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He's one of the newest faces in Washington D.C. and he's still got a city to run for the next month.
"I'm glad there's great telecommunications that's all I've got to say," said Mayor Mark Begich.
To take care of Anchorage's needs and his transition to senator, Begich says he is working overtime.
"You're just working longer hours," he said. "You're always making sure you're following up with everything possible. But we're busy on the city end kind of closing off things, but at the same time getting ready with the new agenda in the Senate office."
That new agenda includes getting on some important committees. His choices include the same ones Sen. Ted Stevens was on. He is hopeful he will get what he wants because his election gave the democrats an extra leg up in the Senate.
"So in a lot of ways I am reminding them of that fact that without me you wouldn't get some of these extra seats," he said. "So right now they are figuring out those ratios. I've put in my requests, and then we will start working with them over the next 10 days."
Back at home there has been a lot of bickering in the Anchorage Assembly over who will take his place. Begich says it is just a normal course of Assembly politics and
"The most important thing is we just do what's right for the city not the politics," he said. "Put that all aside. It's just an acting mayor for a four-month period, it's not a dramatic time in a sense of what might happen."
But in just over a month Mayor Begich will leave Anchorage behind and become Sen. Begich in the nation's capitol.
He says he isn't putting one job over the other right now they have equal priority.
His family doesn't plan on moving until after the school year is over, his son Jacob is in the first grade.
To contact Todd Walker, call 907-273-3113.
