Sen. Mike Shower, former Air Force pilot and now a state senator for a vast district in the conservative heart of Alaska, has the unqualified endorsement of District 29 and 30 Republican committees.
His opponent, not so much.
The chair of District 29 is putting out the word about candidate Doug Massie, who she describes as, well, a moderate mess.
In an email to her list of hundreds of voters in the District, D-29 Chair Carol Carman, longtime valley political influencer, said phones started ringing off the hook for her when Massie filed for office. And it was troubling. He’s closely associated with a public employee union, and that’s a deal breaker for many, but she heard of incidents that worried her.
Carman points to problems: Massie was first promoted in the Troopers to become the Director of Wildlife Troopers, and he wasn’t qualified. He was demoted by then-commissioner of Public Safety Amanda Price for unprofessional conduct. Massie had an exclusive contract that allowed him to retain his employment at his original rank of sergeant, and was later reappointed to the position of director of AWT with restoration to the rank of colonel after Commissioner Price was fired by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Carman says.
Carman also says Massie was later forced to retire under internal scrutiny for his alleged interference in two Trooper criminal investigations, and that there is active litigation occurring.
“This is very well known among Troopers, and is alluded to in podcast episode #49 below,” Carman said, and she provided podcast links for “Heroes Without Capes,” by former Trooper Luis Nieves, who discussed “good guys and the bad guys in the Trooper workforce. He is a whistle blower greatly respected and sometimes feared by Troopers.
Episode 41: Background of the host of the show.
Episode 43: Start at the 1-hour mark.
Episode 49: Start at 47:50 mark.
The District 29 newsletter is the sixth in a series on Massie, whom the district is strongly opposing even though he is a Republican, and even though his mother is a well-respected Republican, as was his late father. The newsletter can be read at this link.
Alternately, the District 29 Republicans are really happy with their current Senator, Mike Shower.
“Sen Shower brings over 20 years of military experience to the legislature, retiring as a Lt Colonel and Squadron Commander. As a combat veteran he has command, operational, test, training, and joint staff experience around the world including in Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific theaters, as well as various domestic US assignments.
Shower’s educational background includes a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in business, as well as a variety of military command, leadership and education programs, the newsletter notes. Shower has 12 years of private sector experience working for FedEx as a commercial airline pilot and inside the state of Alaska for a small business.
“In addition to these qualifications, he now has 5 years of experience as our state senator. He has the expertise, staff and knowledge to hit the ground running. He is the right person, at the right time, to best serve us in Juneau. His reputation, character, and integrity are beyond reproach. Now is not the time to replace him with a rookie freshmen legislator who brings none of these attributes or experience to the table,” the District Republican chair says.
Senator Shower’s interview with former Trooper, Luis Nieves, on his podcast is at this link.
Sen. Shelley Hughes, a popular conservative in the Valley, gave her endorsement to Shower: “Senator Shower is not only an asset to our Mat-Su Delegation, but he is a consistent, reliable conservative vote in the Senate and a team player in the legislature. He’s a tough guy when he needs to be – and that’s usually the side the public sees – but he also knows how to get down to brass tacks and work through to consensus with House and Senate members in a reasonable way to get sensible items across the finish line. I’m proud to work with him. He’s a great colleague.”
In addition to the praise from Sen. Hughes, Sen. Shower has the endorsement of a long list of conservative leaders in the state, including:
- Dave Bronson, Anchorage Mayor
- Tuckerman Babcock, Former ARP Chair
- Suzanne Downing, Must Read Alaska
- Karen Lewis, Pro-Life Alaska
- Edna & Noel DeVries, MSB Mayor
- George & Dee McKee, MSB Assembly
- Mokie Tew, MSB Assembly
- Ron Bernier, MSB Assembly
- Tom & Kim Bergey, MSB School Board
- Pam Melin, Palmer Deputy Mayor
- Richard Best, Palmer City Council
- Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, Wasilla City Council
- Frank Buzby, Sutton Community Council President
- Jim Psenak, Alpine Bar Owner
- Jill Alford, Pinnacle Peak
- Cathy Tilton, House Minority Leader
- George Rauscher, State Representative
- Kevin McCabe, State Representative
- Ben Carpenter, State Representative
- Mike Cronk, State Representative
- Ron Gilliam, State Representative
- Mike Prax, State Representative
- Laddie Shaw, State Representative
- Sarah Vance, State Representative
- Mia Costello, State Senator
- Roger Holland, State Senator
- Robert Myers, State Senator
- Ron & Janet Johnson, ARP Region 2 Representative
- Cathy Mosher, Valley Republican Women’s Club President
Doug Massie rebuts the charges in his op-ed here:
