Sam Kito III explained

Sam Kito III
Office:Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
from the 33rd District
Term Start:January 20, 2015
Term End:January 15, 2019
Predecessor:redistricted
Successor:Sara Hannan
Office1:Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
from the 32nd District
Term Start1:February 26, 2014
Term End1:January 20, 2015
Predecessor1:Beth Kerttula
Successor1:redistricted
Birth Place:Anchorage, Alaska
Party:Democratic
Residence:Juneau, Alaska
Alma Mater:University of Alaska (B.S., 1988)
Occupation:Civil engineer, politician

Sam Kito III (born 1964) is an American politician from Alaska. A Democrat, he served in the Alaska House of Representatives as a representative from Juneau from 2014 to 2019.

A lobbyist and civil engineer by trade, Kito was appointed to serve out the term of Beth Kerttula in House District 32 after she resigned in early 2014. Governor Sean Parnell selected him in February from among three nominees forwarded by the Tongass Democrats, passing over Juneau Assemblyman Jesse Kiehl and Juneau School District budget committeewoman Catherine Reardon.[1] [2] He was sworn in on February 26, 2014 and joined the Democratic-led minority caucus.[3] [4]

After being appointed, Kito ran for election to a full term in House District 33 (due to redistricting) and won in a landslide over Republican Peter Dukowitz.[5] When the legislature eliminated per diem payments for legislators who lived within 50 miles of the state capital of Juneau, he concluded that on a small legislative salary it would be very difficult to pay for his daughter's college tuition and did not run for re-election. His compensation would have been cut from $82,488 to $50,400.[6]

Personal life

Kito was born in Anchorage and lives in Juneau. He is of Tlingit and Japanese heritage.[7] He has a daughter. Gabi.[3] His father, Saburo Kito, Jr., is a long time lobbyist. He is named for his grandfather, Saburo (Sam) Kito, Sr, who was a resident of Petersburg and was interned in a U.S. government camp 15 miles east of Jerome, Idaho during World War II.[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Tongass Democrats deliver names for open House seat. Juneau Empire. Jennifer. Canfield. February 4, 2014. February 8, 2015.
  2. News: Sam Kito III Nominated to fill Rep. Kerttula's House Seat. KTUU. February 21, 2014. February 8, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150209120553/http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/sam-kito-iii-nominated-to-fill-rep-kertullas-house-seat/24605136. February 9, 2015.
  3. News: Parnell picks Kito to replace Beth Kerttula in Alaska Legislature. February 21, 2014. February 8, 2015. Pat. Forgey. Alaska Dispatch.
  4. News: New Rep. Sam Kito III takes oath of office. KTOO. Matt. Miller. February 26, 2014. February 8, 2015.
  5. News: Big win for incumbents on Election Day. Juneau Empire. November 5, 2014. February 8, 2015. Katie. Moritz.
  6. https://www.juneauempire.com/news/juneau-rep-sam-kito-iii-will-not-run-for-re-election-in-2018/ Juneau Rep Sam Kito III will not run for reelection in 2018
  7. Web site: Sam S. Kito-Democrat-House District 33. Alaska Elections Division. February 8, 2015.
  8. News: Amelia Kito. Juneau Empire. June 18, 2002. February 8, 2015.