Ed Schoenfeld

JUNEAU, ALASKA (2010-07-29) The challenger in Southeast’s District 5 House race says he wants to focus on ferries, fisheries and finances. Cordova Democrat Robert Beedle hopes to win the seat held by Haines Republican Representative Bill Thomas. The incumbent has a similar agenda.

The race is to represent small cities and villages from eastern Prince William Sound to southern Southeast. Those communities include Metlakatla, Craig, Klawock, Kake, Angoon, Hoonah, Skagway and Yakutat.

Beedle is a member of Cordova’s City Council and a director of the town’s telephone cooperative. He’s also been part of organizations from the local Moose Lodge to the NRA to Cordova District Fishermen United.

He says he decided it’s time to serve a larger community.

Robert Beedle's campaign website
Bill Thomas' Legislative website
Read a wrap-up of Southeast races
Link to state elections information

"I’m a lifelong Alaskan born in Cordova. I’ve been doing service work and stuff in my community. I’ve been doing it my whole life. It’s just an opportunity to take it to the next level," he says.

Beedle’s fished commercially for 35 years and also owns a refrigeration business. The 52-year-old is married with four children.

He says he’s running in part to improve marine highway service. His Prince William Sound hometown is part of the route for the small ferry Aurora and the fast ship Chenega.

"The service is inconsistent and we don’t know if we’re going to have it year to year. And when you pull a boat out of service have one able to take its place instead of no service for a couple of months. Just a little more reliability there," he says.

He wants to support sustainable fisheries by increasing funding for
the state Fish and Game Department, as well as regional

  Robert Beedle                                       hatcheries. He says he’ll pursue alternative energy projects to lower electrical costs. And he wants to look for ways to tighten the state budget, though he has no specific plans.

Cordova is at the northwest end of House District 5, and Beedle admits he has not spent much time in its other communities, most of which are in Southeast. But he doesn’t see that as a problem.

Beedle, 22 seconds: I was looking at Haines’ website the other day and you could almost put Cordova’s name in there the way they described it. So I do see a lot of similarities. I’m sure there’s a few differences. There’s only a couple with roads. Most of us need to rely on planes and boats to get to the town.

Beedle faces no opponent in the August 24th Democratic party. But he’s up against Haines Republican Bill Thomas in the November general election.

He’s not critiquing the three-term incumbent, at least yet.

"I don’t feel like I’m running against Bill Thomas. I’m running for District 5, to represent the area. I would just like to step up and represent District 5 and I could do a great job," he says.

Thomas has won three hard-fought elections. He says his work in the Capitol, especially on the budget-writing Finance Committee, should help him get re-elected.

"People know I have the experience and knowledge and get around that building pretty well. So I’m hoping I just have to reiterate that again and tell them, look the success shows that we’ve been very successful the last six years. I think experience helps and let’s keep it going," Thomas says.

homas is a 63-year-old commercial fisherman, Vietnam Veteran and former lobbyist. He served on Haines’ Borough Assembly, chaired the Klukwan, Inc. village Native corporation board, was on the Chilkoot Indian Association Council, and is on the Sealaska regional Native corporation board of directors. He’s married with five children.

Like Beedle, he does not face a primary opponent. In fact, only one of six Southeast legislative races has a primary this year.

Incumbent Wrangell Representative Peggy Wilson is being challenged by Petersburg’s Steven Samuelson for the District 2 Republican nomination. The   
winner will face Sitka Assembly member and Democrat Reber Stein in the general                        Bill Thomas
election.

And there’s only one more regional general election race. Ketchikan Republican Representative Kyle Johansen faces Democrat Ottar Mobley of Thorne Bay in District 1.

Juneau’s legislative delegation -- Democratic Senator Dennis Egan, Democratic District 3 Representative Beth Kerttula and Republican District 4 Representative Cathy Munoz -- face no ballot opposition.

Thomas, in District 5, says this might be his last race.

"Redistricting may make it such a hurdle that it may not be worth it. Or I’ll have to work a little harder and we’ll see. I don’t know when the lines will be because when we’re done, who knows where I’ll be," he says.

This is the last election before population-driven reapportionment changes district boundaries. And Southeast will likely lose a House seat.