Sam Cotten is the only name sent to Gov. Bill Walker as prospective commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.
The former speaker of the House was interviewed for nearly 90 minutes during a joint meeting of the Boards of Fisheries and Game in Juneau on Wednesday morning.
Cotten, the department’s acting commissioner, was asked a series of questions that would’ve been asked of all four applicants had they been interviewed. He was quizzed on topics including recent staff changes to intensive management, the federal government’s intervention and pre-emption eroding state management jurisdiction, and his understanding of the sustained yield principle.
Cotten was also asked how much influence the administration should exert on fish and game policy and management, whether he would prioritize projects or personnel in advance of budget cuts, and how he would go about retaining department staff and boost their morale. He said he hoped to visit as many field offices as he could. “I think that’s another show of respect to engage, understand what they do and understand their contributions,” Cotten said. “It’ll help me to do a better job as well.”
Cotten pledged more transparency, playing an active role as the public face of the department, and representing the administration during meetings of the Boards of Fish and Game and the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council. Board members approved of Cotten’s sincerity and knowledge of Alaska resource management, and his background as a lawmaker, commercial fisherman, sport fisherman and sport hunter. They unanimously voted to send his name on to the governor for consideration.
Roland Maw, director of the United Cook Inlet Drift Association in Soldotna, also applied for the commissioner’s position. Board of Game members were very interested in what Maw had to say. But Board of Fisheries members didn’t want to listen, and they unanimously voted against interviewing him. Maw said he wasn’t totally surprised.
“As an employee, we all have charges and jobs to do,” Maw said afterward. “And that has run a bit counter to some of the members of the board. I have my own value system that would tell me to pay attention to the resource. Not that they don’t. But the level of that attention is different between us.”
image credit Matt Miller KTOO
