Gov. Sean Parnell visits graduates and staff at the state's Law Enforcement Training Academy in Sitka on Wednesday, June 6. (Photo: Office of the Governor)

Gov. Sean Parnell visited Sitka on Wednesday. He addressed the Chamber of Commerce, met with the Mayor and stopped by the state’s Public Safety Academy to meet the class of 2012.

He also dropped by the Raven Radio studios inside the Cable House. In a wide-ranging interview with KCAW News, Parnell discussed oil policy, education funding, the Choose Respect campaign against domestic violence, Sitka’s roads and more.

The first clip is the whole interview if you want to listen from beginning to end. We’ve also broken the interview up by topic, so you can pick and choose depending on your interests.

The whole interview (iFriendly clip)

On ‘Choose Respect’
“We’ve given permission to people to speak about something that’s been unspeakable and private, which shouldn’t be. When families get together, when we get together with friends, it’s a topic we’ve not wanted to broach because it’s uncomfortable, much like drunk driving was 40 years ago. Used to be, you’d go to a party 40 years ago and if your friend got drunk, he would take the keys and go to the car and drive away. Now it’s socially acceptable and OK — You take the keys from him.” (iFriendly clip)

On oil policy
“The question isn’t how much profit do they make. The question is where do they spend those profits? If they’re making profit in Alaska and spending it in North Dakota and Texas, I don’t like that. I want to find a way to bring those profits back here.” (iFriendly clip)

Education funding
 “It’s my obligation to Alaskans to make sure their money is well spent. So I asked the question, ‘What are we getting for these increases?’ You could’ve heard the crickets in the background. Then I got blasted in the press for trying to cut education when that isn’t what I was doing.” (iFriendly clip)

Roads
“I certainly have been warned about the washboards. Sen. (Bert) Stedman was good about ticking off a list of the road projects we’re going to get done this year and next here in Sitka. Several of those problem child streets were listed and named by him.” (iFriendly clip)

Tsunami debris
“The first priority was to make sure it would not be a human hazard, and then secondly the environmental hazard as well. … When it comes to actual cleanup, that is something as well that we believe is the federal government’s responsibility, that we’re working to coordinate with them. I think it’s going to be important to rely on local knowledge of what’s happening and where, and rely on local people to be part of that cleanup effort.” (iFriendly clip)

On governing and grooving
“Worst part of the job? … No complaints at this point. I hope that Alaskans can tell when I speak with them, when I listen to them, I hope they can see my love for Alaska and my love for Alaskans as a people.” On what’s in his iPod: “I love anything with a raspy vocal and an electric guitar behind it.” (iFriendly clip)