Nominated by the Republican Party of Alaska, appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles and confirmed by the Republican majority in the Senate, Stevens entered public office Aug. 7 amid a great deal of speculation about his role.

That's largely because of his father, Alaska's senior U.S. senator, Ted Stevens, who was appointed to that position by Gov. Walter Hickel in December 1968.

That political legacy was the focus of a December installment of the Alaska SuperStation's "Capital Focus" public affairs program, on which Ben Stevens was the featured guest. Joe Holbert, host of the television show and formerly Hickel's press secretary, commented afterward that the new state senator is "the mirror image" of his father at about the same age.

Stevens is now at least the seventh second-generation state politician in the Legislature, along with Reps. Beth Kerttula, Gretchen Guess, Eric Croft, Lisa Murkowski, John Coghill and Richard Foster.

But aside from his lineage, he's a perceived moderate in the Republican party and so is seen as a possible peacemaker in the state Senate.

Stevens, 42, is owner of Anchorage consulting firm and a former commercial fisherman, and was president of the 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games, held in Anchorage.

Although he has been moving in circles of power for many years, he downplays the idea that he is anything more than a freshman legislator.

"I'm still trying to learn the ropes here and gain some working experience with the members," he said in an interview. "I'm not going to be the apex of political change."

He filled a vacancy created by the resignation of Sen. Drue Pearce, who left to become an advisor to U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

"I don't think it changes caucus dynamics that much," said Senate President Rick Halford, a Chugiak Republican. "I think Sen. Stevens' positions are close to those of Sen. Pearce. He doesn't have the inside-the-Senate or inside-of-the-political-process experience that she has. But certainly it's not a major change in terms of any particular issue."

In meeting with the Senate Republican caucus before his confirmation, Stevens said there were questions about how he would view differences on policy between his colleagues and the congressional delegation.

"Certain members of the delegation have been telling me what to do all my life, and I don't always do it," he quipped. "I have a good relationship with my father, but we don't always talk about work. I'll ask for his advice on certain things. ... I'm certainly not going to be championing his agenda."

Senate Minority Leader Johnny Ellis, an Anchorage Democrat, said he quickly congratulated Stevens on his appointment.

"I know that the governor would not have appointed Ben Stevens to the position if he hadn't personally felt that he would be a reasonable and moderate voice in the state Senate," Ellis said in an interview. "And I hope he will carry a lot of clout as a moderate in the state Senate, and maybe even be a bridge between some of the arch-conservatives and some of the more moderate forces...

"So I'm very excited to have him among us and want to get to know him better, and hope that he can be a real bridge-builder and a positive force in the state Senate. Because the Senate during the last several sessions, as you know, has been an extremely partisan and polarized kind of place, not even so much between Democrats and Republicans but between the two brands of Republicans in the state Senate. And I hope that Sen. Stevens can moderate some of those tensions."

Based upon the one caucus meeting he attended, though, Stevens said he doesn't see factionalism among the 14 Republicans in the chamber.

"I don't think there's a lot of dissension going on," he said. "Everyone seems to respect each other."

But he acknowledges there are wide gaps on major issues and says his recent arrival is a plus in some ways.

"I don't have a lot of the battle wounds these guys have," he said.

Like Pearce, Stevens favors a constitutional amendment that would create a rural subsistence priority and end federal intervention in fish and game management. A committee formed by Knowles recently drafted an amendment that, if approved by voters, would require the Legislature to implement a rural priority. Key Republicans, including Halford, said an amendment should say only what the Legislature "may" do, not what it "shall" do.

"My personal opinion is if you're going to do an amendment, you do it to where it's valid," Stevens said. "I'm in favor of the 'shall.' "

Looming even larger, he said, is the impending state fiscal crisis. He believes budget-cutting has gone about as far as it can go and that new revenue is needed before reserves run out. So-called "excess" earnings of the Alaska Permanent Fund - what remains after dividends are paid and the principal is inflation-proofed - are appropriate for use by government, he said.

But there again, Stevens noted that he's not in step with Republican leaders in the Senate, who are touting constitutional spending limits as the priority in the 2002 session. "I'm not real optimistic that something's going to be done this year, with just four months and an election year."

In general, Stevens defines himself as a centrist and pragmatist.

"Not all government is bad government. Not all government is good government. The main thing is people want their government to work efficiently."

Bill McAllister can be reached at billm@juneauempire.com.