Page 1498 – Must Read Alaska

Voting ends in Anchorage; turnout is flat so far

Politics

Suzanne Downing

-

April 2, 2019

Voting ends in Anchorage; turnout is flat so far

While there is no “Election Central” for the Anchorage Municipal Election that ends tonight, supporters of Christine Hill for Assembly and David Nees for School Board will be at the 907 Alehouse, starting at 7 pm to greet supporters and wait for election results to come in.

The Election Office started counting ballots at 10 am today, and will post the first count online tonight, at about 8:30-9 pm.

After that, election-watchers can call it a night, as updates won’t be done until Wednesday and will trickle in during the rest of the week. Ballots stamped by 11 pm tonight will be counted if they arrive at the Municipal Election Office by April 12.

As of Monday, about 40,500 Anchorage voters had cast a ballot in an election that determines five Assembly seats, two school board seats, and a host of taxes, including a controversial alcohol tax that is to help the homeless.

If it tracks similar to last year, another 10,00 will have come in by the deadline at 8 pm today. That means a turnout of about 50,000 voters, which tracks at what the turnout during the last non-mayoral election in 2017, which was 49,370.

That means the city is paying more for mail-in elections and may not be getting the turnout it hoped for.

The busiest site today was at the in-person voting site a the Loussac Library, where people were streaming in at about 200 per hour. It was a lot slower at Muldoon and the Anchorage School District voting site.

In-person voting was only available at limited locations today and those will be shut down at 8 pm. After that, voters can still get their ballots counted by taking them to the Airport Post Office before 11 pm, but you’ll need to make sure you get the postal worker to cancel the stamp on it in person.

As for areas turning out, Eagle River doubled its ballot turnout over the weekend, from 3,000 to about 6,000. Fairview and Mountain View have had weak turnout, as has East Anchorage, and South Anchorage is coming in strong for numbers of ballots turned in.

Breaking: State public defender resigns

Suzanne Downing

-

April 2, 2019

6

Alaska’s Public Defender Quinlan Steiner resigned today.

Steiner was appointed to serve as the Public Defender for the State of Alaska and Director of the Alaska Public Defender Agency in 2005. He has worked at the agency since he was in law school in the 1990s.

The agency’s mission is to provide constitutionally mandated legal representation to indigent individuals appointed by the courts in criminal and other state-initiated litigation. Steiner oversees a staff of about 100.

Alaska’s public defenders took on over 22,000 cases last year and Steiner has advocated for more funds to help with the workload.

Last month, the Dunleavy Administration put travel limits on Steiner, to limit his travel to Juneau. He was asked to testify in committee via teleconference. In response, Rep. Matt Claman, of House Judiciary, put off hearing one of the governor’s pieces of anti-crime legislation, HB 49, saying that until Steiner could travel, other members of the Dunleavy team would not be allowed to testify in person in his committee, he said.

“The governor’s attempt to stifle the voice of Quinlan Steiner, Alaska’s Public Defender, is also alarming. Lawmakers are working through a variety of legislation aimed at making Alaska safer,” said the Democrat-led House Majority in a statement.

“There appears to be no precedent in Alaska history in which the Governor authorized prosecutors to travel to Juneau to testify on criminal justice bills but refused the same courtesy to public defenders,” said Rep. Zack Fields, who co-chairs the State Affairs Committee. “Having the perspective of both prosecutors and public defenders is crucial when reviewing bills related to public safety.”

Tuckerman Babcock, the chief of staff for the governor said that he approved travel for Steiner. Claman apparently was operating with not enough information when he blew it up in the political arena.

Check back for updates to this story.

Black Rifles Matter: No decision on Buscaglia

The 907

Suzanne Downing

-

April 2, 2019

11

Black Rifles Matter: No decision on Buscaglia

The Alaska Human Rights Commission board met, discussed, but did not decide on whether Executive Director Marti Buscaglia should keep her job.

The commission is set to meet again, perhaps as early as Friday, but no public notification has been made of the meeting. Monday’s meeting was an executive session to determine if the executive director can be salvaged, or if by allowing Buscaglia to keep her job, the entire organization would be compromised.

Buscaglia is in hot water because she in writing ordered an citizen to move his vehicle from the parking lot of the building where the Human Rights Commission is located in downtown Anchorage; Buscaglia gave him that order because the truck’s decal supporting the Second Amendment was offensive to her.

Her misdeed was compounded by the fact that she used her official business card, with the seal of the State of Alaska, to deliver the message on the man’s windshield, and then used the official Facebook page of the Commission to publicly deride the truck owner.

Gov. Michael Dunleavy called for an investigation led by the Department of Law, which led to a report given to the commission in advance of its Monday meeting.

The agency has not a posted meeting notice for further meetings this week.

[Read: Human Rights director thought she was regulating ‘hate speech’]

[Read: Human Rights Commission vs. First, Second Amendment]

API management hires new psychiatrists

The 907

Suzanne Downing

-

April 2, 2019

7

Wellpath, the company contracted to step in as emergency managers of the Alaska Psychiatric Institute, has hired four new psychiatrists.

Two are full-time, one works part time, and the fourth is a temporary. All are licensed in Alaska, said Jeremy Barr, divisional president with Wellpath.

“The first psychiatrist has already started at API with the other three scheduled to start in the next 10 days. Additionally, we had significant representation at this past weekend’s Alaska Psychiatric Association conference in Girdwood and are continuing to recruit for qualified professionals,” he said.

In February, Wellpath was tasked by the Department of Health and Social Services to assume management of API, after the facility was on the verge of being decertified due to myriad management problems that worsened under the Walker Administration.

Two psychiatrists were released in December, but have sued to get their jobs back, saying they were terminated because they refused to take an oath of loyalty.

Another psychiatrist has said she will be leaving in May.

The hiring of the four new psychiatrists contradicts what Rep. Zack Fields said in House Health and Social Services committee last week, when he claimed that Wellpath was hemorrhaging psychiatrists.

He has introduced HB 86 to prevent private management of API.

Meanwhile, the Alaska Mental Health Trust has awarded the State $150,000 to deal with the backlog of people who are in jail because they area waiting for psychiatric evaluations.

Some 45 Trust beneficiaries are in a Department of Corrections facility waiting for evaluations, and with the funds the State may be able to get through the backlog by mid-May.

API has numerous safety and capacity issues that have arisen in the facility, which is currently only half full, and yet doesn’t have room to admit patients who need care.

Will initiative to move legislature pass muster?

Suzanne Downing

-

April 2, 2019

2

Will initiative to move legislature pass muster?

FRIDAY DEADLINE NEARS

The lieutenant governor’s office has until this Friday to approve or deny “An Initiative Requiring Meetings of the Alaska Legislature to be Held in Anchorage” petition application, which was filed on Feb. 4, 2019.

Word among people familiar with the petition application is that the initiative language meets all the legal requirements and is likely to be approved.

Approval would allow the sponsors of it to proceed to gather signatures. To make it on the next statewide ballot, the initiative would require at least 28,501 signatures in petition booklets, coming from 30 House districts. Each House district would require signatures from at least 7 percent of the number who voted in the preceding General Election in the district.

The initiative calls for the meetings of the Alaska Legislature to be held in Anchorage, and because it doesn’t refer to moving the actual capital, the Frank Initiative would not apply. The Frank Initiatives is Alaska Statute 44.06.050 through 44.06.606 requiring the full cost of moving the capital to be disclosed to voters during a vote on any capital move.

David W. Bronson, Camille O. Carlson, and Leona E. Oberts are the initiative’s primary sponsors.

(The application review deadline is April 5, 2019. Earlier, it was reported to be April 8, but it was later determined by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office and determined to be April 5.)

Floyd Hall, stolen car hunter, says no to plea deal

The 907

Suzanne Downing

-

April 1, 2019

21

Floyd Hall, stolen car hunter, says no to plea deal

The man who has recovered dozens of stolen vehicles in Anchorage said no to a plea deal today — a deal that he was expected to accept, but which also would have put an end to his stolen car recovery habit.

Last week, it was reported that Floyd Hall had agreed to certain conditions, as he fought a reckless driving charge from August, 2017, during what police called a high-speed chase. He says he was just following a stolen car.

The 54-year-old urban folk hero and his supporters have been fighting the charges for over a year and a half, but earlier this week, he appeared to have relented to pressure.

The plea deal downgraded the charges, and the penalty was 30 days in jail with 30 days suspended, and a $1,000 fine. If he stopped chasing cars, he could avoid paying $500 of that fine.

Today, Hall said that the terms of the plea deal had changed, and although he had agreed to them by phone, he wasn’t aware that they included the clause that says he cannot have contact with thieves “directly or indirectly.”

That part bothers him because, well, there is a lot of indirect contact with thieves in the avocation he has, which by its nature involves contact with thieves.

Hall said he has agreed to other parts of the deal, such as staying 100 feet behind vehicles that he is tracking. But he doesn’t appear to be ready to simply give up being the good guy. Most of what he does doesn’t require that he chase vehicles — he and his team have other ways of tracking them down.

Meanwhile, Hall still hunts down and returns stolen vehicles to their owners in Alaska’s biggest city, where car thievery is rampant.

Hall runs Facebook pages called Alaska Stolen Vehicle Recovery and Alaska Stolen Recovery, where he posts live videos of him and the “A Team” finding cars and trucks all over Anchorage.

People send him tips, and he has developed a fan base. He’s even attracted the notice of a producer of a reality TV show.

Just this week he found a stolen truck, pictured above, and with the permission of the owner, he was able to let the air out of the rear tires to prevent the thief from moving it further. The thief ran off. The truck and its owner were reunited.

Hall accepts donations for his efforts and for his legal costs at Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, account 4636977.

Robo-text by Democrats draws complaint

Politics

Suzanne Downing

-

April 1, 2019

0

A text showing up on Anchorage voters’ phones appears to come from the Alaska Democratic Party, and it urges voters to cast their ballots for Democrat candidates Starr Marsett and Margo Bellamy. Marsett and Bellamy are running for the supposedly nonpartisan School Board seats.

So much for a nonpartisan local election. If the Alaska Democrats are involved, it’s partisan all day long.

The text reads: “Hi, it’s Casey with AK Dems. Please mail/drop off your ballot by Apr 2! Vote Starr Marsett & Margo Bellamy-School Board. Questions: https://bit.ly/2W3theP or 907-243-8683.”

The link goes to the Anchorage Municipal Election Division’s website and the phone number takes you to the Municipal Clerk’s office.

Steve Strait, who is active in Republican politics and campaigns, received the message and filed a complaint with Alaska Public Offices Commission, saying that it is a clear violation of campaign laws since it lacks a “paid for by” disclaimer on it.

Strait said he wants to know if the Alaska Democratic Party paid for the robo-text during this election, or was it paid for by the campaigns of Starr Marsett and Margo Bellamy, both Democrats, and what APOC will do about the violation.

Whatever the action, and whatever the penalty, Tuesday is the last day to vote and APOC will not be able to effectively correct the infraction, because the agency must first decide if the “Casey” is Casey Steinau, chairwoman of the Alaska Democratic Party, and who paid for the stealth voter push. That could take days — or even weeks.

Strait was the focus of media attention recently because he is the head of a group called Families of the Last Frontier, which has put at least $7,000 into the municipal races, for conservative candidates.

Alaska Public Media featured Strait as the chairman of the group because it was getting much of its money from an out-of-state source, GOPAC. Families of the Last Frontier is backing school board candidates Kai Binkley Sims and David Nees.

Dunleavy announces appointees to Board of Fish, Board of Game

The 907

Suzanne Downing

-

April 1, 2019

3

Dunleavy announces appointees to Board of Fish, Board of Game

Governor Dunleavy Announces Appointees to Board of Fish and Board of Game

Gov. Michael Dunleavy today announced his appointees to the Board of Fish and the Board of Game:

Israel Payton of Wasilla is a lifelong Alaskan. Raised in Skwentna, Payton lived a subsistence lifestyle harvesting fish and game. His years of work experience throughout Alaska includes guiding, North Slope operator, commercial pilot, airplane mechanic, deck hand, and property manager. Currently, Payton works for Airframes Alaska, Alaska’s largest manufacturer and seller of aviation parts. Payton enjoys hunting, fishing, and flying. He has participated in the Board of Fisheries & Game meetings for many years and is a past Advisory Committee member.

Marit Carlson-Van Dort, a born and raised Alaskan, spent over a decade salmon seining and forging a strong appreciation of Alaska’s fishery resources as a young woman. Carlson-Van Dort received her BS in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduate work in Fisheries Science and Secondary Education. She has a background in both the private and public sectors, with experience in government affairs, environmental policy, permitting, development, and community outreach. Carlson-Van Dort currently serves as director of external affairs for Nana Regional Corporation.

Gerad Godfrey of Eagle River grew up commercial fishing in the Kodiak Island Fishery for twelve years. He spent fourteen years working on the North Slope and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in the Port of Valdez. Godfrey has worked for Afognak Native Corporation since 2009, recently becoming the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors. Previously, he was former Gov. Bill Walker’s senior policy advisor on rural affairs and served for 17 years as the chairman of the Violent Crimes Compensation Board. Godfrey has held numerous other board seats including AFN, ANVCA, and the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce.

Karl Johnstone of Anchorage is married with four children. He has been a resident of Alaska since 1967. Johnstone graduated with a BS in Production Management in 1964 and with Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona. He practiced law until 1979 when Gov. Jay Hammond appointed him to the Superior Court. He served as presiding judge for the last four years until retiring in 1996. Johnstone had previously served as member and chairman of the Board of Fisheries from 2008-2015.

Mr. Payton is currently on the Board of Fish and will continue to serve per his reappointment. Mr. Johnstone and Ms. Carlson-Van Dort will take their seats on the Board of Fish immediately, with Mr. Godfrey taking his seat on July 1, 2019.

Gov. Dunleavy’s appointees to the Board of Game include:

Jerry Burnett grew up in Washington State and moved to Juneau, Alaska in 1981. Jerry grew up hunting and fishing with his father and five brothers. In 2017 he retired from the State of Alaska where he served as a director and deputy commissioner at the Department of Revenue. Jerry has long been involved with Fish and Game Management issues in Alaska having served on the boards of the Alaska Outdoor Council and Territorial Sportsmen. He and his wife own and operate Encounter Charters, a fishing and wildlife viewing business.

Al Barrette of Fairbanks is a big game guide, taxidermist, and small business owner. He honorably served in the US Army for nine years before he began his taxidermy career. He has owned and operated the Fairbanks Fur Tannery for almost 30 years. Barrette first became involved in the BOG process in 1995, was elected to the Fairbanks Fish and Game Advisory Committee in 2005, and currently serves as chairman of the Game and Trap subcommittee. In 2007 he became a class A big game guide.

Orville Huntington was born in Huslia, Alaska and received a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from University of Alaska, Fairbanks. From 2012-2019, he served as a member of the Board of Fish. As a public servant for the village of Huslia and the 43 villages of the Tanana Chiefs Conference region, Mr. Huntington’s primary responsibilities continue to be the preservation of Native subsistence hunting, fishing, gathering, and trapping opportunities and the cultural events that surround those beliefs.

Burnett took his seat on February 21, 2019. Barrette and Huntington will take their seats on the Board of Game on July 1, 2019.

BB-gun wielding man shot dead identified by police

Voting ends in Anchorage; turnout is flat so far

Breaking: State public defender resigns

Black Rifles Matter: No decision on Buscaglia

API management hires new psychiatrists

Will initiative to move legislature pass muster?

Floyd Hall, stolen car hunter, says no to plea deal

Robo-text by Democrats draws complaint

Dunleavy announces appointees to Board of Fish, Board of Game

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