capital focus

JUNEAU — Longtime Fairbanks Republican Sen. Gary Wilken said Wednesday that he will not seek re-election to the Alaska Legislature this fall.

Wilken, who was first elected to the state Senate in 1996, told the News-Miner he was stepping down to spend more time with family and friends and to have the opportunity to get back into small business.

“I think when I look back on my years I’ll feel good that I was able, to some extent, to make good decisions based on fact and that those decisions helped Alaska,” he said.

Wilken joined the Senate Finance Committee in his third year in Juneau and served as co-chair of the committee between 2003 and 2006.

He focused heavily on K-12 and university funding, and he earned a reputation for putting together charts and graphs in support of his positions.

Wilken said he used another chart to help him decide whether or not to run again this year.

Ending up in the minority with four other Republicans during this two-year Legislature period fell under reasons to run, he said, describing the current bi-partisan majority as held together “by surpluses and silly putty” and saying he wanted to see things through.

Addressing key issues such as securing a natural gas pipeline project also fell under reasons to run, he said. “It’s really, really difficult for me to walk away from participating in some of the biggest decisions Alaska will ever have.”

Under reasons not to run, Wilken put his realization that he wouldn’t have the same passion for the job in the next four years as he had in his first.

Wilken, who turns 62 today, laughed out loud when asked about a rumor that he was planning a run for Fairbanks North Star Borough mayor.

“That would be a lot of fun, but I’m just too old,” he said. “I’m not moving and I’m not going to be borough mayor,” he added, addressing another rumor.

Sen. Gene Therriault, a Republican from North Pole and head of the Senate minority, said Wilken has earned a reputation as hard-working and credible, as other Interior lawmakers have in years past.

“Big shoes to fill, definitely,” he said.