Even before being sworn in as your representative to the 24th Alaska State Legislature, I have been busy working for District 36. I feel a great responsibility representing this District, and I will work hard for you.

The mission of my office and staff is to provide the best possible service to constituents. I will solicit and listen to your concerns and viewpoints. You may not agree with every decision I make, but my goal is that you will feel well represented and that the line of communication is always open.

I have assembled a tremendous staff-three local women who have a variety of talents and experience. All have advanced degrees, but it is their concern and commitment to the community that makes them great choices.

Suzanne Hancock is my Chief of Staff. She has lived in Kodiak since 1975, worked many years as a reporter for the Kodiak Daily Mirror and recently worked for Senator Alan Austerman. Suzanne has many years of experience in local politics having served on the School Board and Kodiak Island Borough Assembly. As School Board president, she recalls giving Christine Marasigan her high school diploma and now they will work together for the community in this office.

Christine returns to Alaska having earned her Master's degree from Western Kentucky University and completed her doctorate coursework at UCLA. Some of you may remember Christine from her service on the Alaska State Human Rights Commission, the board of the Kodiak Island Convention and Visitor's Bureau or her previous position at the Alutiiq Museum. In addition to assisting me during this legislative session, Christine will be in the Kodiak office during the interim.

Kimberly Wallace is also a former Kodiak High School graduate and joins my team for the session in Juneau. She earned her Master's degree in business this spring from UAA and holds a Bachelor's degree in Russian Studies from UAF. Most recently, Kimberly was a project manager for UAA's American Russian Center, managing projects in Anchorage and the Russian Far East. As my fisheries committee aide, Kimberly will be actively involved in issues pertaining to District 36.

This part of the session is "getting to know you." There are many new legislators, such as myself, who need to get to know each other and form relationships with existing legislators. Politics is about people and how they communicate and relate to each other. In order to be successful in your endeavors you need the support of others and I want to forge alliances and personal connections that will enable me to benefit District 36. Both Senator Gary Stevens and I are committed to having our offices work together as a unit for the good of this District.

I have four committee assignments, which will take a considerable amount of my time and my staff's time. But the committee process is crucial to fine tuning some legislation, moving along other legislation, and making sure poor legislation never sees the light of day. My committee assignments are all ones that should see legislation that will affect this District.

I am co-chair of the special Committee on Fisheries with Representative Bill Thomas. Representative Thomas has been a long-time commercial fisherman in Southeast. Kimberly will be my fisheries committee aide.

I am also on the standing Resources Committee. District 36 is resource rich from our commercial fisheries to the gold mine in Iliamna and I am very pleased to be on the Resource committee. Christine will be my aide for this committee assignment.

Suzanne Hancock will be my aide for the other two committees-Labor and Commerce as well as Community and Regional Affairs.

In future columns, I will be giving you some websites to help you track the legislative process and other information to try and keep everyone informed about the process. Your best resource in Kodiak is the Legislative Information Office located at 112 Mill Bay Road. The phone number is 486-8116. Lorna Steelman is a wealth of knowledge. She and Heather Fincher are knowledgeable and helpful. If you have an issue of concern, they will let you know if any committee hearings are scheduled. This is often your opportunity to testify and give input in Kodiak to a hearing that is occurring live in Juneau. Senator Stevens and I will have regularly scheduled constituent meetings through the LIO so that we can talk via speakerphone or you can call in from the villages. We'll let you know more when one is scheduled.

Thanks to the Kodiak Daily Mirror for giving us this space for a regular column. If you are traveling to Juneau, be sure and drop by. We've been fortunate in being assigned a spacious, cheerful office space and look forward to your visit. We can be reached at the State Capitol in Juneau, AK 99801, via telephone at 1-800-865-2487, and via e-mail at Representative_Gabrielle_LeDoux@legis.state.ak.us. I want to hear from you on many issues, and I will be calling people whose life and livelihood will be affected by proposed legislation.

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