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Ruffner joins field challenging Seaton

State of Alaska

 

House District 31 will have another challenger for Representative Paul Seaton this fall. Robert Ruffner, currently a member of the state Board of Fisheries, filed to run last week.

He says he wants to focus on finding a middle-ground solution to the state’s financial problems.

“We’ve been at loggerheads for several years now and I just don’t think that anybody feels like we’re accomplishing what needs to be done. My track record is working with people on a variety of issues, whether they’re local issues or fish issues, has really been to take a collaborative approach to solving things and I think I can bring that to the legislature just like I’ve done at the local government level and just like I’ve done on the fish board.”

Ruffner was appointed to the Board of Fish by Governor Bill Walker in 2015, but not confirmed until he was nominated a second time the following year. He also currently serves on the Kenai Peninsula Borough planning commission but is likely best known for his work as executive director of the Kenai Watershed Forum for almost two decades.

 

Ruffner says he thinks the state budget could be trimmed even more, but a key for him is figuring out how to put the state’s oil wealth, the Permanent Fund, to use in balancing the budget.

“If we continue down the path that we’re on right now (where) folks say they want to give full dividends and the way that we’ve done it in the past. What they’re saying is they’re willing to scratch out the first word in permanent fund. It’s going to be a fund, but it’s not going to be permanent. It’s going to be at much greater risk than really sitting down and figuring out a different model to allow that permanent fund to continue on so that my kids and their kids will be able to benefit from that in the future.”

The incumbent, Paul Seaton, has come under fire from the state Republican party for breaking ranks to caucus with the Democratic majority in the House. Ruffner says he’s not worried about his switch in party affiliation, from Democrat to independent to Republican over the past three years.

“The reason I switched to being a Republican a couple years ago was that I firmly believe, as we’re heading into the financial situation we are, the Republican party has a much better handle on the need to be conservative and cut back on spending. And we’re seeing that right now with the budgets being developed. The Senate is continuing to apply downward pressure, we saw the governor come out with a budget that’s more or less a status quo budget. The House budget in the bipartisan coalition, they’re the only ones that increased the budget.”

Ruffner joins the primary field against Seaton with frequent Anchor Point candidate John Cox.