Mayor Mark Begich remarks
Alaska Federation of Natives 41st Annual Convention
10 a.m.; Oct. 26, 2005; Egan Convention Center

Good morning. Thanks to AFN Co-Chairs - Senator Albert Kookesh and Tim Towarak. To President Julie Kitka.

And to the entire AFN board for your continued leadership every day on the issues important to Alaska Native people throughout our great state.

A special thank you to the elders for sharing your wisdom and knowledge with us at the Youth and Elders Conference, and throughout the convention.

At a time when our nation is at war, I know each of us send our prayers to our brave soldiers, especially the hundreds of National Guardsmen and women from your communities who have been called up. And we also salute our veterans, many of whom are here with us.

I bring you a warm welcome from Anchorage, Alaska’s largest Native village. We have been working hard the past year to make this year’s AFN convention the most successful ever.

Several hundred Anchorage residents are stepping forward to volunteer. Hundreds more participated in cultural awareness workshops to better welcome you. Businesses are generously underwriting convention costs.

I hope many of you enjoyed the delegate reception last evening. We want that to be a regular part of future AFN conventions here in Anchorage. I especially want to thank Northern Air Cargo and Shell Exploration for their generous donations to make last night possible.

Let me single out two city employees for their hard work in assisting AFN with the convention: my rural affairs coordinator, Roy Agloinga from White Mountain. And our city convention coordinator, Clare Charlie, from Nenana by way of Minto.

Roy fills a position I promised to create three years ago – Anchorage’s first-ever rural affairs coordinator. He and Clare are doing great work.

In two years – just in time for the 2008 AFN convention - our new Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center will be open. We hope you will consider it your new convention home.

I am so happy that Anchorage is recognizing the original inhabitants of this area - the Dena’ina Athabascan people - by naming what will be Alaska’s most impressive building in their honor. This is not only important recognition but helps education people about the important contributions of Alaska’s Native people.

Anchorage is proud to be a gathering place for meetings of Alaska Natives and other indigenous people. Last week, we hosted the National Congress of American Indians.

This spring, 600 international delegates to the International Whaling Commission gather here. And next July, we’ll welcome the World Eskimo Indian Olympics for the first time in WEIO’s 45-year history.

Anchorage’s doors are open to rural and Native Alaskans. We know the prosperity of Anchorage, and our entire state, depends on rural Alaska’s success.

Here in Anchorage, we are striving to be good partners. We are redeveloping downtown to make the city friendlier and easier to get around. We are fighting crime and intolerance, making our city safer for all Alaskans.

We are growing our museum, in large part to be a better place to showcase Alaska Native art and artifacts from Smithsonian storage lockers.

And we welcome with open arms the enormous investment being made here by Native entities – CIRI, Chugach, ASRC, Koniag, Aleutian-Pribilofs, many more.

Improving relations between urban and rural Alaska has been an important part of the Begich family for decades. And like in our family, it is a tradition which should be passed on to future generations.

That’s why we cannot tolerate the divide between urban and rural. That is why we cannot – and should not – accept second class treatment of thousands of Alaskans.

Anchorage was shocked by a newspaper headline just 10 days ago which said - quote: “Many Alaskans face prospect of 50 below without heat.” We must address the energy crisis in rural Alaska.

We are disturbed by on-going testimony in a lawsuit over education funding which details inferior treatment of rural students. We must equitably fund every school in Alaska so that every Alaskan child has the opportunity to reach their God-given potential.

As a mayor, I was saddened by reports that many villages are eliminating essential services – or even shutting the doors – because of lack of assistance from the State. We must share Alaska’s enormous wealth with every community in this state.

Many rural communities are plagued by terrible social problems – alcohol and drug abuse, crime, suicide. We must address these problems with whatever works – tribal justice, elder panels, other traditional ways.

 Subsistence, the very foundation of Alaska’s rural way of life, is endangered by Alaska’s duel management system. We must pass a constitutional amendment to protect subsistence, forever.

 Our entire congressional delegation, every former governor and most state legislators agree on a constitutional amendment to guarantee a rural subsistence priority.

Four years ago, I was proud to help lead a campaign to support subsistence in Anchorage. We asked a simple question: do you support rural subsistence? Seventy-two percent of Anchorage residents said yes – they strongly support subsistence.

We have been with you in the past – we will be with you in the future.

Much is at stake in next month’s election. For you, and for our state.

The Alaska Newspapers reports this week that rural Alaska is the key to this year’s governor’s race. The polls show a very tight race.

Just one block from here at City Hall, you can make it easy and vote this week. They have ballots for every district in the state, and are glad to welcome you to vote between 9 in the morning and 5 at night.

As much as I’d like to, this is probably not the place for me to give an endorsement speech for who I believe should be our next governor. I will say this: remember who has stood with you in the past.

For affordable energy. For fair education funding. For revenue sharing. For tribal recognition. For subsistence. He will stand with you in the future. He knows rural Alaska and is he committed to you.

Thank you for honoring our community with your presence. Quyana.

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