Alaska’s first female Alaska Native lieutenant governor was greeted by a standing ovation Thursday in Anchorage as she delivered her inaugural remarks to a public audience.<\/p>\n
Two days after the abrupt resignation of Byron Mallott<\/a>, Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson delivered the keynote address at the opening of the annual Alaska Federation of Natives conference.<\/p>\n “You should know that I am brand new to this; I have never been a lieutenant governor before. That’s OK,” she said to applause and laughter.<\/p>\n Davidson, formerly commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services, had been scheduled to deliver the keynote before she was tapped to become lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n She acknowledged the abrupt change without revealing the incident that led to Mallott’s resignation.<\/p>\n “Just two days ago, our world shifted, and I want you to know Alaskans deserve the highest standard of conduct by their elected officials,” she said. “These last few days have been tough for all of us, but today is a new day. Today we move forward.”<\/p>\n Officials in the governor’s office have said only that Mallott offered his resignation after inappropriate remarks toward a woman. It is not known what the remarks were, or who they were addressed to.<\/p>\n In her speech, Davidson explained her history as a “village girl” in Southwest Alaska and discussed the need to triumph despite adversity.<\/p>\n “I want our children to know that just because bad things happen to us in our childhood, they don’t have to define our future or who we are as people,” she said.<\/p>\n Davidson also discussed her recent work with the health department, saying that expansion of the federal Medicaid program has been wildly successful in Alaska.<\/p>\n “For Medicaid expansion, those dollars came to every single community in Alaska where health care is provided,” she said.<\/p>\n Alaska’s Medicaid program was unilaterally expanded by Gov. Bill Walker in 2015. The act survived a court challenge but could be reversed by a new governor.<\/p>\n Walker himself took the stage after Davidson concluded her remarks with an exuberant seal call.<\/p>\n Lt. Gov. Valerie Nurr\u2019araaluk Davidson ends her AFN address with a seal call #AFN2018<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/MpU4zwCiJ4<\/a><\/p>\n — KTVA 11 News (@ktva) October 18, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n