Today’s episode of The Empty Office Podcast features a conversation between Senator Tobin and two-term State Representative Justin Ruffridge from Soldotna. In addition to his duties as a State Representative, Justin Ruffridge is a pharmacist by trade. He owns pharmacies in Soldotna, Juneau, and Girdwood.

During today’s podcast, Senator Tobin and Rep. Ruffridge discuss the importance of developing relationships among their legislative colleagues. During the conversation, Senator Tobin and Representative Ruffridge delve into the role of government in the healthcare of Alaskans, and how best to effect change in politics and public policy.

“Effective change is best accomplished over time, resulting from constructive dialogue with all parties involved in the decision-making process. This is fundamentally hard work, but it is worth the effort. Creating lasting and meaningful change requires a desire to be humble, an ability to bring people together, and a willingness to learn.” – Rep. Justin Ruffridge

The music for this episode of The Empty Office Podcast is the song “Trem Two” by the band Mission of Burma. The song referenced by Rep. Ruffridge during the podcast is the song “Intertia” by the band AJR.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lgtobin.substack.com