May 13: Voice of The (Anchorage) Times on state employee contracts:

When the Legislature adjourned the other day, after a special session in which money magically was found to fund the first year of a three-year pay increase for state workers, there was no loud public applause, no drum rolls or fireworks. Aside from those in Juneau, where folks have been immersed in legislative activities since last January, the end of the 2000 regular session and the brief special session stirred no interest.

In Anchorage, at least, it may well have been a case of too much politics as adjournment coincided, more or less, with the windup of a runoff mayoral election campaign. A case of overload, perhaps -- just too much, a reason to tune out.

The adjournment trigger was the finding of $19 million, apparently previously overlooked, to give state workers pay increases.

Here's how Rep. Eldon Mulder, the Anchorage Republican who is co-chairman of the House Finance Committee, explained things: ''Working with the administration, we were able to find $14.3 million in the current year's budget and another $4.7 million from next year's budget, thus funding the contracts while reducing spending by over $33 million for fiscal year 2001.''

Oh. We hadn't thought of that.

No wonder people are inclined to tune out.

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