Editor's note: As candidates for governor come through Chugiak-Eagle River on the campaign trail, we will catch up with each to get their thoughts on Alaska's state government.

Gov. Sean Parnell works the crowd at the 2010 Bear Paw Festival's Grand Parade Saturday, July 10. Star photo by Zaz Hollander

Gov. Sean Parnell marched in Saturday's Bear Paw Grand Parade as the state's top elected official – a job he hopes to keep.

Parnell, who succeeded former Gov. Sarah Palin when she resigned last year, is running for a full term in that office. He faces five Republican challengers in the Aug. 24 primary election.

Parnell has weathered some controversy in recent weeks. He took heat from opponents for his veto of Denali KidCare expansions because some of the state program's funding goes toward abortions.

A new wave of criticism surfaced after Parnell and two staffers took a state-funded trip to Colorado in early June to meet with leaders of the evangelical group Focus on the Family.

Earlier this month, former Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom resigned as Parnell's senior military advisor over legal questions about the constitutionality of the job.

During a visit to the Alaska Star offices Saturday, Parnell preferred to stick to questions about the issues. The governor occasionally drew diagrams to illustrate his answers and helped a reporter navigate the state's Web page by maneuvering her computer mouse.

Along with his job, Parnell inherited Palin's Alaska Gasline Inducement Act.

But, he said Saturday, he wants voters to know he's pursuing multiple ways to sell Alaska's natural gas. He also hopes the voting public realizes his priorities as governor extend far beyond the much-discussed gasline.

"My vision for Alaska is so much bigger," he said. "It's about economic growth and opportunities for Alaska's future."

When asked to describe his stance on AGIA, Parnell referred to the state's recently revamped Alaska Natural Gas Web page.

Three options are currently on the table to get Alaska gas to market: the Valdez option, estimated at $20 to $26 billion; the "North America" option tying into gas hubs in Canada, estimated at $32 to $41 billion; and the smaller bullet line to Cook Inlet, estimated at $6.4 to $11.8 billion.

His opponents have inaccurately painted him as "the AGIA person," Parnell said. "I am the candidate who is aggressively pursuing all options for Alaskans. Other candidates have picked one option and thrown off the table opportunities for all Alaskans."

AGIA, approved 59-1 by the Legislature in 2007, resulted in one company holding an exclusive state license that provides up to $500 million toward the project. Licensee TransCanada Corp., joined last year by Exxon Mobil Corp., proposed both the North America and Valdez options.

ConocoPhillips and BP have proposed a competing project to Canada – the Denali Pipeline Project – without the Valdez option. Meanwhile, a state-endorsed team of the Alaska Railroad and Alaska Housing Finance Corp. are developing a plan for the in-state bullet line. Enstar is a leading potential customer.

Parnell's Republican opponents favor different options. Ralph Samuels, the only legislator to vote against AGIA, backs the bullet line. Bill Walker favors an "All-Alaska" line to Valdez.

Parnell on Saturday made sure to steer the conversation away from the gasline.

He pointed to his administration's efforts to add jobs in oil and gas, tourism and construction, the latter in part by addressing the backlog of deferred maintenance on public buildings.

He said he is especially proud of the Alaska Performance Scholarship, a merit-based tuition scholarship program. Parnell said the program will create a future workforce "better able to meet the challenges of a changing economy."

Parnell also said he's proud of his domestic violence and sexual assault campaign.

He said he hopes to increase military programs and the number of military personnel in Alaska, particularly in the Interior, where he said ample land and airspace could make for a premiere training ground.

A task force he created recommended the state spend $40 million shoring up the Tanana River in concert with federal money the Alaska Railroad is spending on a bridge. The bridge would provide access to a major new training area, Parnell said. He had tasked Dahlstrom with implementing the task force's recommendations.

Asked whether negative attention on the Dahlstrom appointment came as a surprise, the governor said what surprised him was the new legal theory that triggered her resignation. Attorney General Dan Sullivan found that Parnell's decision to offer Dahlstrom – a sitting legislator – a position created while she was in office might not withstand court challenge. That opinion contradicts decades of legal advice provided to governors and legislators in similar positions, Parnell said.

Asked whether he regretted making the Focus on the Family trip with state money, Parnell responded, "Are you kidding? No. Any time I can pursue ideas to make our homes safer and strengthen our families, I'm going to do it." During the trip, the governor said, he discussed improving the foster-care system and reducing sexual assault.

Parnell said the Colorado group has expressed support for his veto on the Denali KidCare expansion. The veto centered on the 664 abortions provided in 2009 with funding, he said. "That's money that could be used for kids in Denali Kid Care." He said he got a warm welcome from Eagle River during Saturday's parade, and especially enjoyed the parade's military components. Parnell's father was stationed at Fort Richardson in the late 1950s, before he was born, he said.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Wednesday, July 14, 2010.