The Seward Highway water pipe along Turnagain Arm at Mile 109 is a popular place for Anchorage locals to gather untreated water.
But due to the Friday, Nov. 30 earthquake, rock fall is particularly active between Mileposts 104 and 114, and the State has temporarily closed access to the water pipe.
If gathering pure, untreated water is on hold due to falling rocks, at least State offices are beginning to reopen.
The Dunleavy Administration announced that all State offices suitable for occupancy in Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla, and Palmer will be open for business on Wednesday, Dec. 5.
Employees are asked to verify if their regular work site has been inspected and cleared. But most of them are.
According to the state’s building damage assessment page, the only State offices not suitable for occupancy at this time are the 2221 E. Northern Lights Blvd. building housing the Department of Administration procurement offices; the Fire Training Center; and the Palmer campus of University of Alaska Fish and Game lab.
The Department of Fish and Game Headquarters on Raspberry Road is mostly suitable for occupancy.
The Department of Administration says that workers re-entering facilities “should be fully prepared for damage to state equipment and property.” In other words, you might be able to go to work, but getting work done could take a bit longer.
One area of State services that has received a lot of praise from the public is the work performed to get roadways back in order, as evidenced by this popular meme going around social media circles that shows the quick repair to the northbound onramp from Minnesota Blvd. to International Airport Blvd:
With Gov. Mike Dunleavy taking office at 12:01 pm on Monday, dozens of people were laid off from mainly upper-level management positions with the old administration.
It was “situation normal” for a transition. Some people were kept, such as Janice Mason, the scheduler for the governor, who served under Gov. Sean Parnell and Gov. Bill Walker, handling their scheduling needs. She’s as close to the heat as one can get in politics, but she was retained. Tara Fradley, who manages the Anchorage office, was said to be retained, although she may move into a different capacity.
Others, such as commissioners, were released from service. The old chief of staff is gone, and a new one has taken over.
The mainstream media reacted as if it was a Monday afternoon massacre.
But in fact, just 95 state workers were let go.
When Bill Walker became governor in 2014, that number was 90.
But the mainstream media had little curiosity about the layoffs back then. It was not a story because it is a normal condition. Why it’s a story now? The media has revealed its bias by choosing to focus on the number of people, but not what happened in the last days of the Walker Administration.
What was not normal is that two of the top public safety officers in the state — the heads of Public Safety and Corrections — quit their posts early, in the middle of a declared disaster.
TOP COP
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan and Deputy Commissioner Bill Comer quit their jobs on Friday in the middle of the biggest emergency the state has faced since the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. The 7.0 earthquake that hit just after the start of business was a major safety concern.
Rather than stay on their jobs through the weekend and until the end of the Walker Administration on Monday, they called it quits on Friday. The earthquake aftermath would not be their problem over the weekend.
They left in charge the acting head of the State Troopers, Andrew Greenstreet, who by all counts is a competent leader. He stayed on the job and no-doubt had his hands full.
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Commissioner of Corrections Dean Williams also left early. Williams quit immediately after the earthquake, choosing to not work through the weekend to secure damaged prisons and other corrections facilities.
Williams left Acting Deputy Commissioner Jacob Wyckoff in charge. Wyckoff was then said to leave for Hawaii on a planned vacation.
Meanwhile, several of the corrections facilities in Southcentral sustained significant damage. Some may need to be closed.
And yet, those jobs are not truly vacant. They are filled by acting commissioners who have stepped in after the commissioners quit early.
TOP LAWYER
The former Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth tendered her resignation effective noon on Monday. The person in charge became Ed Sniffen, who was Deputy Attorney General and now serves as acting attorney general until someone new is named. The top position is not empty, as stated by the ADN.
Lindemuth was attorney general for the past 18 months. Before that, Craig Richards was AG for Walker. Gov. Sean Parnell also had two attorneys general — first was Dan Sullivan, followed by Michael Geraghty, who served for two years.
ANNOUNCEMENTS ON WEDNESDAY
Gov. Mike Dunleavy will announce the new commissioners for Public Safety, Corrections and the new Attorney General on Wednesday at about 11 am. Check back with Must Read Alaska for the details. These are the final cabinet appointments to be made.
On Monday, Dunleavy announced that Doug Vincent-Lang is the new commissioner of Fish and Game.
800 “exempt” or “partially exempt” employees were asked to send in their letters of resignation, and to indicate if they wanted to keep serving in the new administration. All but about 30 submitted their letters before the deadline on Friday.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced Doug Vincent-Lang as acting commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game. He takes over for Sam Cotten, who departed with the Walker Administration.
While the joint Boards of Fish and Game go through their process of nominating candidates for commissioner, Dunleavy has put in place someone trusted throughout the fish, game, and wildlife management community. Vincent-Lang is a veteran of the department with more than three decades of experience in wildlife research and management.
He served as division director for wildlife management, special assistant and assistant director to the Division of Sport Fish, and as a research biologist. The Walker Administration released him when it took over in 2014, and he effectively retired.
Commissioner Vincent-Lang earned a B.S. degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and a M.S. degree in biological oceanography from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
GOV. DUNLEAVY, LT. GOV. MEYER SWORN IN WITH RURAL ‘CAN-DO’ FINESSE
One thing you can count on in Alaska in the winter: The weather can throw a wrench into your plans.
In rural Alaska, even more so.
But because of the quick work and innovation of the people of Kotzebue and Noorvik on Monday, the peaceful transfer of power took place in the State of Alaska, and it all happened above the Arctic Circle in the most remote region of the state, weather notwithstanding.
The people made it work.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s plane was supposed to land in Noorvik, but diverted to Kotzebue after a low ceiling cause the pilot to change the flight plan.
But per the Constitution, the new governor needed to be sworn in by noon. There wasn’t a lot of time, but Kotzebue came through. And Noorvik shone brightly.
Dunleavy entered the Bering Air waiting room in Kotzebue after disembarking from his plane at 10:30 a.m. He went around the crowded room and greeted people before getting into a van and heading to the school district headquarters. It was barely daylight.
Meanwhile, the high school quickly set up the chairs and podium in the gymnasium, and students filed in for an impromptu assembly.
An internet connection was established with Noorvik, so that community, 42 miles away, could take part — they watched from their own school gymnasium, where Dunleavy had been expected in person.
By noon, the right hands had been raised by both Gov. Dunleavy and Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer, and Alaska had a new leadership team. They gave their remarks. The community prayed, and gave its blessing to the new leaders. Songs were sung.
First Lady Rose Dunleavy greets friends in Kotzebue before heading to Noorvik.
If it wasn’t clear by the effort he made to move heaven and earth to make good on his commitment to the cermony in rural Alaska, Dunleavy made it plain in his remarks: “We never forgot about rural Alaska. You’re not going to be an afterthought.”
A half hour later, Dunleavy and his family had taken dozens of photos with people, had hugged dozens more, and were on their way to Noorvik to take part in what was even more like a family reunion, with many of his wife Rose Dunleavy’s relatives and Noorvikian friends in attendance at the school.
Nearly the only city folks were media who chartered flights for the historic occasion.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy delivers his remarks in Noorvik, while members of his family look on. His daughter Maggy was not able to get to Noorvik due to weather at the Red Dog Mine, where she works.
The mood in Noorvik was jubilant, as Gov. Dunleavy walked into the school building, and a roar of applause broke out. He worked his way into the gymnasium and gave an even more personal and heartfelt set of remarks, unscripted, to the community that helped forge his governorship. After all, Rose was raised in Noorvik. This region of the state is where he spent nearly two decades as an educator.
The community had been preparing a feast for weeks. Fresh flower arrangements had been flown in at great expense to adorn the tables. The school was spotless, and dozens of snow machines were parked right outside the door. It was apparent that this ceremony mattered, and they were not going to allow the weather delay to dampen their spirits.
Some 20 gallons of caribou stew was simmering on the school’s kitchen stove, and filets of salmon, buckets of mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls were ready to feed the 600 people in attendance — elders served first.
Noorvikians were hospitable, greeting strangers with “Welcome to Noorvik!” and “Thank you for coming.” They were smiling and gracious hosts, helping visitors get to and from the air strip, and showing the pride in their community. Dunleavy and his family sat with members of their extended family and had a family dinner to remember.
A sign in the Noorvik school cafeteria welcomes the new First Lady, whose hometown is Noorvik.
Simultaneously, back in Anchorage and Juneau, the Dunleavy team had by then walked into the governmental headquarters and taken over operations. The new Administration issued its first press release by 1:15 pm, which was simply the announcement of the swearing in being completed.
And the second press release came hot on its heels — the announcement of the new commissioner of Fish and Game — Doug Vincent-Lang, a former division director at Fish and Game who had been “let go” immediately by the previous Walker Administration, when it came into power exactly four years prior.
The new government was clearly in business, and as many as 20 top political appointees were released within the first hour.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy leaves Noorvik late Monday afternoon, heading for Anchorage.
Dunleavy and his family were on the plane from Noorvik directly back to Anchorage by 4 pm, heading into the twilight of an Arctic night, and to his first cabinet meeting, where the discussion was focused entirely on the earthquake in Southcentral, the damage assessments and plans underway, and the continuation of operations for state and local operations.
Dunleavy has his work cut out for him in urban Alaska, where much is broken — not only the economy, the sense of public safety, but now the infrastructure. It will be trial by fire from Day One.
But for one day, it was a celebration of rural Alaska and all it has meant to him in his life. His gratitude to the people in the Arctic was evident today, the day he became their governor.
Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Valerie Davidson will not attend the swearing in of the new administration on Monday in Noorvik. The governor issued a press release today saying that because of the earthquake, he is choosing to shelter in place. His press release states:
“Lt. Gov. Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson, First Lady Donna, and I unfortunately will not be able to attend tomorrow’s swearing-in ceremony in Noorvik. Given the nature and aftermath of Friday’s earthquake, the lieutenant governor and I will remain in Anchorage to assist with the reopening of state facilities and damaged infrastructure.
“I discussed this plan of action with Governor-elect Mike Dunleavy at the State Emergency Operation Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Friday. I wish him and his Administration the best as they take office and assume control of the recovery efforts.”
It may be the first time in Alaska history when an outgoing administration did not attend the swearing in of his or her successor.
Mike Dunleavy at noon on Monday becomes the 12th governor of Alaska since Statehood; Sen. Kevin Meyer becomes lieutenant governor.
Dunleavy was born May 5, 1961 to working class parents in Scranton, Penn. His father was a mailman and his mother was a secretary. He came to Alaska to work in a logging camp on Prince of Wales Island, taught school in the Arctic for nearly two decades, earned his master’s degree from University of Alaska Fairbanks, and became a member of the Alaska Senate on Jan. 15, 2013. He defeated Democrat Mark Begich on Nov. 6, 2018 and is sworn in as governor today, Dec. 3, 2018. He is married to Rose and has three daughters. The family has a ranch outside of Wasilla.
Dunleavy ran against Linda Menard for the Senate Seat E, representing Wasilla and won in in 2012 with over 57 percent of the vote. He also served on the Mat-Su School Board and was superintendent of schools in Kotzebue.
Kevin Meyer, was born May 9, 1956, in Beatrice, Neb. He will be sworn in as Alaska’s 17th lieutenant governor. Meyer earned his B.S. in business administration from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 1978, his M.P.A. from University of New Mexico, Albuquerque and his M.B.A. from Alaska Pacific University, in Anchorage. He has worked as a office property manager for ConocoPhillips for many years.
Meyer also served on the Anchorage Assembly from 1993 to 200, in the House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008, and in the Alaska Senate from 2008 until today, when he becomes lieutenant governor. He is married to Marty and has two daughters.
FUN FACTS: While Sean Parnell was the 11th lieutenant governor, and the 10th governor of Alaska. But we’ve had 17 lieutenant governors since statehood.
Seven of those have come since 2009, if you include In the 10 years since 2009, including Parnell, who was lieutenant governor until becoming governor in July.
Most people will remember six of the lieutenant governors in that timespan — Craig Campbell, Mead Treadwell, Byron Mallott, Valerie Davidson and now Kevin Meyer. But there was also Joe Schmidt, Department of Corrections commissioner, who became LG for two weeks at the end of July, 2009, when Sean Parnell became governor.
Anchorage Assembly member Amy Demboski says that Monday is her last day, as she will resign when Mike Dunleavy is sworn into office at noon.
She had earlier announced her resignation, but not the effective date.
“This will more effectively allow me to assume the role as Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Dunleavy and be a direct link between the Muni and the Governor’s Office during this time,” she wrote.
“I anticipate the Assembly will declare the seat vacant on Tuesday, start accepting resumes to fill the vacancy on Wednesday, and fill the seat around the 17th-18th of December (there is discussion of a special meeting to fill the seat, but watch for official details). There should be an official announcement by the Assembly Chair on Tuesday 12/4 as to their official timeline to fill the seat,” Demboski wrote. “Thank you all for your support and encouragement over the years. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to represent our community and be your voice.”
Listen to the control tower at Ted Stevens International Airport guide in a FedEx jet on approach on Friday, Nov. 30, just as the 7.0 earthquake was hitting:
In 2010, gardeners, downtown merchants and city officials trying to ensure funding for flowers in the city’s flowerbeds launched the Festival of Flowers to head off recurring budget battles over flowers and set up an endowment fund, eventually to reach $1 million, the newspaper reports. It raised $10,000 in its first year.
“Volunteers enthusiastically sold quilt raffle tickets and potted plants, auctioned off the city’s trademark yellow-and-gold hanging baskets and helped children plant marigolds in Town Square Park,” it reports.
What happened to the dough? you may ask. That is what city gardeners were asking when the current administration recently tried to plug its budget deficit by killing off flowers. The answer? The money was spent for other things. It went into the city’s parks and recreation account, and – surprise! – “nearly $6,000 from that account was spent in 2016 on landscaping in Town Square Park, after Mayor Ethan Berkowitz called for the large broken fountain in the center of the park to be torn down,” the ADN reports.
