Sen. Scott Kawasaki and Senate candidate Savannah Fletcher continue to break the law as well as the clear rules of the Alaska Legislature when it comes to ethics.
Not only are they holding a campaign event in a publicly funded building this week in Fairbanks, they have used an image from inside the Alaska Capitol as campaign material.
The invitation for the event to be held on the University of Alaska campus on Oct 9 is of Kawasaki and Sen. Loki Tobin standing in front of the door to the Education Committee Chair’s office. Tobin is education chair. The two are posing with a sign that says, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”
This posed picture uses state property for campaigning.
Savannah Fletcher, running as an undercover Democrat with an “undeclared” label on the ballot, is one of the candidates who will be featured at the Democrat campaign event to be held at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, a public university setting. Tobin will be one of the featured attendees.
Both Kawasaki and Tobin are now afoul of legislative ethics rules and may be sanctioned. Except the won’t be, because Tobin is on the Legislative Ethics Committee.
The state of Alaska, however, could prohibit these candidates from using state facilities to build support for their elections. It’s clear that less than a month from the general election, these are not nonpartisan town halls.
Using a University of Alaska facility, whether rented or not, is no different than using a Legislative Information Office for a campaign event. They are both owned and operated by the public through state government and partisan political events are not permitted.
In Alaska, school districts are prohibited from using public resources, including school facilities, for political events or activities that promote a particular candidate, party, or ballot measure. State law restricts the use of public resources for political purposes.
School districts may host nonpartisan events, but this is a meet-and-greet that is sponsored by specific active candidates for office and who are in the act of campaigning.
Fletcher and Rep. Mary Peltola are also violating the law by using a public school in Fort Yukon for a campaign event.
Peltola earlier this year abused the law by using a school in North Pole for a campaign stop. The State of Alaska has done nothing to stop these Democrats from breaking the law, however, and so the pattern continues.
Republican state legislators are hiding under their desks, as per usual …
Can’t a citizen file a complaint?
Yes, you can file a complaint. Go to the apoc website. The problem is that it needs to be notarized and is public information. Most people don’t want their name on these as they fear retribution.
Yes, but it’s deliberately difficult. And by the time our courts deal with it, the damage is over.
Citizens can file a prohibited political activity complaint under the Hatch Act against the University of Alaska chancellor who approved this activity on UA property.
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Prohibited political activity complaints can be filed anonymously.
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If a Hatch Act complaint were submitted, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) would determine whether the Chancellor’s employer receives federal grants or loans. The OSC will assess whether, as a normal and foreseeable incident of his employment, the Chancellor performed duties in connection with federally received funds. If so, OSC can bring this Hatch Act Violation to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
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If a charge is presented to the Merit Systems Protection Board for a state or local employee, there is only one penalty available: removal per 5 U.S.C. § 1506.
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The chancellor’s employer can choose not to remove the chancellor. If they keep the chancellor, they must forfeit their federal loans or grants in the amount of up to two years of the chancellor’s salary. If another state, D.C. or local entity employs the chancellor within eighteen months of his removal, that agency, or the (university) from which the (chancellor) was removed, may lose some of their federal funding.
(‘https://www.fedsmith.com/2021/08/09/hatch-act-penalties-for-non-feds/)
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Process for filing Hatch Act complaints is simple, may be found at ‘https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/5/1800.4.
Is it mandatory that we fill out our ballot precisely like the example given in that state flyer? Do we lose our dividend in the future if we fill it out differently?
laws are for serfs.
not democrats.
Why isn’t the State AG getting this issue resolved. Heck with Leg. Affairs.
Just a matter of time before Democrats start pushing the wrong button on the right people The cheating, lying, stealing needs to stop
There was a No on Prop 2 meeting at the Dillingham Campus of the U OF A as well. Rules are only for everyone else…
Yes–The event was organized by students, who have free speech rights just you do.
Meetings held on Campus that are presenting both sides of an issue, allowing all candidates to participate regardless of party views, or other such all encompassing education would be a helpful thing. Presenting only one side of an issue is political campaigning. There isn’t any balance in the university system just one sided indoctrination for the greater part. People with opposing views to yours deserve the same right to speak.
SA not exactly, while each student has an individual right to free speech, if students had organized a debate forum inviting all parties, then the free speech clause would apply. However this seems to have been an unilateral event by a political campaign, who are certainly free to assemble, yet not on public property paid for by ALL taxpayers. Such an event held at a publicly owned venue clearly also indirectly implies an endorsement by the university for allowing it.
SA, the students are required to follow political campaigning laws. You know, the ones that you seem to feel don’t apply to you…..
Besides the question of why are these state statutes not being upheld or enforced, where are Republican Party officials and other legislators? Why is something not being filed to put a stop to the law breaking? This is egregious.
Add also – RE: the sign Tobin and Kawasaki are holding up – Public school education is synonymous with ignorance and it is costing us big time. The ‘education’ is pumping out too many ‘ignorant’ graduates, who then vote and run for office, and think it is perfectly ok to break laws.
The Republican party is not the conservative’s friend. You get someone by the last name of “Warfield” leading the group. What kind of a joke is that? Warfield? Her last name should be “Noaction.”
Elizabeth, About 50 years ago I recall Grace Butrovich telling me that she “used” to believe that funding education was important in stamping out ignorance… however she went on to explain that despite increased funding for education ignorance had only increased. Why?
It is undeniable, this correlation coefficient between higher education funding and rising ignorance. Maybe we’ve gone about this institution of education the wrong way? Hmm… I wonder?
Kawasaki and Fletcher’s sign should say “If You Think Education Is Expensive, STOP Voting For Ignorant Democrats”.
Why are democrats so scummy?
Again, where the hell is the “Republican” party? Bigger question: Where is the State Division of Elections? I have called and emailed the following, it’s your turn people.
Carol Beecher
Director of Elections
Michaela Thompson
Division Operations Manager
What do you need–a copy of Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals,” “The Book of Common Prayer,” or maybe a primer on the fundamentals of life to stir you up and get you thinking. Gosh, half of Alaska is woke and the other half has nodded out!
Where O where is the law?
Come on AG or DOJ do your jobs.
I forgot their on the same team.
The annual Educators’ Night at the Museum is not a Democratic campaign event. This annual event is sponsored this year by Subway, and is simply an opportunity for local teachers, students and families, military students, and local dignitaries to showcase the educational resources in the Museum of the North.
I’ll take the Democrat Subway sandwich. Everything with all the trimmings and accoutrements. A large 7-Up to wash it down and big bag of chips. Yeah, the cookie too. Charge it all to the Museum or to the State. Best resources for us Democrats.
The Indoctrinator’s Night at the Museum. No longer an Educator’s night. There is no more education, in the classical sense of independent thought and Aristotelian logic. It’s all brain-fed cocoa puffs. Poor kids don’t know what sex they are, that the sun produces thermal energy on earth, and where they should place their tattoos.
Or what color to paint their hair, and how big of a nose ring.
Then why are dem candidates campaigning there? It’s still State property and illegal activity.
Then why are they using it for campaining?
Because Democrats are above the law.
Rules for thee, not for me.
“ try ignorance” ……….
In Anchorage that seems to be all that gets elected 70% of the time. IGNORANCE!
Nothing will change until mail in-voting is gone AND spring time ballot counting.
Are you kidding me? Nothing will happen in legislative ethics. Liberal who runs the organization only go after Republicans. She is awful and was just reappointed! Yep
Getting UAF to turn down two racial minorities and an LGBTQ amazon is a tall order. It’s not that the Democrats who run the campus don’t disagree that it’s a violation, it’s that they are scared to death of looking politically incorrect in front of the Newsminer and Daily News radical lefties. That’s all.
Do you suppose it’s a freudian slip that he’s actually pointing at Tobin 😂
Well, last time he just stuck out his tongue. Maybe he’s trying to give her the finger. Ignorance is bliss. And Dave, you won’t be getting his happy birthday card next year.😆
Who enforces these campaign violations. .??
As usual, the feckless AKGOP is nowhere to be seen.
The AKGOP needs a new logo. A cringing chicken on a yellow field.
Mommie,
You said it was ok if I used public buildings to campaign, right? Mommie?
Scott Kawasaki supports porn books in schools, pedo.
Just keep circulating the picture of these two clowns.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Keep Kamala talking…her word salads speaks volumes
Joe’s babbling about nothing will sell her to the “smart voters”.
The more time they speak the stronger the opposition becomes.
I wonder what the democrats were saying as they all agreeing to use the public buildings for campaigning? Peltola and now these clowns? All of the democrats should use public buildings! By doing so, you will show the state (and world) how lawless you are and that you do not care.
If you want to see these ethics abuse problems go away, — just STOP voting democrats into office.
Sadly, we are paying for both ignorance and “education.”
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