December 1, 2014 Dear Alaskans, Today, Sandy and I attended the swearing in of Alaska’s new governor, Bill Walker, and our new lieutenant governor, Byron Mallott. What a profound privilege for us to live in this republic—our representative democracy that provides for the peaceful and orderly handing of the baton to the next administration. We thank Gov. Walker and First Lady Donna for working with us through this transition. The ball is in their hands now, and we wish them the best. Budget Work Turned Over to New Administration One of my last official acts included making sure a budget proposal was prepared for the incoming administration that is hundreds of millions of dollars lower than the current budget. The budget work I gave over to the Walker Administration includes about $700 million less in spending than a status quo budget. That means the budget proposal I put forward to the new administration currently hits a target of about $5.5 billion for FY 16 (down from status quo spending of about $6.2 billion). The budget work we turn over is a solid starting point for the new administration. U.S. Senate Election Certified Today, with Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell, I signed the election certification confirming Dan Sullivan won the election as Alaska’s new U.S. Senator. Senator Dan joined us in Juneau for the signing and we offer congratulations to Dan, Julie and to the entire Sullivan and Fate families. Life After Being Governor of Alaska After the swearing-in ceremony in Juneau, Sandy and I returned to Anchorage with Annie--our yellow Labrador seen around Juneau these past few years. We took a few minutes to get some boxes in the door and dashed up to Grace and Austin’s place to see them and our grandson, Rowan. News reporters and many of you have asked recently what our next steps will be. We only know in a general way what our next steps include--Sandy and I intend to seek God’s direction forward, we’ll take more time to appreciate those nearest, and proactively seek ways to continue serving Alaskans and others beyond our self. I’m also a voracious reader and I usually have about three to four books going at a time so even more reading (and exercise) is in my future. I’ll work to post via social media—though I still have a lot to learn there! If you’d like to stay in touch, feel free to write us at P.O. Box 241787, Anchorage, AK 99524. All the best, Sean Parnell Governor of Alaska (2009-2014)
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 07:24:45 +0000
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