Work Experience
- Alaska State Representative, District 35
- Early Work Experiences
- Jr. High and High School Teacher
- Commercial Fisherman
- Volunteer Work
- Additional Information
Alaska State Representative
I currently serve as Chair of the House Education Committee. I have serves as Chair of House State Affairs, Chair of House Fisheries, and Vice-Chair of the House Resources Committee. I was also a member of the HESS and Ways and Means committees. I sat on a number of finance subcommittees including Fish & Game and the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities fincance subcommittee. I am also currently serving as Chair of the House subcommittee on the 90 Day Session for Legislative Council, and Chair of the Geographical Cost Differential Committee for the Legislature. During my time in office I sponsored and co-sponsored a number of bills including those dealing with health care, fisheries and governmental reform.Like many Alaskans, I have made a living and a life out of assorted job skills and entrepreneurial adventures. I understand the need for employment opportunities in our towns and rural communities as well as the challenges to small businesses and the self-employed. I know how government actions can affect business, both positively and negatively.
Early Work Experiences
My early work experiences included running a lawn mowing business while in high school, teaching tennis, picking celery, and as a J.C. Penny stockroom worker. In California, I maintained rural roads for several years with a D-6 Cat, and when I first came to Alaska I was a partner in a tree-clearing business.Jr. High & High School Teacher
As a teacher in the late 1960s and early 70s, I taught junior high biological and physical sciences at Eielson Air Force base (in the Alaska State Operated School System) and high school sciences in Camarillo, California.
Commercial Fisherman
I have now been a commercial fisherman for over thirty years, participating in salmon drift gillnet, halibut longline, Tanner crab and Pacific cod pot fisheries and tendering salmon, herring and sablefish across the State. I presently own and manage two fishing and fish tender vessels, which reside at the Homer Harbor and depend on peninsula labor and supplies. My wife, children, and father-in-law have all worked on the boats with me, making fishing a family affair. I have also operated a small import retail business for the Swedish-made Belitronic jigging machines. Jigging is a small boat fishing technique with low initial investment that uses machines similar to a computerized electronic fishing pole.
I have also owned and managed apartments in Seward, Homer and Anchor Point.
Volunteer Work
Aside from earning a living, I have contributed volunteer work to a number of organizations, commissions, and boards related to fishing, conservation, and civic duty. In that capacity, I have operated under Roberts Rules and other procedural formats, problem-solved, developed legislation, sought consensus, testified before various bodies - in short, done the kind of work that prepared me well for serving in the State House.Additional Information
- Paul's personal and family biography
- Paul's educational background
- Publications and presentations
- Organizations