Chenault says this is his last legislative session as House speaker

JUNEAU — Alaska House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, says he's not planning to seek another term as his chamber's presiding officer after a record-setting eight years on the job.

"Maybe it's time for somebody else," he said in an interview this week.

Chenault's disinterest in a fifth two-year term was widely suspected by political observers, but he hadn't previously made his intentions public.

His long-term aide and strategist, Tom Wright, is being treated for cancer and has been gone lately.

"I've surrounded myself with good staff — they're knowledgeable, they're not afraid to tell me, 'Hey boss, you're messing up,' " Chenault said. "I'm not surrounded by people who are yes-men."

Chenault said he enjoys the job and says he's "as much concerned as how the House is perceived than anything else." But he said he's frustrated by House members who have been angling for leadership roles in next year's legislative session in advance of this year's election, adding: "We don't know what an organization will look like until after the election."

"Hell, I might not even be in the majority," he said.

Chenault has no opponent in August's GOP primary and will face just one challenger, Constitution Party write-in candidate Barbara Andersen, in the November general election.