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By popular demand: The list of Alaskans who gave $ to Maria Cantwell

Suzanne Downing
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6

From the Federal Election Commission database, the 73 Alaskans who support Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington in 2017.

Cantwell is leading the charge to remove the provision in the tax bill being debated in the Senate today that would allow drilling in the 1002 Area of ANWR, the coastal plain that was always intended for oil exploration.

Ordered by level of donation, most of the listed donors gave during or around the time of Cantwell’s fundraising trip to Alaska in August, hosted by Mark Begich, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and Democratic campaign strategist Jim Lottsfeldt:

MONKMAN, RICHARD FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/17/2017 $2,200.00
HART, KRISS E FRIENDS OF MARIA GENERAL AK 08/15/2017 $2,200.00
MADSEN, STEPHANIE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 09/14/2017 $2,000.00
SZYMANSKI, MIKE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $1,700.00
WAKEFIELD, JEANETTE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $1,000.00
WAKEFIELD, GREG FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/19/2017 $1,000.00
VANDERHOEVEN, ANNE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 09/18/2017 $1,000.00
VAN TUYN, PETER FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/07/2017 $1,000.00
ULMER, FRANCES FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $1,000.00
TEUBER, ANDREW FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $1,000.00
SZYMANSKI, MIKE FRIENDS OF MARIA GENERAL AK 08/23/2017 $1,000.00
ONDERS, ROBERT FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $1,000.00
MILLER, LLOYD FRIENDS OF MARIA GENERAL AK 08/27/2017 $1,000.00
MALLOTT, AMANDA FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $1,000.00
LOTTSFELDT, JIM FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/22/2017 $1,000.00
LOTTSFELDT, JIM FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/18/2017 $1,000.00
LOOMIS, TODD FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 09/21/2017 $1,000.00
HICKEY, BRIAN FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $1,000.00
FEATHERLY, WALTER T FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $1,000.00
COOKE, CHRISTOPHER R FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $1,000.00
BEGICH, MARK FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/22/2017 $1,000.00
MILLER, LLOYD B FRIENDS OF MARIA GENERAL AK 03/27/2017 $900.00
WESLEY, EDWARD FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/22/2017 $500.00
SCHUTT, AARON FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 09/05/2017 $500.00
HOFFMAN, ANA FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $500.00
GOTTSTEIN, DAVID FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $500.00
FEDULLO, CHARLES FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $500.00
COTTER, LAWRENCE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 07/07/2017 $500.00
CLEMENT, CHARLES L III FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $500.00
MONKMAN, RICHARD FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 02/06/2017 $500.00
HART, KRISS FRIENDS OF MARIA GENERAL AK 02/13/2017 $500.00
KENDALL, HEATHER FRIENDS OF MARIA GENERAL AK 08/07/2017 $400.00
MONKMAN, RICHARD FRIENDS OF MARIA GENERAL AK 08/17/2017 $300.00
WIGGIN, DIANE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
WALSH, JOHN FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/21/2017 $250.00
VAN VACTOR, NORMAN FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
TAYLOR, MELINDA FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
STEINBERG, LEONARD FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $250.00
SPANYERS, CINDY L FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
REXFORD, ELIZABETH FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $250.00
PUGH, MARGARET FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
PUGH, JOHN FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
PETERSON, RICHARD FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
NELSON, JOSEPH FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
MINICH, SOPHIE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $250.00
MCCARTY, HEATHER FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
MACK, THOMAS FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $250.00
LISTOWSKI, RICHARD FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
LAYMAN, GABRIEL FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
HORNE, MARK FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/22/2017 $250.00
HANDYSIDE, HEATHER FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/22/2017 $250.00
GREENE, GRACE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $250.00
GREENBERG, DEBORAH FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $250.00
GORE, CAROL FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
COURTNEY, NANCY FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/24/2017 $250.00
COTTER, LAWRENCE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $250.00
CONSENSTEIN, DANNY FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/22/2017 $250.00
CLARK, ARTHUR FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/23/2017 $250.00
BUCK, MARSHA FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/20/2017 $250.00
BOTELHO, BRUCE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
AYERS, JAMES FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $250.00
ANDERSON, WILLIE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/20/2017 $250.00
OHAUS, TOM FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 03/20/2017 $250.00
GWARTNEY, FRANK FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/30/2017 $150.00
KENDALL, HEATHER FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/07/2017 $100.00
SHADRACH, JEAN FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 06/15/2017 $100.00
MAXWELL, FRANK FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 06/26/2017 $100.00
MILLER, LLOYD B FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 03/27/2017 $100.00
MAXWELL, FRANK FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 02/21/2017 $100.00
BUCK, MARSHA FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 08/07/2017 $50.00
BUCK, MARSHA FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 03/22/2017 $50.00
RONDA, J ARLENE FRIENDS OF MARIA PRIMARY AK 06/15/2017 $25.00

Will Don become ‘Dean of the House’?

Suzanne Downing
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1
Will Don become ‘Dean of the House’?

WHAT A CONYERS RESIGNATION MEANS FOR DON YOUNG

Rep. John Conyers was spotted on a plane back to Detroit, Mich. today, unusual for midweek and a sign that his resignation may be imminent, after a third former staffer made allegations of sexual harassment against the longtime Democrat.

Conyers has served in Congress for nearly 53 years and is being pressured by the Congressional Black Caucus and many of his fellow Democrats to resign, according to Politico.

If he does, Rep. Don Young of Alaska will become the Dean of the House, the longest-serving member.

It’s a position not held by a Republican lawmaker since March 1933, before Rep. Young was born.

The stars are certainly aligning that way. Conyers has already stepped down from his position as the Democratic lead member of the House Judiciary Committee after it became public that he settled — using taxpayer dollars — with an accuser.

The House Ethics Committee is now investigating his conduct, which could result in a shuffling of the deck for Congress’ most senior member. His hometown paper in Democratic-heavy Detroit has already called for his resignation.

Although the Dean of the House position comes with limited responsibilities, including swearing in the Speaker of the House, it is a respected position that will add to Young’s already impressive track record of getting bills through Congress.

Young has moved six bills through Congress this year alone and will have his second bill signed into law by the end of the year.

John Conyers is the current member of the House who has served longer than anyone else presently serving, at 52 years, 321 days.

Don Young is next, having served since March 6, 1973, 44 years, 259 days, according to Wikipedia. He is the most senior Republican.

Walker hanging out in D.C. — why?

Suzanne Downing
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0

Gov. Bill Walker has spent much of his month outside of Alaska — first in China and now two weeks in the nation’s capital, broken up by a week for Thanksgiving week in Anchorage.

Pundits are speculating he is back in DC now to make sure he can take full credit for the tax reform vote that contains a provision to open up the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas.

Not hanging around D.C. as much these days is his former running mate, Craig Fleener, who will be gone from the Walker Administration by the end of the year, according to Must Read Alaska sources.

Most recently, Fleener was the director of the governor’s DC office, but didn’t measure up, so he was returned to his position as Arctic policy adviser. He and his family live not far from the Beltway.

Fleener was the lieutenant governor on the ticket before Walker dumped him and forged a deal with the Democrats to include Byron Mallott as his running mate — after primary voters had already chosen the Walker-Fleener ticket. The deal included making sure Fleener had a job in the cabinet, which he retained for three years.

Breaking: LeDoux has a primary — Aaron Weaver files for House District 15

Suzanne Downing
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6
Breaking: LeDoux has a primary — Aaron Weaver files for House District 15

A well-known Anchorage photographer has filed to run in the Republican primary against Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux in House District 15. Aaron Weaver, formerly a videographer with KTUU, left his journalism job and filed on Tuesday.

In 2014 and 2016, LeDoux was not opposed in the primaries, and in 2016 won against Democrat Patrick McCormack 67.83 percent to 32.17 percent in the general election. After being elected, she quickly caucused with a new Democrat-led majority and rose to the position of Rules chair.

It came as a surprise to no one, as she had signaled she intended to jump the Republican ship.

With the new liberal majority in the House, and a conservative majority in the Senate, work in the Legislature has been painful for many to watch. LeDoux prevented legislation from reaching the House floor that would have prevented her from developing her special-favors political action committee, “Gabby’s Tuesday PAC,” that she has used to force her will on her fellow legislators.

Weaver has not held elected office before, but he plans to walk the district for the next nine months. Athletic and far younger than his opponent, he has time on his side, as LeDoux will be prevented from campaigning so long as the 2018 session is active. That will give Weaver plenty to talk about as he goes door to door.

Will LeDoux be able to handle the pressure of a primary opponent? Will Republicans even let her run as a Republican again?

This will be the race to watch in 2018.

 

Sen. Sullivan talks about North Korea threat

Suzanne Downing
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2

In the wake of a missile launch today by North Korea, Sen. Dan Sullivan appeared on CNN with Wolf Blitzer in an interview about the current threat, saying that “Effective diplomacy needs to be backed up by credible military options,” when it comes to dealing with the aggressions of Kim Jong Un.

“The intelligence community has been saying it’s no long a matter of if, but when. They are getting closer, but we are not just waiting for this to happen here on Capitol Hill or with this Administration,” he said, and then described the defense authorization bill that will bring a more robust missile defense to Alaska. Sullivan authored that portion of the bill.

The entire interview can be seen here:

Going rogue: North Korea launches another missile

Suzanne Downing
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0

According to the Pentagon, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile around 9:17 a.m. Alaska Time on Tuesday. It was the first launch from the rogue regime in more than two months.

Initial assessments from the Department of Defense indicates that the missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile launched from Sain Ni, North Korea. It reached an altitude of 4,500 km and traveled about 1,000 km before splashing down in the Sea of Japan, within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

The missile flew about 54 minutes, landing 960 km from the launch site.

If the missile were fired on a flatter, standard trajectory, it would be have been able to reach any major city in the U.S., according to David Wright, a missile expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

“If these numbers are correct, then if flown on a standard trajectory rather than this lofted trajectory, this missile would have a range of more than 13,000 kilometers (km) (8,100 miles).

“This is significantly longer than North Korea’s previous long range tests, which flew on lofted trajectories for 37 minutes (July 4) and 47 minutes (July 28). Such a missile would have more than enough range to reach Washington, D.C., and in fact any part of the continental United States,” Wright said.

“We do not know how heavy a payload this missile carried, but given the increase in range it seems likely that it carried a very light mock warhead. If true, that means it would be incapable of carrying a nuclear warhead to this long distance, since such a warhead would be much heavier,” he added.

With the North Korean nuclear threat seeming to increase, Hawaii emergency officials announced on Monday that the state would resume monthly testing of its Cold War-era nuclear attack warning sirens for the first time in about 30 years, in preparation for a potential missile launch by Pyongyang.

The first such test of the air raid system will take place Friday.

[Read: Aloha oe: Hawaii prepariing for nuke] 

The air distance between the North Korea launch site and Honolulu is 4,599 miles. To hit Anchorage, the missile would only need to travel 3,564 miles.

Pro tip: Thompson & Co. unveils Blueprint Alaska

Suzanne Downing
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2

Photo: Sarah Erkmann Ward, Jennifer Thompson

Thompson & Co. Public Relations, will open a new public affairs agency, Blueprint Alaska, on Jan. 1, 2018.

President and CEO Jennifer Thompson hired longtime public relations professional and registered Alaska lobbyist Sarah Erkmann Ward to serve as Blueprint Alaska’s president and CEO. Ward has a track record in government relations, issues management, advocacy, and strategic communications counsel.

Blueprint Alaska will focus on influencing public policy and opinions, building and maintaining relationships with the public, and finding common ground with stakeholders. The agency says it will also assist clients “in navigating the challenges that occur when diverse interests of business, government, politics, and media intersect.”

Ward comes to her new role from the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, where she served as manager of external affairs. She was named the Public Relations Society of America Alaska Chapter’s “Communicator of the Year” in 2017. She is also accredited in public relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America.

The new agency will be headquartered in Anchorage.

Crackdown? Slightly harsher penalties now in law

Suzanne Downing
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1

Senate Bill 54 went into effect early Monday, with Gov. Bill Walker signing it into law upon the recommendation of the Department of Law, which said it will withstand a legal challenge by the ACLU.

“The passage of SB 54 helps to build a Safer Alaska,” Gov. Walker said in a press release. “While some portions of the legislation may need to be addressed by the court system, this law is an important first step in returning some important tools to the law enforcement community.”

Walker did not elaborate on which aspects might be addressed by the court system, nor in what manner they would be addressed, but he is clearly uncomfortable about the bill he signed.  The ACLU of Alaska has threatened a lawsuit that, if successful, could repeal SB54 and extend the crime wave that has swept over Alaska. That lawsuit would take place during Walker’s re-election year.

SB 54 has these main provisions:

  • Class C Felonies: The presumptive sentencing ranges are increased. First offenses changed from receiving mere probation to having up to two years of jail time. Second offenses went from 1-3 year sentences to up to 4 years. Third offenses remain unchanged. According to the governor, the courts should now be more willing to hold offenders on bail for a first C felony conviction, because the sentence can include active jail time.
  • Theft in the Fourth Degree – This is a Class B misdemeanor for theft of something valued under $50. SB 54 created a graduated sentencing structure for theft of property valued at less than $250. For a first conviction, a sentence can include up to five days of jail time. For a second conviction, up to 10 days and for a third conviction, up to 15 days. On a fourth conviction, the offense is upgraded to a Class A misdemeanor (theft in the third degree), which under most circumstances is punishable by up to 30 days of jail time.
  • Violating Conditions of Release – SB 54 restored this to a misdemeanor, punishable with up to five days of jail time. “Returning this offense to a misdemeanor clarifies for judges and law enforcement alike that a person may be arrested and held until bail is set on the new offense,” the governor said.
  • Mandatory Probation for Sex Offenders – SB 54 reestablished a mandatory period of probation for sex offenders. Unclassified felonies receive 15 years of probation, Class A or B felonies will receive 10 years of probation and Class C felonies, the lowest level, will get 5 years of probation.
  • Sex Trafficking Adjustments – SB 54 amended the statutes to ensure those who profit from other sex workers can be held accountable as sex traffickers.

The ACLU asserts that the  presumptive sentencing range for first time convictions of Class C felonies of zero to two years creates a condition where first time Class C and Class B felony presumptive sentence ranges are the same.

That identical sentencing range presents a problem for the ACLU, which says it will be forced to sue because:

“First, the new Class C felony presumptive ranges would violate a due process requirement under both state and federal constitutions that sentencing ranges bear a substantial relationship to legislative policy. The entire concept of graduated classes of offenses is to ensure that more serious crimes are sentenced more harshly. In reviewing the class of offenses for C felonies and B felonies, which would have identical presumptive penalties, it is likely the court would conclude that the sentencing for each of those classifications is arbitrary.”

“A second, related issue with Amendment 12 is the that sentences must bear some proportional relationship to the offense under the constitutional prohibitions of cruel and unusual punishment. “It is a precept of justice that punishment for crime should be graduated in proportion to the offense.” Those punishments are arbitrary when, as succinctly described by one court, “similar offenses are compared and conduct that creates a less serious threat to public health and safety is punished more harshly.”

But the ACLU opposed SB 54 from the beginning, writing in July of 2016 that: “In July 2016, Governor Walker signed SB 91, a comprehensive criminal justice reform bill, into law. The ACLU of Alaska commended the Governor and Legislature for adopting policies that make our criminal laws smarter, our justice system better, and our communities safer.

“SB 54, sponsored by Senator John Coghill (R-Fairbanks), threatens to roll back some of the reforms achieved by SB 91 in criminal sentencing and penalties for low-level crimes and first-time offenders. We oppose the bill and wrote to the Senate Judiciary and Finance committees explaining our concerns.”

MEANWHILE, CAR THEFTS STILL RISING

Car thieves may not have gotten the word yet about the crackdown and are still busy this November, according to LexisNexis crime data:

 

 

With ‘Friends of Maria’ who needs enemies?

Suzanne Downing
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5

BEGICH, BERKOWITZ, LOTTSFELDT HOSTED

Sen. Maria Cantwell came to Alaska in August, 2017 and took a tidy sum of contributions to her political action committee, “Friends of Maria.”

She was feted at a fundraiser by Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and former Sen. Mark Begich, and received tens of thousands of dollars in donations in the day she spent in Anchorage.

Cohosts of one fundraiser were regular Democrats and the event was at the home of Liz Perry and Lane Tucker.

A second event was held at Jen’s Restaurant and was hosted by labor lobbyist and Democratic campaign consultant Jim Lottsfeldt, Schawna Thoma, and Rachel Barinbaum.

Thoma and Barinbaum work for Mark Begich at his Northern Compass Group.

Now, Cantwell is flush with cash from her Alaska events, as well as others around the country that featured Democratic reliables like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and she is leading the opposition to opening the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

A Seattle Times story last week about the conflict that is festering between Cantwell and the Alaska delegation says that she is “burnishing her green credentials,” just as she did back in 2005, when she was able to beat the late-Sen. Ted Stevens on this very issue:

“In 2005, a first-term Democratic senator from Washington came out on top in a bristling confrontation with Alaska’s senior Republican senator, then at the peak of his power and determined to fulfill his quest to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development.

“It was a signature victory for Sen. Maria Cantwell, burnishing her green credentials, as she corralled enough votes to defeat efforts by the late Ted Stevens to attach a refuge oil-development measure to a military-spending measure.”

Some of the Alaska donors who gave Cantwell more than $1,000 in August, knowing of her long history opposing Alaska’s push to open the coastal plain of ANWR, include:

  • Richard Monkman, a Native rights lawyer in Juneau
  • Kriss Hart, Western Marine Construction
  • Stephanie Madsen, At-Sea Processors Association
  • Mike Szymanski, Fisherman’s Finest
  • Jeanette Wakefield, AAA Moving and Storage
  • Ann Vanderhoeven, Arctic Storm Management Group
  • Peter Van Tuyn, and Besseyey Van Tuyn
  • Fran Ulmer, former lieutenant governor
  • Andrew Teuber, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
  • Robert Onders, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
  • Lloyd Miller, Native Rights attorney
  • Amanda Mallott, Juneau Community Foundation
  • Jim Lottsfeldt, Lottsfeldt Strategies
  • Todd Loomis, Ocean Peace
  • Brian Hickey, Chugach Electric
  • Walter Featherly, Holland and Knight
  • Christopher Cooke, retired judge
  • Mark Begich

The complete list of about 70 Alaska donors supporting Cantwell in 2017 is here.

In an interview with the Seattle Times, Cantwell said she will do everything she can to block drilling in the refuge.

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