A Citizen’s Guide

Gov. Sarah Palin is polling state senators on their preferred location for a special legislative session this fall, after Senate President Lyda Green turned down the governor’s request that she poll them.

Palin announced Aug. 3 that she would call a special session to review the state’s new oil production tax. She said she wanted to hold the session somewhere on the road system — not in Juneau — but wanted to hear from lawmakers, too.

Green, a Republican from Wasilla, wrote in a letter to the governor that she thought Palin had the “power and responsibility” of picking the location. She said she was happy to sit down with Palin, who’s also from Wasilla, and talk about anything. But she stopped short of agreeing to poll senators on their preference, instead offering to give Palin their contact information.

Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow wrote in an e-mail Friday afternoon that the governor’s chief of staff, Mike Tibbles, was polling the 20 senators. The governor will announce her decision Sept. 4, she added.

Sen. Gary Wilken, R-Fairbanks, said Friday he had already notified the governor that he preferred Juneau because that’s where the legislative infrastructure is. The other Fairbanks-area senators could not be reached Friday.

House Speaker John Harris, R-Valdez, did poll House members. Most of the Fairbanks area representatives expressed a preference for Juneau, but Rep. Jay Ramras, R-Fairbanks, went for Anchorage and Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, said the decision should be left to the governor.

Contact staff writer Stefan Milkowski at 459-7577.