Jim Duncan
“Laws are like sausages. It is best not to see them being made.”
John Godfrey Saxe 1869
- Subscribe now to be the first to know when available for purchase
About Jim Duncan
Jim Duncan
Politician, Educator, Union Leader, Author
Jim Duncan is a prominent figure in Alaska’s political landscape, known for his dedication to public service and his legislative accomplishments.
As a writer, Jim offers a unique perspective on the intricacies of politics and life. His memoir, “Making Sausage: A Life in Public Service,” provides a candid look into the realities of political decision-making and the journey of self-discovery that accompanies a career in public office.
My Book
Explore Jim Duncan's Published Works
Making Sausage: A Life in Public Service
Dive into Jim Duncan’s memoir, offering insights into the messy realities of politics and the personal growth that comes with navigating the corridors of power.
Public Service
A Legacy of Leadership
and Service
a steadfast advocate for the people of Alaska. From his early
days in local politics to his tenure in state government, Jim has
championed initiatives to improve education, healthcare, a
stable and fair oil tax policy, and infrastructure across the state.
From being the only person in the history of Alaska ousted as a presiding officer during a legislative session, that many speculated would end my time in elected office, to having more than 70 bills I introduced enacted into Alaska’s statutes. Bills that were important in addressing statewide public policy issues that helped set the course for Alaska’s future. At the same time successfully securing many needed projects and programs for my legislative district.
It’s the story of how the “coup” in 1981 that removed me as Speaker of the House did much more than just move me from a leadership position to a member of the minority. It is how the major issue in the coup, oil taxation policy and the change that occurred after the coup, immediately affected state revenues and still in 2024, seriously impairs the State from adequately funding important programs such as public education, the University, programs that fund everyday needs for Alaskans, and the permanent fund dividend.
I continued public service to improve the lives of Alaskans, as The Alaska Commissioner of Administration in Governor Tony Knowles’s Administration. Finally serving fifteen years as Executive Director of ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 the largest public employee union in Alaska.
So this is more than just about me and the years I was in public service. It’s about the history of issues important in the development of Alaska. But it’s not ancient history.
Oil Taxation policy, funding the constitutionally required public school system, growing the University of Alaska, providing for a Permanent Fund Dividend, improving health care for all Alaskans, the continuing struggle to get in place a state long-term fiscal plan, and social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage are still debated annually by the Alaskans and their elected officials. All these issues were controversial and contentious during my years of service, and they remain so yet today, 50 years after I entered public service in Alaska.
Sometimes the sausage produced while I was in public office was good, sometimes not so good. But it is important to keep on making sausage until a good outcome is reached on issues critical to Alaska and those of us who call it home.