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Sharon Jackson sworn in — across the street

Suzanne Downing
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10
Sharon Jackson sworn in — across the street

(2-minute read) REBUKED BY HOUSE DEMOCRATS, SHE TAKES OATH OF OFFICE ANYWAY

Reps. Josh Revak of Anchorage and David Eastman of Wasilla took things into their own hands today, and, with the authority of Alaska State Statute, swore in Rep. Sharon Jackson as the representative for House District 13.

It was three U.S. Army veterans breaking through the partisan gridlock to get the job done.

Jackson was appointed by Gov. Michael Dunleavy to replace the newly elected Nancy Dahlstrom, after Dunleavy tapped Dahlstrom for Commissioner of Corrections. The House Democrats had refused to allow her to be sworn in with the rest of the legislators on Tuesday.

The ceremony was conducted not in the House Chambers, but in the courthouse across the street.

House Republican leadership appears to not accept it as final, however.

“The House Republicans were notified this afternoon that a Deputy Clerk had administered an oath of office to Rep.- Appointee Sharon Jackson,” said Rep. Dave Talerico of Healy. “While the sentiment of this effort to get Ms. Jackson seated quickly is appreciated, the House Republicans anticipate the official swearing-in of Ms. Jackson to take place on the House floor, as in accordance with Alaska Statutes and the Constitution, and we look forward to welcoming her to the body as soon as possible. We have no further comment at this time.”

Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer also said it was not valid.

“The Department of Law has advised the Lt. Governor’s office that the actions taken today did not constitute an official oath of office. Because the House has not selected a Speaker or Speaker pro-tem, under statute the only person to administer the official oath of office to new members of the Alaska State House is the Lt. Governor. We look forward to the timely seating of Representative-nominee Jackson,” read a statement from the lieutenant governor’s office.

“Talking to countless neighbors as I was campaigning last year, Alaskans made one thing overwhelmingly clear. We were elected to get the job done. Us legislators only have 90 days to work with, and we do not have the time to waste on partisanship and political maneuvering,” Revak said in a statement.

“There are over 17,400 Alaskans in Representative Sharon Jackson’s district, they are entitled to representation. When Representative Sharon Jackson reached out to me, we read Alaskan statutes together and the letter of the law is clear, she has been legally sworn in at the Juneau Courthouse,” Revak said.

“I look forward to working with Representative Sharon Jackson, lets put Juneau to work we do not have a single day to waste,” he said.

Jackson raised her right hand and was sworn in by a court official.

Although the Democrats robbed her of the very meaningful ceremony of being sworn in inside the historic House chambers, Jackson rose to the occasion without malice, but with the usual twinkle in her eye, and took the oath of office. There was no yellow corsage.

View the Revak Facebook video here.

https://www.facebook.com/Revak4Alaska/videos/329846084532135/

The ball is now in the court of the Democrats, who will have to decide if, on the eve of Martin Luther King Day, they want to fight the right of Rep. Jackson to vote as a seated member of the body.

Breaking: Permanent Fund payback plan announced

Suzanne Downing
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0
Breaking: Permanent Fund payback plan announced

THE TOTAL RESTORATION IS AS MUCH $3,678 OVER THREE YEARS

Gov. Mike Dunleavy today explained to Alaskans how he intends for the State to pay back the Permanent Fund dividend portion that the Administration believes belongs to Alaskans from the past three years of the Walker Administration.

He provided two bills today. One that would make special appropriations from the Earnings Reserve Account, a $17 billion sub account of the Alaska Permanent Fund, for payment of “unpaid permanent fund dividends.” The bill also authorizes the next four fiscal years of dividend payments.

“I am transmitting a special appropriations bill that authorizes the payment of unpaid dividends, which came as a result of executive and legislative action, in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

“The transfer occurs over the current and next two fiscal years. The bill also authorizes the transfer for the payment of the Permanent Fund Dividend Program for the fiscal years ending 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.”

The other bill directs the Department of Revenue to pay dividends over the next three years, according to a formula, to certain eligible individuals.

“Eligible individuals will be determined by the receipt of a prior year’s dividend and the eligibility for a current year’s dividend.  Individuals eligible for the 2016 unpaid dividend are a person who received the 2016 dividend and is eligible for a 2019 dividend; an individual eligible for the 2017 unpaid dividend is a person who received a 2017 dividend and is eligible for a 2020 dividend; and an individual eligible for the 2018 unpaid dividend is a person who received a 2018 dividend and is eligible for a dividend in 2021.”

RESTORATIVE ACTION

Dunleavy characterized his bill as fulfilling his commitment to Alaskans.

 “I intend to follow the law and take restorative action to the unpaid portions of the permanent fund dividends from 2016, 2017, and 2018 to eligible individuals,” he said in a statement.

For 2019, Alaskans would receive back pay of $1,061, but will have had to have received a 2016 dividend and be eligible for the 2019 dividend.

For 2020, Alaskans would receive another $1,289. That’s only for those who were eligible for a 2017 dividend and still eligible for the 2020 dividend.

For 2021, Alaskans would get an additional $1,328, if they received a 2018 dividend and are still eligible for a 2021 dividend.

While running for governor, Dunleavy said he supported returning to the historic formula for establishing the dividend amount each year.

He characterized this plan as fulfilling his promise to Alaskans and said if Alaskans want to change the way the Permanent Fund dividend is calculated, they should vote on it.

“As our economy faces a recession and our unemployment rate is one of the highest in the nation, the payment of the unpaid amounts of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 dividends, distributed over the next three years, can significantly contribute to improving Alaska’s economy. It will also restore the trust of Alaskans that we will follow the law and the statutory formula that has been used since the first dividend check was issued in 1982.”

Commissioner Bruce Tangeman said he views the payback as a separate issue from the POMV — Percent of Market Value — that was passed by last year’s legislature and signed by the former governor.

“This is just making correct the past three years,” Tangeman said.

The commissioner acknowledged that all of this is subject to appropriation, and that will take the agreement of the Legislature. One Legislature cannot bind the hands of future appropriators.

Tangeman said it will take a couple hundred hours of programming to add this calculation into the Permanent Fund Division’s system.

“I think in the end the Legislature will do the right thing,” Gov. Dunleavy said, adding that many Alaskans will use the money to make repairs after the Nov. 30 earthquake.

Bob Griffin named to Alaska Board of Education

Suzanne Downing
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Bob Griffin named to Alaska Board of Education

(1-minute read) EDUCATION ADVOCATE TO FOCUS ON LITERACY

Education advocate Bob Griffin has been named to a seat on the Alaska State Board of Education.

Griffin is a commercial pilot and education advocate who has been working in the area of improving student outcomes since 2009.

He started as a taxpayer advocate and activist for a tax cap in Anchorage, but shifted his focus a decade ago to find ways to raise the quality of Alaska’s education outcomes, which are among the worst in the nation.

Griffin has served as chair of the joint budget advisory commission for the Anchorage School District and the Municipality. He is a member of the capital improvement committee for the Anchorage School District, appointed to that post by former Superintendent Carol Comeau.

He also ran for school board once but lost to incumbent Pat Higgins by one half of one percent.

Griffin was an early supporter of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, but as treasurer of an independent expenditure group called Dunleavy for Alaska, he never had contact with the candidate and was not able to advise him on education matters. But they worked together on school reform issues when Dunleavy was a senator.

A senior fellow at the Alaska Policy Forum, Griffin has stated his number one goal is to improve early childhood literacy in Alaska.

His appointment must be confirmed by the Senate.

(Check back. This story will be updated upon confirmation of which school board member Griffin is replacing.)

A Mark Twain moment

Suzanne Downing
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A Mark Twain moment

THE ANCHORAGE DAILY PLANET

In Alaska, it is that time of year to remember Mark Twain’s dire warning: “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.”

Ours is supposed to convene today to address the issues confronting Alaskans, but if the 40-member House’s inability to form a leadership coalition is any harbinger of things to come, this meeting of the 31st Legislature should be a doozy. It has been unable to decide on committee assignments, staffing or possible coalitions involving Democrats and Republicans.

Neither Republicans nor Democrats can muster enough members to form a solid majority. It would be nice if, at some point very soon, if the mess would sort itself out; the games would be over; and, lawmakers would remember who they are there to represent.

This legislative session’s agenda contains some very important issues and delay only makes the work harder. The budget. Crime control. How the Permanent Fund dividends are figured. Retroactive dividends. Fiscal policy. The list goes on and on. It is time for lawmakers to put partisan bickering behind them and get on with business.

On the other hand, Twain had it right. Perhaps it is better in the long run for Alaskans that the Legislature stay snarled.

 

Juneau Assembly picks activist to replace Jesse Kiehl

Suzanne Downing
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The unanimous vote on the Juneau Assembly went to Alicia Hughes-Skandijs to replace Jesse Kiehl, who left the local governing body when he became a state senator. The vote was held Monday night, and she was sworn in. The Assembly will have her the at-large seat until the next scheduled election in October.

She won the Assembly’s support over the applications of six others, including former Assembly member Kate Troll.

Hughes-Skandijs works for the State of Alaska as a grants administrator and is active in the ASEA union, where she has held leadership positions and is the Juneau chapter steward. She has been both the chair and treasurer for the Juneau chapter of ASEA and has been the contract negotiator for the Southeast region.

She’s also participated in local stand-up comedy and serves on the boards of the Alaska Folk Festival and the League of Women Voters. As an activist, she’s been a part of protests of the various sort that take place in front of the Capitol Building, including a counter-protest she staged during an Alaskans For Life vigil 2018, when she was photographed stating her pro-abortion stance:

https://www.ktoo.org/2018/01/22/photos-anti-abortion-rally-at-capitol-draws-about-150/alicia-hughes-skandijs-counterprotest-alaskans-for-life-20180122/

 

Senate elects first woman president since Lyda Green

Suzanne Downing
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7

(1-minute read) CATHY GIESSEL TAKES GAVEL

The Alaska Senate gaveled in this morning and elected Sen. Cathy Giessel as its president.

She is the first woman to lead the Alaska Senate in over a decade, since Lyda Green held the gavel in 2007-2008. Drue Pearce was Senate president from 1995-1996 and 1999-2000.

Giessel, a Margaret Thatcher-type lawmaker who has a reputation for working hard and making tough calls, represents Senate District N, serving in the Legislature since 2011. That area is Anchorage hillside and Turnagain Arm communities of Bird, Girdwood, and Indian. She is a nurse practitioner who was born in Fairbanks.

The Senate this year has a record number of women in the top leadership positions — three women and two men:

Rules: Sen. John Coghill of Fairbanks

Finance-Capital: Sen. Natasha Von Imhof of Anchorage

Finance-Operating: Sen. Bert Stedman of Sitka

Majority Leader: Sen. Mia Costello of Anchorage

Democrats block seating of black woman veteran in House

Suzanne Downing
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19
Democrats block seating of black woman veteran in House

TUCK AND TARR LEAD CHARGE AGAINST AMERICAN HERO

House Democrats today objected to the swearing in of the first African-American military hero in the Alaska House of Representatives.

Sharon Jackson, who served in the U.S. Army, and was also a military and veterans liaison to U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, was rebuked by the House Democrats, with Rep. Chris Tuck and Geran Tarr leading the charge to block her from being seated in the Alaska House.

Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer presided over the first two hours of the House. During much of the time, the chambers was in an at-ease, and members gathered to discuss procedures.

Democrats claim that Lt. Gov. Meyer doesn’t have the authority to swear in Jackson. That job, they say, goes to the Speaker Pro Tem, whom the Democrats and Republicans must elect.

But there’s nothing in Alaska Statute about swearing in. The swearing in ceremony is a formality, not addressed in Alaska law.

Democrats don’t want Jackson to be able to vote. They know they cannot win but seeking to create a bargaining chip to force their choice for Speaker Pro Tem.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy nominated Jackson to fill the vacant Alaska House of Representatives seat for the 13th District, Eagle River.

The statutes that are relevant to Jackson are:

15.40.320, which talks about how once there is a vacancy how someone is appointed. It says the governor has 30 days to appoint someone of same party and same district who vacated the office.

15.40.330, which refers to the confirmation of the appointment. The only legislators who have a role in the process are the members of the body of the same party as that who nominated the person.

That means the Republicans. Tuck, Tarr and the Democrats have zero statutory authority or role under the law.

14.40.340, which refers to the date of office of appointee. If the appointment is subject to confirmation, which this one is (by House Republicans), the term shall begin on the date when the appointment was confirmed.

That day is today.

In the Capitol, Republicans were heard asking, “Can you imagine the uproar if our side had blocked the seating of an African-American Democrat?”

Meyer recessed so that he could get the rest of the members signed in on the first day, largely a ceremonial process, and it allows for a cooling off period.

National Weather Service: Midwest storm to cause random loops

Suzanne Downing
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3

(45-second read) PACKAGES GOING TO ATTU? REALLY?

Another major snowstorm is on its way to the Plains and Midwest this weekend, and the National Weather Service in Kansas City says it will affect not only travel across the country but will add miles and miles of flight for packages going to Alaska.

According to the National Weather Service, a package leaving Kansas City will have to travel 9,624 and perform a random loop over the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, before landing in Attu.

The NWS says that the route above is the one that could likely be taken along the weather pattern to avoid the storm, and “a lot can happen along that journey to alter the end result.”

Attu, population 20, is the farthest island in the Aleutian Chain and there is no known UPS facility in Attu, although there is one in Kansas. Normally, a flight leaving Kansas City would travel 2,774 miles to Anchorage.

Must Read Alaska spoke with a Fed Ex pilot who could not figure out the map, and surmised that the National Weather Service may understand weather but flying packages to Alaska? Not so much.

Is it fake news or just a Weather Service social media intern with too much time on his hands?

 

Edie Grunwald to chair Parole Board

Suzanne Downing
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13

Gov. Michael Dunleavy has named Edie Grunwald as the incoming chair of the Alaska Parole Board, Must Read Alaska has learned.

Grunwald ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, and she is well-known across Alaska for her indomitable spirit, optimism in the face of adversity, and frank style of communication.

In a six-way primary, she came in second to Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer, winning over 18,000 votes to Meyer’s 23,838.

She’s also well-known as the mother of a slain teen.

David Grunwald was a clean-cut 16-year-old when he was bludgeoned and shot. His body was found two and a half weeks later along the Knik River, outside of Palmer, where one of the murderers dumped it in November, 2016.

MILITARY EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Grunwald spent 31 years in the military, starting out as an Air Force aircraft mechanic, earning a commission, and then retiring as a colonel.

She earned two master’s degrees in Business Organizational Management, and Strategy, National Security and Military. She also earned a Senior Human Resources certification and is a USCCA Firearms Instructor.

SON’S MURDERERS GOING THROUGH JUSTICE SYSTEM 

But for the past two-plus years, Grunwald and her husband Ben Grunwald have often been found in a courtroom in Palmer, attending every emotional hearing for the six young men accused of their son’s death, listening to the testimony and offering victims statements. She has met with the parole officers for the pre-sentencing report, and taken calls from the media at every twist in the journey. As a parent, she has been through the legal system in dogged pursuit of justice for David.

The sentencing for the first person to be convicted, Erick Almandinger, is set for March 20, 2019. Almandinger was found guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping, assault, and other charges. It was his gun that was used to beat Grunwald senseless, and then Almandinger was the one who drove Grunwald in Grunwald’s 1995 Ford Bronco to the Knik River location, and shot him once in the head. Then, he set the Bronco on fire.

Almandinger’s co-defendant Dominic Johnson was also found guilty by a Palmer jury on Dec. 27.

Others accused in the incident are Brad Renfro and Austin Barrett. A fifth young man, Devin Peterson, 19,  pleaded guilty last year to evidence tampering and hindering prosecution, but not murder.

Grunwald replaces Lonzo Henderson, who served as chair for several years. Her term will start on March 1.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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