooks or
Permanent Fund Dividend checks of hard working Alaskans, so I will
continue to push to keep a large savings account.

Jobs and Economic Development...

One of the things I heard from you was that you wanted more training
opportunities.  While college is great for some people, Alaska is still
a blue collar state, and there are great high-paying construction jobs
out there.  
One of my proudest achievements was to work to open a
new construction training center in our neighborhood - the
Alaska
Works Training Center in Mt. View.

I also passed legislation to raise
Alaska's minimum wage for the first
time in seven years.  While Alaska's minimum wage is still the lowest
on the West Coast, and our cost of living is among the highest in the
nation, this raise will help many in our community.

We must also diversify our economy.  In order to attract and
encourage new businesses, and keep our old ones, we have to offer
a competitive business environment, improve our infrastructure,
maintain our high standards of quality of life and offer a top-flight
educational system, from kindergarten to university.

I believe one of the best opportunities we have to diversify our
economy and create thousands of new jobs is through
adding value
to the tremendous raw natural resources we have
.  I have done a lot
of research and travelled literally around the world looking into
building gas or coal to liquid (GTL or CTL) plants in Alaska, and am
working on legislation to spur these efforts.  These plants convert
natural gas or coal into ultra-clean diesel, naptha, distallates,
synthetic crude or waxes.  

A GTL plant in South Central would create over 10,000 construction
jobs and 650 full-time jobs, plus provide enough "waste" heat for a
300 megawatt power plant, along with billions in state revenues.  A
GTL plant on the North Slope could provide tens of thousands of
barrels of synthetic crude, which could be shipped down the Trans
Alaska Pipeline - extending the life of the oil pipeline.

I will continue to push for responsible economic development and
good Alaskan jobs.

Oil and Gas...

In recent years, many Alaskans began to lose faith in our government
because we were not getting our fair share for our oil and gas
resources.  Under our old tax structure, some of the largest fields in
North America were paying zero severance taxes.  The oil
companies were making tens of billions of dollars in Alaska, and
shipping those dollars to places like Libya and Venezuela, where tax
rates sometimes exceeded 90%.

Working across party lines, we passed
Alaska's Clear and Equitable
Share (ACES), which modernized our oil valuation structure, and
provided world class incentives for companies to reinvest in Alaska,
and to attract smaller independent explorers.  Thanks to ACES,
investment and jobs have increased on the North Slope and for the
first time in Alaska's history we have several new explorers, like ENI
and Pioneer. The state has also taken in billions in new revenue.  

ACES is working well, and Alaska remains a very good place to do
business.  According to Petroleum News, Conoco Philips has 12%
of their worldwide investment in Alaska, yet in the first quarter of 2009
generated 29% of their profits from Alaska.  In the second quarter of
2009, Conoco generated 55% of their worldwide profits in Alaska.  
Under modeling we did during ACES, BP's rate of return in Prudhoe
Bay exceeds 100% at $80/ barrel oil under ACES.  

While we are in a worldwide recession now, and companies have
slowed the pace of their exploration worldwide, some are attempting
to take advantage of that and roll back the efforts we have made in
getting our fair share.  If tweaks are needed in ACES, I will support
those, but I have yet to see any evidence that wholesale changes are
needed.

I have also pushed for the State to receive
federal revenue sharing
for offshore oil and gas development.  Had Alaska had the same
revenue sharing as the Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, we would
have gotten nearly $1 billion in revenue from offshore lease sales in
the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.

We must maintain a competitive environment in our oil fields,
providing incentives for exploration.  At the same time, we must
remember that
the oil and gas belongs to Alaskans, and we must
obtain full and fair value for it
.  I will continue to make sure we meet
our Constitutional mandate to maximize our natural resources, and
stand up to the oil industry when their interests conflict with the best
interests of Alaska.

Education...

I believe it all starts with education.  A community that is well
educated is safer, wealthier, more tolerant and better able to attract
and create diverse businesses and good jobs.  As a former member
of the Anchorage School District Budget Review Team, and as the
son of a lifelong public school teacher, I know the importance of a
strong, adequately funded education system.  At the same time, we
must be sure we are getting the most efficient and effective school
system we can get, with no waste.  Most of all, we need to get more
money into the classrooms.  

I have supported forward-funding of education funding, so that local
School Districts do not have to constantly pink slip teachers because
they do not know what level of funding they will receive.  I have also
supported increasing the overall education funding levels, and
vocational education.

Public Safety...

One of the primary responsibilities of government is to provide for
public safety.  In our part of town, many people don't feel safe in their
own homes.  That is unacceptable.  We must have zero-tolerance for
those destroying our neighborhood.

I have passed bills to protect our families and get tough on gang
members, sex offenders and drunk drivers.  I have also supported
efforts to rehabilitate those who can be rehabilitated.  My public
safety efforts lead to my being recognized by John Walsh, of
America's Most Wanted with the "Katie's Heroes" Award, and by the
Public Safety Employees' Association in receiving their Public Safety
Champion Award in 2008.  I have also been recognized as the
State
Legislator of the Year by the Humane Society of the United States for
my legislation increasing penalties for people who abuse animals.

Public safety will continue to be a top priority for me.


Protecting the Permanent Fund...

The Permanent Fund belongs to all Alaskans.  Many Alaskans rely on
the Permanent Fund to buy food, clothes and shelter.  I will continue
to defend the Permanent Fund

Protecting our Fishing and Hunting rights...

I grew up enjoying the outdoors and am an avid fisherman who
subsistence fishes every year.  We must protect our fisheries and
ensure access to fishing and hunting grounds.  
I am a supporter of
our Consitutional right to bear arms
and a proponent of gun safety
programs for Alaska's youth.  
My support of our Second Amendment
rights is shown by my last NRA rating of "A".

Pro-Veterans...

I honor those who have fought for our freedoms.  I knows our veterans
have given us the opportunities we are blessed to have.  I also
understand that the best way to show this respect is to support
policies that our Veterans deserve.

I have been honored these past years to have been chosen by my
colleagues to be the Co-Chair of the Joint Armed Services
Committee (JASC).  Through this committee, I have pushed to
protect Alaska's veterans, active duty members and military bases.

I passed
legislation that was the number one priority of numerous
Alaska Veterans' groups.  This legislation sought to have our
veterans receive the health care benefits that they were promised
and entitled to.  When Alaska Territorial Guard members lost their
pension benefits, I worked with my colleagues at the State and
Federal levels to have those restored.  I also was honored to pass
legislation and be a part of the State's Decoration of Honor
Ceremony - honoring all those Alaskans killed in action since
statehood.

Strengthening Diversity...

I believe our diversity in North East Anchorage is one of our greatest
assets.  Several years ago, when a young woman in Muldoon was
shot with paint balls and taunted with ethnic slurs, we had to show that
this type of behavior would not be tolerated in our community.  
As
President of the Northeast Community Council, I worked with the
Municipality of Anchorage to co-sponsor a diversity gathering at the
Northeast Community Center
.

Although it was -5 degrees below zero, about 75 people still turned
out to say, "Not in our Neighborhood."  As your State Senator, I'll
continue to make our diversity a source of strength, rather than a
point of division.

Paid for by Alaskans for Bill Wielechowski
1300 Farrow Circle, Anchorage, Alaska  99504
333-2806
Leadership
Bill Wielechowski
for Alaska Senate
Leadership        Experience        Commitment to Community
Putting Alaskans First