Taking the Lead

Anchorage mayor Mark Begich has taken what strikes me as an unusual step:

In hopes of reversing what he calls a short-sided push to ban drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Mayor Mark Begich has invited the U.S. congressman who authored the legislation to take a tour of the land in question.

Does it strike you as odd that the mayor of Anchorage would be taking the lead on an ANWR-related issue? Shouldn't this be a move that's coming from, say, the governor's office or perhaps a member of the Congressional delegation?

(If you actually read the letter, the brunt of it is to tell Markey he's wrong, not to invite him to ANWR. That's a secondary issue, which KTUU has chosen to trumpet.)

The only way this makes sense to me is if Mayor Begich is trying to raise his profile on statewide issues. Hmmm... now why would he want to do that?