Mike Porcaro, who has a popular afternoon radio show and has run an advertising firm for decades, was bounced from the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission by the Legislature. Porcaro was a nominee of Gov. Mike Dunleavy and has served on the commission for nine months.
In a joint session of the House and Senate, nominees to various boards and commissions came up for confirmation. Most of the governor’s appointees made it through. A few of the more politically charged ones did not. For example, Bob Griffin was not retained on the Alaska Board of Education, written about here in an earlier story.
At first, Porcaro made it through the nomination vote narrowly, 31-29, generally down party line, with Sen. Gary Stevens and Rep. Louise Stutes voting with the Democrats and Sen. Lyman Hoffman and Rep. Neal Foster voting with the Republicans. But then, Rep. Louise Stutes asked for a reconsideration, and Porcaro’s nomination failed on a vote of 30-30. On that second vote, Rep. David Eastman became a yes vote, while Foster voted no, and Sen. Lyman Hoffman at first didn’t vote at all, and then voted “no,” casting the deciding vote. Again, Stutes and Stevens voted with the Democrats.
Porcaro was criticized by some for not having prior commercial fishing experience. But Rep. Sarah Vance of Homer defended his service and said he had done an exemplary job and brought balance to the commission.
The commission issues permits and vessel licenses in both limited and unlimited fisheries, and provides due process hearings and appeals for disputes related to limitations on fishery participation.
Porcaro says it is not a requirement that a board member must have fished commercially, but that he gave it his all for the nine months he served on the board before Tuesday’s confirmation vote that went against him.
The Legislature also voted down the nomination of Mark Sayampanathan to the Alaska Workers Compensation Board. Again, several Republicans voted against the Republican governor’s nomination.
The joint session did confirm Barbara Tyndall to the Alaska Board of Education and Early Development, Donald Handeland was confirmed for another term on the Personnel Board, Robert Sheldon for another term on the Commission on Judicial Conduct, Marit Carlson-Van Dort for another term on the Board of Fisheries. Several other new and reappointments were confirmed, including Curtis Chamberlain to the Board of Fisheries, Emily Jackson-Hall to the Alaska Labor Relations Agency, Kayla Green to the Board of Marital and Family Therapy, Wendy Palin to the Barbers and Hairdressers Board, Kevin McKinley to the Barbers and Hairdressers Board, April Erickson to the Board of Nursing, Richard Larson to the Board of Parole, Carla Hebert to the Board of Pharmacy. Terrance Haas was confirmed as the Alaska Public Defender.
Commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Torrence Saxe was confirmed as the successor to the lieutenant governor, should either Gov. Dunleavy or Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom leave office early. Emma Pokon was confirmed as the Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner, Cathy Munoz was confirmed as commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
