Political pundits and our colleagues at the Anchorage Daily News gave state Senate President Ben Stevens a bad rap in the battle over road and trail planning in Anchorage. They were unhappy because his father, U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, inserted a measure in the federal transportation bill to assure that legislators in Alaska and Hawaii are represented on the policy committees of their respective transit authorities. In Alaska those include the Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transit Study (AMATS) and one in Fairbanks known as FMATS. The policy committees set priorities for how transportation money is spent. Ben Stevens and Mayor Mark Begich have been at odds over the issue for several years. The mayor doesn't want legislators to be included, but Stevens says they should. Begich is now a member of the committee, which also includes two members of the Assembly and two members of the governor's cabinet. The younger Stevens maintains that the city spends too much of its transportation money on trails,
section : voice
last updated : August 19‚ 2005
It's natural for a father to look out for his son, but when both father and son are powerful politicians, there has to be a limit to what a father will do on his son's behalf. U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens ran well past that limit earlier this summer. He used his senatorial clout to aid his son's efforts to weaken Anchorage officials' control over local transportation policy. In the voluminous federal transportation funding bill, the elder Sen. Stevens included an obscure provision saying legislators in Hawaii and Alaska are allowed to serve on metropolitan transportation panels that allocate federal funds. That provision shores up his son, Ben, in a fight with Anchorage officials. From his position as state Senate president, Ben Stevens is trying to place state legislators on the panel that sets road and trail priorities for Anchorage. That panel, known as AMATS, is a cooperative effort between the city and the state. It is required as a condition for spending Anchorage's abundant share of federal transportation
section : opinion
last updated : August 14‚ 2005
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens has helped pass legislation related to a dispute between his son, state Sen. Ben Stevens, and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich over control of federal transportation spending in Anchorage.
The elder Sen. Stevens, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, inserted a provision into the recently approved transportation bill that says state legislators may serve on city transportation boards that manage the federal highway money.
The Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions board and its counterpart in Fairbanks decide how to spend federal money for roads, pathways and programs to thin traffic in their respective cities.
section : alaska wire
last updated : August 11‚ 2005
U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens has stepped into an ongoing battle between his son, Alaska Sen. Ben Stevens, and Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich over control of federal transportation spending in Anchorage. The elder Sen. Stevens, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, inserted a provision into the recently approved transportation bill that says in Alaska and Hawaii, legislators may serve on the transportation boards that manage the federal highway money -- including AMATS in Anchorage and FMATS in Fairbanks. The five-member AMATS Policy Committee currently includes no legislators. It consists of two state administrators, the mayor and two Anchorage Assembly members -- which gives the balance of power to local government. The committee decides which roads, trails and air quality projects are to be funded with federal money. Ben Stevens, president of the state Senate, sponsored a state law that would add two nonvoting state legislators and two citizens to the five-member body, diluting the influence of local
section : front
last updated : August 11‚ 2005