A compendium of news items picked up along the way to Juneau:
GOVERNOR REPLACES INDUSTRY SEAT WITH LABOR LEADER
Gov. Bill Walker has chosen a public employee labor union leader to serve on the Workers’ Compensation Board in a seat that is formally, by law, a slot for private sector representatives. Chad Bolduc’s appointment should make AFL-CIO President Vince Beltrami very happy, but makes the small business community cringe. Bolduc was an Alaska State employee and an alternate member of the APEA/AFT Executive Board of Directors, and was formerly a union rep for the Maine State Employees Association.
He replaces small business owner Chuck Collins, but the Legislature must first approve Bolduc’s appointment. They might not confirm it because the appointment appears to violate Alaska Statute Sec. 23.30.005 Alaska Workers’ Compensation Board.
Labor would have 10 people represented on the board, and private sector 8. The commissioner has one seat.
FAIRBANKS CANDIDATE EMERGES
Jim Sackett of Fairbanks has filed to run against Rep. David Guttenberg, the District 4 Democrat.
Sackett, a Republican, runs a ministry for ministers, but has also operated companies throughout his career, such as Nenana Gravel and Toghotthele Corp. He has an MBA from University of Alaska Fairbanks and has been married to his wife Cheryl for 30 years.
DEMS OUTRAISED BY REPUBLICANS
A review of the financial filings with APOC show that on Feb. 1:
– Alaska Democratic Party raised $94,413
Nationally, the RNC has $40.7 million cash on hand and no debt. The DNC has $72.1 million and $5.6 million in debt.
BEGICH, BERKOWITZ, CANTWELL – HOAX FUNDRAISER?
Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell is having another Alaska-based fundraiser, and it’s hosted again by Mark Begich and Ethan Berkowitz. Cantwell led the charge to block the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 1002 Area for limited oil exploration. Here’s the invitation, in case you want to attend. We hear her campaign is going to be strongly based on shutting down Alaska:
Must Read Alaska has been informed there is no such fundraising reception tonight. This information is posted by the Sunlight Foundation in cooperation with the Center for Responsive Politics, which runs OpenSecrets.org, although when contacted this morning, neither group would take responsibility for the posting:
WHEELS COMING OFF ML&P SALE?
Now we are finding out that there were higher bids — or would-be bids — for Anchorage’s ML&P? But what did Chugach Electric have that the other bidders did not have?
Mark Begich.
Last time Begich was involved in a sale like this — ATU — the public lost close to $400 million. He orchestrated a no vote on the Assembly on an $800 million sale, only to sell the utility later for $400 million. The voters don’t have all the information on what’s behind the sale of the city’s utility, and what Mark Begich’s cut is going to be.