Former Rep. Liz Snyder fined $3,673 for slipping campaign cash to husband as a ‘thank you’

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Former Rep. Liz Snyder, a Democrat instructor at the University of Alaska Anchorage who represented a portion of East Anchorage (then District 27) for barely one term, was given a $3,673 fine for giving her husband some money left over from her campaign as a “thank you” gift after the campaign was over.

What did she thank Sam Snyder for? Volunteering.

“Ms. Snyder violated campaign laws by (1) giving a prohibited thank you gift of campaign funds to her spouse who volunteered for the campaign, (2) failing to report the work that her spouse did as a debt to the campaign, and (3) not timely disbursing campaign funds after the campaign,” the commission ruled on March 11. “The Commission concludes that Ms. Snyder violated AS 15.13. l l 2(b) by giving her spouse a ‘personal benefit’ in the form of $2,000 thank you gift and AS 15.13.116 by failing to timely disburse or forfeit leftover campaign funds. The Commission dismisses the allegation that Ms. Snyder failed to report campaign expenditures when incurred for her spouse’s work; the campaign did not promise or agree to pay him in advance and reported the post-campaign gift. For the two violations, the Commission orders Ms. Snyder to pay civil penalties of $3,673.16-the amount of the prohibited gift and the contributions that were not timely disbursed.”

Snyder lost to Rep. Lance Pruitt in 2018 and won against him in 2020. This fine is for her 2018 campaign.

During her campaign, she enlisted her husband to be her campaign treasurer. After the campaign ended, Sam Snyder then set up his own company to provide campaign reporting for other liberal groups.

“The amount of the gift reasonably covered the hours that Mr. Snyder worked on the campaign. Although Mr. Snyder’s exact number of hours and the rate that he would have received as a paid treasurer is unclear, he estimated that he worked about five to seven hours per week over the seven months that his wife was running for office,” the final order from APOC said.

McDonald said he had brought it to Alaska Public Offices Commission several months earlier, and APOC contacted Snyder about the violation but would not file a complaint itself against her. McDonald filed the complaint himself a year and a half later, but it was not finally closed until last month.

Snyder’s financial finagling became an issue in 2020. She took the whole summer off in 2020 from her University of Alaska Anchorage, charging the university for her time, calling it a sabbatical and being paid by the state while she campaigned. Later, she kept her university job even while serving as a legislator, against state statute that prohibits state employees from simultaneously serving as legislators.

After serving for a year and a half, Liz Snyder lost interest in the work and the couple quickly and quietly sold their home in Anchorage and moved back to Florida, where she had come from originally. Her husband Sam is now listed as teaching journalism at the University of Florida.


29 COMMENTS

  1. “Her husband Sam is now listed as teaching journalism at the University of Florida”

    Yet another crop of dumb journalist will result from his teaching.

    • See that’s why I believe Florida and Texas will eventually return Blue as it was during the 18th century. Because of Democrats as the Snyders and stupid Floridians who hired her husband in the first place. As well as the tens of thousands complacent, non voting, compromising Americans who are running away from collapsing poorly managed Blue states.

  2. Democrats held accountable?
    How about Gabby Ladue?
    Has her blatantly illegal activities ever been brought forward?
    If so it was quietly processed.
    Any updates?

  3. I’m glad the carpet-baggers aren’t on Alaska anymore. I feel sorry for Floridians. If Floridians were smart they never give any job with management and supervising duties to the Snyders.

      • Pretty sure you could find easily find 100 democrats with numerous wrongdoings who will never be held accountable for anything.

        • The Clintons come to mind. So do the Bidens. Ted Kennedy killed a girl. Nancy Pelosi insider trading.

          The list is near endless.

    • Wow, what a childish response. Then again, it is exactly what I expect from leftists, who are just adult sized children.
      .
      If 100 cars were stolen, does that mean my stealing your car should be ignored? That somehow it is OK?

      • CbMTTK- they will eventually be held accountable just as the rest of us. If they die without Christ, they’ll face their condemnation in front of the The White Throne judgement condemn forever into a fiery hell. Bible says. While those who believed in Christ, received his pardon, will be judged that words, actions, thoughts weren’t to God’s glory or they were burned into the fire and never be mentioned again cause believers of the Christ don’t stand condemn.
        People can mock, scoff, and huff at a God judging us all, still we all will stand and be held accountable.

      • CbMTTK- they will eventually be held accountable just as the rest of us. If they die without Christ, they’ll face their condemnation in front of the The White Throne judgement condemn forever into a fiery hell. Bible says. While those who believed in Christ, received his pardon, will be judged that words, actions, thoughts weren’t to God’s glory they be burned into the fire and never be mentioned while the good turns into gold with a crown cause believers of the Christ don’t stand condemn, their condemnation was paid for .
        People can mock, scoff, and huff at a God judging us all, still we all will stand and be held accountable including those legislators.

  4. “Later, she kept her university job even while serving as a legislator, against state statute that prohibits state employees from simultaneously serving as legislator.”

    Where is the Attorney General on investigating this illegal double dip? Asleep at the wheel and encouraged to look the other way by his boss? Hmmmmm.

  5. The Left seems to have an endless supply of pert young grifters (remember Representative Jennie Armstrong?) that they trot out and tell voters to elect to public office. Too often these folks know little about anything or anybody, at least in Alaska. Two things need to happen. First the public needs to expect better qualified politicians. Second, the opposing Republicans need to investigate and talk about these folks during the election cycle.

    • J. The Trump cabal (those currently in prison, recently released from prison, responding to subpoenas or pre-indickted [MTG]) have the corner on the grift market, not the Left.

  6. Poor ol’Liz. She hasn’t learned yet that you can’t overtly build your personal wealth through politics UNTIL you’re in the federal realm. Remember Liz, you’ve got to do this covertly while you’re still in state politics.

  7. These situations wouldn’t happen if enough people got off their butts and voted. Left wing activists have taken full advantage of this carelessness in nearly every city, county, school board, and now Co-ops, in the country.

    Maybe we deserve what we don’t bother to vote against.

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