After nearly a month without representation, the people in House District 32 now have someone looking after their interests in Juneau.
Representative Sam Kito III (D-Juneau) was sworn into fill the open seat, vacated by former Minority Leader Beth Kerttula January 24.
"It's a whirlwind; starting anything you have butterflies," Kito said. "Once I got out onto the floor and sworn in, it was time to get to work."
Kerttula resigned after 15 years in the Legislature to take an academic job at Stanford University.
Gov. Sean Parnell selected Kito, a lifelong Alaskan, from a list that included two other Democrats, to fill out the balance of Kerttula's term. One of his goals while in office is to diversify Alaska's economy.
"I'm a little wary of being dependent on a single industry, because of the issue we've had with oil tax revenue becoming really the source of revenue in the state," Kito said.
Kito brings a diverse family background to the Legislature, including a Japanese father.
"My father was born in Petersburg,” he said. “They were interned during World War II when he was a young child; they came back after the war."
Kito also is also Tlingit. The number of First Alaskans serving in Juneau has trended downward slightly since former Republican Rep. Bill Thomas and Democratic Sen. Albert Kookesh were defeated for re-election in 2012.
Thomas, a friend of Kito, is happy to see that change.
"I believe he's the first Alaska Native from Juneau that I can remember, anyway," Thomas said.
Kito is a former lobbyist, so he's no stranger to the Capitol -- and he's looking forward to serving.
"Very humbling,” Kito said. “I think the most humbling part is just being chosen out of a great field of candidates."
If Kito wants to serve again in 2015, he'll have to run for election to the seat this fall.