Former Democratic Rep. Les Gara announced that he would run for governor in 2022. He says that Alaska deserves better than a neglected, shattered economy.
He told KSRM:
“Alaska’s really in a place where people don’t see a brave future anymore. We could create 6,000 good paying jobs tomorrow if the governor didn’t duck his head in the sand. One of the results is our construction budget that’s always put people to work and built energy projects and maintained roads and done things across the state. Our construction budget is 75% lower than it used to be. That’s 6,000 lost jobs. People who’d make money, to be able to put food on the table, to be able to spend money at local businesses, that’s the beginning of the disaster this governor has created by ducking his head in the sand. We should have more people with more good paying jobs and this governor has built a state that’s still in recession where people aren’t getting those jobs.”
Gara speaks on creating opportunities for jobs:
“We need to make sure everybody has a path to be able to get a job, whether it’s job training or college or two-year degree or a one year certificate. The University of Alaska used to train people to be auto mechanics. We don’t have a chemistry degree in Anchorage anymore. The university’s been decimated. It was the biggest job training institution in the state so people could get the skills they need so they could support their families. We need to get back there. The governor has decimated our job training infrastructure. The infrastructure that lets families have their kids move forward to a bright future, we’ve got a dim future today.”
The Associated Press reports that Gara joins Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and former Gov. Bill Walker, who have previously announced intentions to run.