By Tom Morphet

State Rep. Bill Thomas told the Haines Chamber of Commerce recently that a fellow legislator this past legislative session criticized him for having "sold his vote" to the cruise industry.

Thomas told the chamber he opposed Gov. Sarah Palin’s plan for funding the ocean rangers program because the state lacked regulations for a program and there was a shortage of qualified Alaskans to fill the ranger jobs. The voter initiative establishing the ocean rangers was supported by 57 percent of voters in Thomas’ legislative district.

Palin sought funding of the program at $4 million. The Alaska Senate supported funding at $2.5 million, a figure cut in half by the state House of Representatives.

"There were no regulations in place, so how are you going to take the money and spend it? Our job is to appropriate money and if there are no regs in place, I felt, what are you going to do with it?" Thomas said.

A review of Thomas’ campaign reports shows he received about $2,500 from cruise executives during each of his two campaigns. The money came from eight top-ranking officials of Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises.

Contributions from members of the Southeast Alaska Pilots Association, who pilot cruise ships in the Inside Passage, increased from $500 during Thomas’ 2004 campaign to $6,750 in 2006. Cruise ships account for at least 75 percent work for the 42 members of the group in Southeast.

Including pilots’ money, cruise-related sources account for at least $12,000 of the $70,000 Thomas raised in 2006 to beat Democratic challenger Aaron Isaacs, or about half the entire amount Isaacs raised for his campaign.

In an interview, Thomas said he didn’t know why the Southeast marine pilots gave so heavily to him in 2006 and wasn’t aware of any issue before the Legislature that the pilots would have an interest in.

"I haven’t been soliciting any money. People send you money… (The marine pilots) are very active. It’s no different than people taking money from the Teamsters and organized labor. I’ve watched those votes all year and I’m not lowering myself to go pointing at them, but you can see where that money went and where organized labor’s did."

Larry Vose is president of the Ketchikan-based pilots’ association. He said the group’s main interests in the past legislative session were renewal of the marine piloting act, which authorizes the board of marine pilots, a group that oversees piloting in the state, and concerns about a provision of the ocean rangers legislation that would have rangers board ships with pilots.

SEAPA was concerned that rangers have training and safety equipment for boarding using sea ladders. Three to four deaths per year occur while using such ladders, Vose said. He said the group had no other interest in the ocean rangers program. "It’s not part of our function."

Vose said the group doesn’t tell its members which candidates to support. "For the most part, if we think (a candidate) understands our profession and the role we play in the region, those are the people we support."

At $1,200, cruise ship executives gave state Sen. Albert Kookesh, D-Angoon, half as much at they gave Thomas in 2004. Kookesh received no money identified as from members of the marine pilots association. He received $1,500 from the wife of Jerry Mackie, a lobbyist whose dozen clients include Holland America.

Kookesh explained the Mackie contribution as one from a longtime friend, as lobbyists are prohibited by law from giving directly to candidates. He chafed when asked if he felt strings were attached to any of the $72,000 in campaign contributions he received. "Of everybody who gave me money, nobody came to me looking for favors."

Chip Thoma, a Juneau activist who tracks cruise issues, said he doesn’t consider pilots’ contributions cruise line money and said SEAPA had legitimate concerns about safety using sea ladders that were addressed by supporters of the cruise initiative. He said he’s more concerned about money to candidates from Miami-based cruise executives, some of whom have never met legislators they give to and is given to directly influence legislation.

State Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, said cruise line representatives did come to his office, seeking support in rolling back the cruise ship initiative that established the ranger program and a $50 head tax. Gara, who didn’t receive campaign contributions from the cruise industry, said he told them he wasn’t interested in bucking a statewide vote.

Gara said he’s also received money from the marine pilots, money that came to him unsolicited. "A lot of organizations give money to incumbents. It’s a very weird thing when you run for office. When you win, you start getting checks from organizations and you don’t know why."

He categorizes campaign contributions into ones made to support the public process, ones given to advance private interests, and ones given on the assumption that a legislator will vote along the same lines as the politics of the contributor.

"If anything asks me for anything (in exchange) for a contribution, I tell them to go away," Gara said. "I will say this about the cruise industry: They’re not giving you money because they want you to foster kids and provide more mental health treatment."

Thomas said large contributors give money to gain access to and try to have influence, but that he doesn’t always agree with how they want him to vote on issues. "People favor different candidates. I don’t know if it’s party affiliation or if they give money all over the place," Thomas said.