VOTE
JOY BETH COTTLE
FOR STATE HOUSE
DISTRICT 34
Public Safety
The increased focus on recruitment and retention for jobs in the public safety sector has hit an all time high.
Joy Beth has personally watched many of the best Tier IV firefighters that she trained throughout her career leave Alaska to work towards a pension-style retirement in another state. This has convinced her we need a change to be competitive. The real impacts to quality service delivery, costs of training recruits, and energy devoted by leadership towards constant recruitment could be massively reduced by encouraging retention with a defined benefit system. We are the ONLY state without a DB system for public safety, and the costs to our state and local government of our employee turnover reflect that.
Public Education Champion
Joy Beth Cottle knows that a strong community begins with a strong educational system. Our Alaska Constitution places the onus of public education on the state, and Alaska cannot afford to continue under-funding our schools, our teachers, and our student services. Joy Beth believes that the children are Alaska's future, and it's time for us to invest by keeping schools funded to keep pace with inflation.
Affordable Energy
Many Alaskans in the Interior are spending an enormous percentage of their income on utility costs. This contributes to outmigration and adds to the overall hardship of the cold winters. Households with children or animals requiring heating systems are further impacted with additional electricity demands.
With an end-goal of affordable clean energy and a balanced budget, Joy Beth support projects and initiatives designed to reduce and stabilize energy costs in the Interior.