The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee emerged from an executive session on Thursday to vote to approve spending $100,000 on a legal team and inquiry into the firing of Angela Rodell, former executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.
Last week, the committee called the chair of the board of Alaska’s sovereign wealth fund before the committee. Craig Richards, however, was careful to not answer the committee’s specific questions, although many of those questions may have been answered in the public release of Rodell’s annual performance review.
The committee’s chair, Sen. Natasha von Imhof, was given subpoena power by the committee to force people to appear before the committee to answer questions.
The motions appear to be the first time in Alaska legislative history that the Legislature will get into the day-to-day business of the corporation, which is run as a separate entity owned by the State of Alaska. Breaking through the firewall that has separated the corporation from politics may be a bridge that, once crossed, forever changes the way the Permanent Fund Corporation is managed.
“We will provide a list of people that we would like the firm to contact and depending on what that person says when they initially answer the phone or email or whatnot, if they agree then the firm will proceed,” said von Imhof. “And if they say ‘I don’t want to agree’ then we will discuss.”
It’s especially meaningful that the investigation is being done in an election year, with von Imhof being talked about as a potential candidate for governor.
This is $100, 000 that does not need to be expended. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD WE THE PEOPLE DO NOT CARE!!!
Let’s just move on!!!
The PF grew by $30 billion under Rodell, it is now the largest source of income to the State of Alaska, the PF board fires her without stating why, and YOU THE PEOPLE DO NOT CARE??
No wonder the state is in a mess.
An “investigation” – read that witch hunt – led by princess helicopter hair hair von hissy fit is bad enough… but speculate she wants to be governor? ‘Scuse me while I puke. Ms greedy and entitled is seriously out of touch with Alaskans and possibly reality.
Just because you think it is a witch hunt doesn’t mean there aren’t witches out there.
Exactly! A witch hunt or circus…I was puzzled by committee making this firing so political? Now I get it, the chair has her eye on governor race!? Makes sense now! But why cost the state so much money? She has her own to throw at campaign
Why don’t you spend $100,000 to tell the people of Alaska why Juneau keeps stealing our PFD checks?!
What a waste of time and energy. They can dig up all the drama they want but it still doesn’t matter. It is the Legislature that is politicizing the decision by the duly appointed Trustees who should have a CEO they are more in tune with. Rodell had a good run but receives far too much credit for the performance of the Permanent Fund.
Maybe that is the problem – she thought she was un-fireable.
She might also claim some type of illicit/illegal action by the board as the reason. We can only guess. Her public statement claiming political revenge for not supporting Dunleavy’s raid on the Permanent Fund (to her credit) seems implausible.
Her firing by dunleavy is the only plausible explanation.
You got that right, Chris! Her published review says there was a loss of trust, where she herself claims responsibility. It’s incumbent on the Trustees, as fiduciaries, to hire someone trustworthy as Exec Director of the State’s largest fund. The legislature needs to stay out of it! They can’t even pass a budget in a timely manner.
This is what a defense of Constitutional rights would look like if there one defense of Constitutional rights legislatively over the last fifty (50) years. The legislature should have a budget line item for these. It is not paradisaic conditions yet.
No wonder lawyers in Alaska won’t stand up for the people and their PFD.
Do these folks not understand “at will?” Perhaps those that voted for these fools should remind them.
Our legislators get subpoena power by virtue of the clear language of the US Constitution being given the jurisdiction exclusively expressly in English to investigate the people’s complaints regarding loss of Constitutional rights. The Constitution DID NOT SAY take it to a lawyer or the judiciary. If that is what these international lawyers founding this nation wanted, intended, or meant that is what they would have said. They SAID in English redress is with paid public servants re-presenting the people’s grievances in the legislature. If you don’t see this alacrity on all Constitutional complaints you have lost process that is due Alaskans per the US Constitution We have had unbelieveable seasons of fallowness in defense of rights and process by sassy legislators lolling about resplendantly. Let’s get back to brass tacks. If you are too nice a gentlelady to fight for your freeman’s rights in Alaska get the heck out. And let someone with brains and courage do it. That is what this job is. Defending the US Constitution – get out. Don’t get paid from the public trust funds for twiddling your thumbs.
Witch hunt designed to derail Dunleavy. These fascist legislators need to be taken out and hung at sunrise.
Typical Natasha von Imhof. Ego. Self-importance. Waste of public money.
She definitely came across arrogant and power trippy during committee meeting! Not impressed…but hey she’s a sympathizer!! Haha
Even though the Dunleavy 2023 budget is exactly the 2023 base budget Walker or Gara would have had – with the exception that the Dunleavy budget includes a much higher PFD and no income tax – this LB&A action destroys any hope that the Dunleavy election-year agenda will be genuinely considered. However, Walker and Gara would like to have at least half of all Alaskans on Medicaid rather than the one-third we have achieved today. The high-priced attorney LB&A has hired is named Trickey! My bet is that Senator Natasha has decided to not run for Governor, but today she appears to have kept some of her fundamental Republican principles, and that would be welcome in the 2022 election. Will Dunleavy stay hidden under the conference table or will he veto the Legislature’s rejection of the per diem reduction?
I truly don’t understand why we should care.
Joel: you should care cuz 2/3 of Alaska’s available $ is in the PF. If there are political forces threatening the viability of the fund, all the services you get from the state might disappear.
Evan, the fund was created to keep the parasitic political class from $pending all of the oil royalties on government, ( and thier special little pals). Again, it was never intended to provide income for Government services. It is the people’s money.
Oh BS.
Great. Let’s get to the bottom of Rodell’s firing.
Alaska has a swamp, just like DC.
And here they go already – doing everything but their jobs! What a bunch of culls!
One is left to wonder how it is that any legislator can determine it to be reasonable to assume authority over personnel decisions of any agency or corporate subdivision of the State, when there are myriad tasks that are the actual business of the Legislature, that they continually fail to address or accomplish anything of significance on. In the real world, one gets fired for not doing their job…
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Go ahead with your witch hunt. Realize that eventually, you may widely be recognized as the witches.
They continue to waste $ and nose into personnel matters that are not their concern. They only raise the specter of a lawsuit by the EX Exec Director.
Simple, greed controls a lot of people and suddenly when there is a large influx of moola some people start wanting supreme control and its done by simple elimination, there’s your 100,000 dollar answer. Want an example? Look at congress.
The lady who called us ridiculous for questioning why we don’t get full pfd’s anymore wants to spend a hundred g’s on questioning why her pal got fired…….sounds about right. Let’s vote this troglodyte out already.
“Breaking through the firewall that has separated the corporation from politics may be a bridge that, once crossed, forever changes the way the Permanent Fund Corporation is managed.”
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How this can be written with a straight face is beyond me. A 4-1 vote carried exclusively by Dunleavy appointees is what fired the fund’s most successful director in history. The firing was so nakedly political. This article’s framing is bonkers, and I’d be surprised if even the base bought it. I think Alaskans are smarter than that.
Her firing is so obviously political. $100,000 is cushion change compared to the severity of the firing and the stonewalling by Dunleavy toadie Richards.
Not stonewalling on his part, personnel matters where the employee is crying lawsuit should not be aired as part of this committee/ circus.
This should go to court to require testimony….otherwise “at will” means nothing. I hope these individuals do not fold unless the courts require. Then, if required, as I said before…”at will” means nothing.
That 100,000 will be better spent given to me. I can put it toward a more worthy cause. Rich person waste as much money as the poor person.
Good. When your “governor” won’t do his job, the legislature has to step in and do it for him. Which costs everyone more time and money.
What a stupid waste of taxpayer money. Vote these tired people out!
Since we don’t pay state taxes, it’s not really “taxpayer money.” But how about the $125,000 Bronson had to pay to Anchorage’s former chief equity officer that he and Amy Dembowski wrongfully fired? Anchorage revenues largely come from property taxes, paid by those who own property here. So the $125,000 comes out of our pockets! If the commentators here are upset about the state spending up to $100,000 on an investigation into whether the firing of the PFD Director was politically motivated, they should really be upset that Bronson and Dembowski wasted $125,000 to cover up their illegal firing of the chief equity officer.
von Imhof is being being floated for Gov? Seriously? Isn’t she a PFD grabber? Her candidacy doesn’t appear to be an easy sell to the voters. I wish her luck.
Oh the greed and entitlement.
Should we all be shocked?
Lets keep voting for these people who do not have Alaskan’s best interest at heart.
I don’t blame Governor Dunleavy. He wants to get the statutory funds to the people. He’s got to try. There are other industries permitted by action of legislators giving licenses to people for the privilege of doing business but who have zero curiosity about the people’s US Constitutional rights. The state Constitution further weakens those rights and the Anchorage charter does the same.
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