Viewpoints: Letters / Opinions
The People's Representative: Dan Ortiz
By Evan Wick
October 27, 2016
Thursday PM
I have known Representative Ortiz for twelve years. He is a dedicated teacher, coach, mentor and state representative.
The last two years Rep. Ortiz has worked hard in our state legislature to be the representative that Southern Southeast Alaska needs. In his short time as our representative, Ortiz has sponsored a bill to limit legislative sessions to 90 days which saves the state money, worked closely with representatives across the aisle, secured funding for the Ketchikan Airport, worked to overcome proposed cuts to the Alaska Pioneer Home program and collaborated with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski to solve the Hyder-British Columbia border issue.
The GOP party has tried to make this election between Rep. Ortiz and Mr. Sivertsen about political parties and not about the issues, by funneling money into attack ads aimed at Ortiz regarding him joining the minority party in the state legislature. The fact is, Rep. Ortiz, an independent representative, was not invited to join the majority party in 2012 which is held by the GOP and in return he joined the minority party which allows him to vote his district needs and not party lines, benefitting us in District 36.
If we look at the U.S. general election, we see what partisan politics has done for us. As Alaskan voters, we can keep partisan politics out of our state legislature and elect representatives based on issues and not political parties. Rep. Ortiz has put District 36 and its issues first during his time as our representative and will continue to do so in his next two years as our representative.
While I am a registered republican, I believe in voting based on my morals and principles, and that is why I voted for Ortiz in 2014 and will be voting for him in 2016. I hope you will join me in doing the same come election day.
Evan Wick
Ketchikan High School Graduate
Fort Lewis College, School of Arts and Sciences
Ketchikan, Alaska
Received October 27, 2016
- Published October 27, 2016
About:: Kayhi Graduate
Fort Lewis College, Student
BA English-Communications '18
Registered Republican
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