Page 1645 – Must Read Alaska

Alaska’s students are being failed at every level

Columns

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February 7, 2018

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Alaska’s students are being failed at every level

EXCEPT WHEN IT COMES TO MOVING THEM UP A GRADE

By WIN GRUENING
SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR

The National Council on Teacher Quality advocates for tougher evaluations of classroom teachers.

The organization believes effective teachers should be recognized and rewarded, both monetarily and through increased opportunities for teacher leadership. Conversely, ineffective teachers should be identified and counseled, and, if unable to meet student achievement goals, dismissed.

In its 2017 survey of states ranked by implementation of best practices of teacher policies, Alaska is ranked D-, one of only 4 states with that grade or lower.

This survey follows Alaska’s Department of Education announcement last year that more than 60 percent of Alaska’s public-school students failed to meet grade-level academic standards in English language arts and math in statewide standardized tests.

Students did slightly better on the statewide science exam but barely half were considered proficient.

Equally poor results were experienced by Alaska schools in 2015.

Teachers and administrators acknowledge Alaska’s test scores consistently rank below national averages.

So how do we hold government, schools, teachers, parents and students accountable? We start by getting the facts.

You can view your school’s report card at https://education.alaska.gov/ReportCardToThePublic.

Alaska’s Education Challenge, a state-wide effort studying student achievement gaps and ways to increase Alaska’s graduation rates, is still in the early stages. Some of the changes being advocated are increasing teacher diversity and better preparing teachers for the classroom, but one of the most glaring omissions is teacher accountability.

In his State of the State address, Governor Walker once again pledged his support for education. But, up to now, that hasn’t resulted in any discernable improvement in student achievement. His solution seems to be to pump more money into a declining system and expand it by offering free Pre-K-12 school.

We need to face facts.

Despite some of the highest expenditures per pupil in the country, our K-12 education system is plagued by poor test scores, absenteeism, and low graduation rates.

If we keep doing things the way they have always been done, we can’t expect anything to change.

Perhaps it’s time for education advocates to stop viewing this issue through the single lens of funding and ask why it is that a national teacher quality think tank gave Alaska a D- grade in teacher accountability.

This is an opportunity to exercise the kind of leadership and bold initiatives that made this state great.

Accountability for student achievement runs from Gov. Walker, through his Commissioner of Education, to the 54 school districts around the state, including their school boards, administrators, teachers and finally parents and students.

Teachers are not solely responsible for student results – indeed, factors influencing student achievement are many and all deserve attention.

But one place we need to start is in the classroom.

The U.S. Education Department reports that nationally graduation rates are increasing. While this sounds like a reason for optimism, it is overshadowed by a very disturbing trend. While 80 percent of high school seniors receive a diploma, less than half of those can proficiently read or complete math problems.

The problem is that students are being passed on to the next grade when they should be held back. They are then unable to complete grade-level work and keep up with their classmates.

In Alaska, our statewide trend is even worse. Last year only 45% of 3^rd graders in Alaska tested proficient in math but by the time students reached 10^th grade less than 15% were considered proficient.

The pressure from administrators and parents to continue to promote students is wide-spread and difficult to combat. Surely, teachers should be able to hold non-proficient students back. That is the only fair way teachers can be evaluated on whether their students are at least minimally proficient in various grade-level subjects.

But this is a two-pronged issue. Most teachers are competent, dedicated public servants. But not all.

National estimates conducted by the U.S. Department of Education find school districts dismiss a very small percentage of teachers each year for poor performance. Alaska is no exception.

If we really want to effect change, students shouldn’t routinely be promoted regardless of proficiency. Teachers should be evaluated using objective student achievement growth measures to determine their effectiveness. School administrators – such as principals – could be evaluated similarly.

Parents also need to accept responsibility in changing educational expectations, but continuation of the status quo only means continuing to pay for mediocre or poor results.

Championing change like this requires tremendous political courage. It would require battling unions, school board members, and many entrenched interests across the state.

Most of all it would require leadership and accountability at every level.

Win Gruening retired as the senior vice president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in 2012. He was born and raised in Juneau and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1970. He is active in community affairs as a 30-plus year member of Juneau Downtown Rotary Club and has been involved in various local and statewide organizations.

Walker names Planned Parenthood veteran to midwives oversight board

Anchorage Daily Planet

Suzanne Downing

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February 6, 2018

10

AWKWARD APPOINTMENT

Gov. Bill Walker has named a Palmer woman who was a political field organizer for Planned Parenthood to a group that oversees the delivery of live births: the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives.

Kenni Linden is a graduate of Palmer High School and Naropa University, a Buddhist-inspired school in Colorado.

Linden ran for Palmer City Council and was endorsed by the AFL-CIO Mat-Su coalition of unions, including Local 302, IBEW, MSBEA, and MSEA. She lost to Sabrena Combs.

Linden describes herself in her previous campaign material as a “fierce reproductive justice activist—I was a political field organizer with Planned Parenthood.”

Direct-entry midwives are those who come into the field through apprenticeship, rather than for a formal nursing program.

The Board consists of two direct-entry midwives, one physician, one certified nurse midwife, and one public member, which is the board seat that expires March 1, and the one to which Linden would be confirmed.

According to the state’s web site, the Board adopts regulations to carry out laws governing the practice of direct-entry midwifery in Alaska and makes licensing decisions. It also takes disciplinary action against people who violate the licensing laws.

Will Linden get confirmed by the House and Senate, or is her nomination considered to be red meat to attract Republican ire? Is the plan to make her the new Drew Phoenix (controversial nomination of 2017) to draw attention away from other appointees?

Speaker Bryce Edgmon referred the nomination to the, er, Labor and Commerce Committee.

[Read: Transgender dosn’t make cut for commission]

The complete list of Walker’s most recent appointments:

Commissioner – Department of Revenue

Sheldon Fisher

Appointed: September 7, 2017

Commissioner – Department of Administration

Leslie Ridle

Appointed: October 6, 2017

Commissioner – Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development

Mike Navarre

Appointed: November 1, 2017

Accountancy, Alaska State Board of Public

Leslie Schmitz – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Alcoholic Beverage Control Board

Sara Crapuchettes – Soldotna

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Rex Wilhelm – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors, State Board of Registration for

William Mott – Anchorage

Appointed: 5/26/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2020

Luanne Urfer – Eagle River

Appointed: 7/7/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Jennifer Anderson – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Richard Jones – Juneau

Appointed: 10/26/2016

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Assessment Review Board, State

Bradley Pickett – Palmer

Appointed: 5/26/2017 Term Expires: n/a

Bar, Board of Governors of the Alaska

William Gordon – Salcha

Appointed: 8/15/2012 Reappointed: 3/1/2015

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Barbers and Hairdressers, Board of

Vershawn Idom – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Big Game Commercial Services Board

Robert Beans – Palmer

Appointed: 1/29/2018

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Adam Trombley – Anchorage

Appointed: 2/2/2017

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Michelle Heun – Palmer

Appointed: 1/29/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Cash Joyce – Wasilla

Appointed: 1/29/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2019

Chiropractic Examiners, Board of

James Morris – Dutch Harbor

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, Alaska

Vance Fate Putman – Juneau

Appointed: 12/1/2017

Reappointed (to different seat): 1/29/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Carol Petraborg – Juneau

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Dental Examiners, Board of

Dominic Wenzell – Girdwood

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Robin Wahto – Anchorage

Appointed: 11/15/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Education and Early Development, Board of

James Fields – Glennallen

Appointed: 3/22/2013

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Sandra Kowalski – Fairbanks

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Lorri Van Diest – Palmer

Appointed: 1/29/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2020

Fishermen’s Fund Advisory and Appeals Council

Mark Saldi – Skagway

Appointed: 3/26/2008 Reappointed: 3/1/2013

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Human Rights, State Commission for

Megan Mackiernan – Nome

Appointed: 8/18/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2020

Christa Bruce-Kotrc – Ketchikan

Appointed: 8/1/2011

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Freddie Olin IV – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Labor Relations Agency, Alaska

Tyler Andrews – Anchorage

Appointed: 6/9/2008 Reappointed: 3/1/2009

Reappointed: 3/1/2012 Reappointed: 3/1/2015

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Melinda (Mila) Cosgrove – Juneau

Appointed: 1/3/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2020

Lon Needles – Valdez

Appointed: 3/1/2015

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Marijuana Control Board

Loren Jones – Douglas

Appointed: 7/1/2015

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Nicholas Miller – Anchorage

Appointed: 8/19/2016

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Travis Welch – Utqiagvik

Appointed: 1/19/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2020

Marine Pilots, Board of

Peggy McLaughlin – Dutch Harbor

Appointed: 5/26/2017

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Richard Harris – Juneau

Appointed: 12/18/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2020

Les Cronk – Ketchikan

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Marital and Family Therapy, Board of

Natalie Lewis – Kotzebue

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Massage Therapists, Board of

David Edwards-Smith – Soldotna

Appointed: 1/19/2015

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Jill Motz – Wasilla

Appointed: 1/23/2017

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Medical Board, State

Sai-Ling Liu – Nome

Appointed: 3/1/2014

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Catherine Hyndman – Dillingham

Appointed: 12/18/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2020

Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees, Alaska

Mike Powers – Fairbanks

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Verné Boerner – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Midwives, Board of Certified Direct-Entry

Kenni Linden – Palmer

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Dianna Kristeller – Fairbanks

Appointed: 12/18/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Nursing, Board of

Starla Fox – Dillingham

Appointed: 5/26/2017

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Linda Hutchings – Soldotna

Appointed: 1/24/2018

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Optometry, Board of Examiners in

Damien Delzer – Fairbanks

Appointed: 3/1/2014

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Eric Lingle – Juneau

Appointed: 3/1/2014

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Parole, State Board of

Sarah Possenti – Fairbanks

Appointed: 4/1/2011 Reappointed: 3/1/2013

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Personnel Board

Alfred Tamagni, Sr. – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2006

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2024

Pharmacy, Board of

Tammy Lindemuth – Anchorage

Appointed: 1/24/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Sharon Long – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Lana Bell – Anchorage

Appointed: 5/31/2016

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Board, State

Keith Poorbaugh – Palmer

Appointed: 5/26/2017

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Robert Calhoon – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Police Standards Council, Alaska

Michael Craig – Anchorage

Appointed: 5/26/2017

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Justin Doll – Anchorage

Appointed: 8/18/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

David Knapp – Palmer

Appointed: 1/24/2018

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Professional Counselors, Board of

Steven Cardwell – Fairbanks

Appointed: 11/15/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Janece Richard – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Alice Baum – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Professional Teaching Practices Commission

Diane Kardash – North Pole

Appointed: 5/26/2017

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Phillip Graham – Soldotna

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Kent Runion – Nome

Appointed: 11/18/2016

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Public Offices Commission, Alaska

Anne Helzer – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Real Estate Appraisers, Board of Certified

Donald Faulkenburry – Anchorage

Appointed: 5/26/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2019

David Derry – Kenai

Appointed: 3/1/2014

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Wendy Lawrence – Sitka

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Regulatory Commission of Alaska

Janis Wilson – Anchorage

Appointed: 4/10/2006

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2024

Paul Lisankie – Anchorage

Appointed: 1/31/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2019

Social Work Examiners, Board of

Lisa Hay – Fairbanks

Appointed: 1/24/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Danielle LaFon – Fairbanks

Appointed: 3/1/2014

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Veterinary Examiners, Board of

Chris Michetti – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2022

Violent Crimes Compensation Board

Jeffrey Stubblefield – Eagle River

Appointed: 1/23/2017

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Workers’ Compensation Appeals Commission

Michael Notar – Juneau

Appointed: 9/24/2015

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2023

Workers’ Compensation Board, Alaska

Bradley Evans – Anchorage

Appointed: 5/26/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2019

David Kester – Anchorage

Appointed: 7/7/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2019

Justin Mack – Anchorage

Appointed: 1/29/2018

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Chad Bolduc – Juneau

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Nancy Shaw – Anchorage

Appointed: 12/18/2017 Term Expires: 3/1/2020

Jacob Howdeshell – North Pole

Appointed: 3/1/2015

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Bronson Frye – Anchorage

Appointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Robert Weel – Anchorage

Appointed: 1/23/2006 Reappointed: 3/1/2006

Reappointed: 3/1/2012 Reappointed: 3/1/2015

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Pamela Cline – Wasilla

Appointed: 9/21/2012 Reappointed: 3/1/2015

Reappointed: 3/1/2018 Term Expires: 3/1/2021

Also, in accordance with AS 18.85.030, the Governor submits the following name for legislative confirmation.

Public Defender

Quinlan Steiner – Anchorage

Appointed: 10/13/2005

Reappointed: 10/13/2009 Reappointed: 10/13/2013

Reappointed: 10/13/2017 Term Expires: 10/13/2021

Rep. Parish on thinking: It’s a slow process

The Social

Suzanne Downing

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February 6, 2018

1

Rep. Justin Parish, in House Military and Veterans Affairc Committee last week, makes a stunning admission in the first 20 seconds of this video.

The topics were occupational licensing for military education, training and service credit for military service members, and temporary occupational licenses for military spouses.

Outside group complains about Alaska Super-PACs

Suzanne Downing

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February 6, 2018

4

Outside group complains about Alaska Super-PACs

[Update: The public relations company SoundSpeedPR, representing Equal Citizens, has demanded that Must Read Alaska take this story down from our web site because the company has not given MRAK permission to write about it. – SD)

A well-funded election group with strong ties to the Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Alaska Public Offices Commission against two Alaska “independent expenditure” groups who participated in the 2016 election cycle.

One of the groups was run by a laborers union boss in Anchorage.

The other was run by a 92-year-old Fairbanks woman who has been recovering from a broken hip.

“Equal Citizens,” the group behind the APOC complaint, may have picked the wrong fight.

Kathleen “Mike” Dalton, the 92-year-old chair who is on a cane in Fairbanks, said, “There’s nothing I like better than a political battle.”

*Mike Dalton, Republican matriarch of Fairbanks, left, meets with other Fairbanks activists, including Pauline Martens, center.*

The Alaska Public Offices Commission staff has ruled against Equal Citizens, which used Anchorage lawyers from the offices of Davis Wright Tremaine to file complaints against “Interior Voters for John Coghill” and “Working Families of Alaska.”

The official complainants in the matter had to be Alaskans, so the group rounded up Donna Patrick of Fairbanks, John Lambert of Ester, and James Barnett, of Anchorage — all registered Democrats — to sign their names.

WHO ARE INTERIOR VOTERS FOR COGHILL?

Interior Voters for John Coghill was a group supported in large part by The Accountability Project, whose head is Scott Hawkins, now a candidate for governor. Chairwoman Mike Dalton is a longtime political activist with a take-no-prisoners view of politics.

The Accountability Project put $47,000 into Interior Voters for John Coghill, and Hawkins put in $2,500 of his own money. The Interior Voters attacked the political track record of Coghill’s opponent, Democrat Luke Hopkins, in the 2016 general election.

There were a dozen other smaller donations to the group, which spent $50,000 to help Coghill, a Republican, fend off a fierce challenge from a popular former mayor.

WORKING FAMILIES OF ALASKA — LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL

Working Families of Alaska is an independent expenditure group of the Laborers Local 341, with Business Manager Joey Merrick as its chairman.

Top contributors were the Laborers Political League Education Fund of Washington, D.C. and Local Laborers 341.

Working Families of Alaska endeavored to elect AFL-CIO president Vince Beltrami to the Senate over incumbent Sen. Cathy Giessel, and to re-elect Fairbanks Rep. Adam Wool.

It spent over $70,000, and Wool was re-elected, while Beltrami lost to Giessel, due in part due to the counterbalancing efforts of Hawkins’ independent expenditure group, The Accountability Project.

WHERE DOES ‘CITIZENS UNITED’ FIT IN?

“Citizens United” was a landmark case that went to the Supreme Court, which eight years ago decided that Americans are entitled to form up independent groups and participate in campaigning on behalf of candidates, so long as they do not coordinate with the candidates’ actual campaigns.

Citizens United sought an injunction against the Federal Election Commission to prevent the agency from blocking its distribution of the film, Hillary: The Movie, which expressed the opinion that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton would not make a good president. Citizens United won.

[Read: Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission]

Just as federal law overrides state law in matters pertaining to abortion (Roe v. Wade), the Citizens United decision is settled law that makes it a federal violation for Alaska to enforce its donation limits that are still on the state statutes.

WHO IS BEHIND THE COMPLAINT TO APOC?

The force behind the complaint to APOC is a group called “Equal Citizens,” which is run by a group that is also trying to dismantle the Electoral College System.

The group, according to Federal Election Commission records, gets its funding from Act Blue, the Democratic fundraising software and organization that raises hundreds of million of dollars to sway elections.

The complaint said Alaska Statute prohibits individuals from contributing more than $500 to organizations like Interior Voters for John Coghill and Working Families of Alaska, and that groups may also not contribute large sums to such independent expenditure efforts.

It seems likely that the complaint, while rejected by APOC staff, won’t stop there.

The Equal Citizens group will now likely sue APOC for not enforcing a superseded state law that is in conflict with federal law. The group has launched similar complaints in other carefully chosen states, and is finding independent expenditure groups to target from both sides of the political aisle, so as to appear nonpartisan.

Alaskans may see the Alaska Department of Law having to defend the Alaska Public Offices Commission decision in court, and if Equal Citizens has the money it appears to have, the case might continue through the courts and eventually end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.

DEPARTMENT OF IRONY

Scott Hawkins, who was a driving force behind the Accountability Project in 2016, which was one of the funders of Interior Voters for Coghill, is now a candidate for governor. His biggest challenge in the primary, at this stage, is Mike Dunleavy, the former senator from the Mat-Su Valley.

Last week, an independent expenditure group formed to support Dunleavy’s election, and its chair is Terre Gales, who lives in Wasilla. To date, the group has over $560,000 in financial commitments and started running ads during the Super Bowl and on the radio this week.

Hawkins was named in the complaint. If Hawkins has to defend his own independent expenditure efforts in the past, which he started after the Citizens United decision was settled, his current primary opponent will benefit from his efforts.

Deeper in the irony department is that Equal Citizens runs a super-PAC itself.

And if the reader has not had enough irony for one day, consider one of the main collaborators with Equal Citizens: Larry Lessig, the Harvard lawyer who is trying to dismantle the Electoral College, so that states like Alaska will have no voice at all in elections.

Lessig stood up his own super-PAC, the Mayday PAC, which spent millions of dollars to elect lawmakers who would pass laws to eliminate…wait for it… Super-PACs.

Heads and Tails: Who’s in for Anchorage mayor, explaining the Fansler replacement process

Politics

Suzanne Downing

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February 6, 2018

0

THE LINEUP

The Feb. 2 deadline for filing for mayor has come and gone. Here’s the list of who filed to run Alaska’s biggest metropolis:

Ethan A. Berkowitz
Rebecca Logan
Dustin Darden
Timothy R. Huit
Paul Kendall
Jacob Kern
Matthew Mendonsa
Nelson Godoy
Ron Stafford

The election starts when ballots are mailed on March 13 and ends on April 3. This will be the first mail-in election that Anchorage has held after the Anchorage Assembly approved moving to what is essentially absentee voting only.

EGAN TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT

Dennis Egan, who has served in a public capacity for Juneau for decades, will announce his retirement on his old radio show, “Problem Corner,” on KINY today. Egan, 70, has served since 2009, when Gov. Sarah Palin appointed him to replace Sen. Kim Elton, who resigned to serve in the Obama Administration.

Egan will serve out the remainder of his term and his replacement will be sworn in next January. Who might that be? Among the names discussed in Juneau are his aide, Jessie Kiehl, who seems likely to announce his candidacy. Kiehl also serves on the Juneau Assembly.

Other possible candidates include Mayor Ken Koelsch, a Republican, and Maria Gladziszewski, unaffiliated, who is on the Assembly.

Larry Cotter, the president of the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Assn., filed notice last week that he’s a candidate. He’s unaffiliated.

The last Republican to represent Juneau in the Senate was Elton Engstrom, Jr., the father of former Rep. Cathy Muñoz. He lost in 1970 to Bill Ray.

FANSLER REPLACEMENT HAS HURDLES

*Gov. Walker celebrating with now disgraced Reps. Zach Fansler and Dean Westlake, who his Democratic allies pushed into office.*

Which three names will District 38 Democrats suggest Gov. Bill Walker pick from to serve out the term of former Rep. Zach Fansler of Bethel?

Actually, that’s putting the cart before the horse, because the district doesn’t have a functioning organization right now. They first need a district chair.

District 38 Democrats meet at 6 pm today at the UA Kuskokwim Campus in Bethel to get the ball rolling. They’ll elect a district chair to serve until April, when they convene again formally.

That person will need to organize the committee that will review resumes and applications for the District 38 seat.

The seat was formerly held by Bob Herron, but urban Democrats from Anchorage recruited Fansler to run and ensured his victory by managing his campaign through the Democrat-leaning Ship Creek Group, founded by John-Henry Heckendorn, now the governor’s top aide and defacto campaign manager. Heckendorn was the driving force behind Fansler’s recruitment and win.

Fansler has been accused of beating a woman so badly her eardrum burst.

Jill Yordy, an aide to Fansler, wrote:

“Today my former boss did the right thing given the circumstances and submitted his resignation letter. Like many others, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the allegations that were reported last week in the Juneau Empire. Those allegations came as a surprise to the staff in his office. As a Representative, Mr. Fansler always treated his staff and constituents with respect and professionalism. He had done his best to serve the people of House District 38. However, these are very serious allegations that undermine public trust and they warrant full and careful consideration. Both Mr. Fansler and the victim deserve to have the matter handled within the criminal justice system. Mr. Fansler’s resignation allows that investigation to proceed without further impeding legislative work or House District 38.

“I support Speaker Edgmon’s leadership and swift action last week in addressing the allegations. This is not an easy situation for anyone and it is reassuring to see the issue of domestic violence being taken seriously by the House Majority Coalition. The next few weeks may be confusing as the selection process for a replacement moves forward, but the staff in the House District 38 office are committed to continuing our work to support the communities in House District 38. The office remains open and we will continue to do our best to keep constituents informed and have their legislative and agency issues addressed as the second session of the 30th Alaska State Legislature continues.”

The old switcharoo in municipal election

Suzanne Downing

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February 5, 2018

8

ELECTION OFFICE TRANSPARENCY FAIL

Democracy is whittled away in small bites. But this one is a rather big bite. It’s hard to explain, and it’s school board politics, but give it the old college try:

SWITCHAROO: One of the dirties tricks candidates pull is to make everyone think they are running for a seat, then coordinate with someone who shares their philosophy and pull a last-minute switcharoo right at the filing deadline.

But how can you do that when someone like David Nees, the Anchorage election bird dog and candidate for Seat E on the Anchorage School Board, is watching every day to see who filed?

You create a parallel system.

In this case, the Municipal Clerk opened a second election office down in the Ship Creek area, and let everyone know they could file either at City Hall or Ship Creek.

That’s not the problem, however.

The problem is no one imagined the Clerk would also keep two sets of logs for who had signed up or withdrawn their candidacy for the April 3 municipal election. Each set would have different information. If you went to City Hall, you’d see one thing, Ship Creek would have another, and online would have other information.

School Board member Tam Agosti-Gisler deftly used that system to pull out of the race for her school board seat at the last minute, and put Deena Mitchell in her place.

Meanwhile, school board candidate David Nees, who did not originally file for Agosti-Gisler’s seat because he knew he could not beat her, asked the assistant clerk why someone’s name was missing in the book, although their name was listed on the Election Office web site. She had no idea.

When Nees went back into the office on Friday, she told him that she had the answer: There were parallel books being kept. They didn’t reflect each other.

HOW IT WENT DOWN: Mitchell, a liberal and member of Great Alaska Schools, was running on Tuesday against school board incumbent and conservative Elisa Snelling. That’s how it appeared Wednesday downtown.

By Friday, Mitchell withdrew from that race, filed in Agosti-Gisler’s race, and Agosti-Gisler withdrew. The deadline went by safely before David Nees could discover there were two books.

In 2018, it’s hard to imagine why this information isn’t posted online so everyone can see in real time. But even in the old days, it was never acceptable to carry two sets of books and deny the public the transparency it deserves.

As for Agosti-Gisler, she said in a letter to the board that she coordinated the swap with Mitchell and is supporting her candidacy. And now, she’s off to Switzerland for a couple of years. Her letter was dated Feb. 2, the deadline date for filing:

To: School Board
Cc: grant_katy; Hayes_Janet; moffitt_kathy; stock_mark; Graham_Michael
Subject: Big decision I made

February 2, 2017

Dear Superintendent Bishop and Board Colleagues,

After careful deliberation and with much vacillation even up to today, I have made the decision not to pursue a third term on the Anchorage School Board. I have just returned from the MOA where I withdrew my name from the candidate pool.

You may be aware that my husband, Hans, is retiring from the MOA in March. You may have also heard me quip that he has supported my “School Board habit” for the past six years, allowing me to dedicate my full attention to board service. I must now seek employment to supplement our income. We have decided to move to his home country of Switzerland this fall for various reasons: 1) There are positions available for employment teaching English as a foreign language. 2) We will live in a bilingual town fulfilling my dream of becoming fluent in his native Swiss-German and he in French. 3) We have talked about living in Switzerland for the past several decades but careers and family always supplanted the idea, yet we aren’t getting any younger! 4) Hans is the youngest of 9 siblings, the eldest who just turned 80. He has lived here in Anchorage for 39 years and this time in Switzerland will allow him to reengage with his family.

We plan on staying in Switzerland for two years and then will return to Anchorage. Alaska will always be home. I may choose to seek reelection to the Board in a later year.

I chose to run for the Board 6 + years ago because I intuited that the ASD was in for tumultuous times as we transitioned to 21st century learning and faced diminished funding. I felt my skills and passion for education could be of service. I am confident that we now have the right Superintendent, the right team, and the right direction for this district to continue on the appropriate path to best serve our students.

I spoke with Deena Mitchell today and told her of my decision.This afternoon, she signed up to run for the seat I am vacating and I am supporting her candidacy.

With respect,
Tam

Ms. Tam Agosti-Gisler
President
Anchorage School Board

Alyse Galvin: What is she? Democrat? Undeclared? Independent?

Politics

Suzanne Downing

-

February 5, 2018

4

EXHIBIT A: DIVISION OF ELECTIONS TWISTS A JUDGE’S RULING LIKE A PRETZEL

(Corrected version: Alyse Galvin is listed with Alaska Division of Elections as an “Undeclared Democrat.” An earlier version in the Monday Newsletter stated the listing was at the Alaska Public Offices Commission, a separate agency).

Democrat Alyse Galvin filed with the Division of Elections as an “undeclared” candidate against Congressman Don Young.

She did so with the open and full support of the Alaska Democratic Party, which is providing her with all her campaign needs.

When Galvin filed her candidacy, the State designated her as an “Undeclared Democrat” (see filing below).

http://elections.alaska.gov/Core/candidatelistprim.php#Representative

But her Federal Elections Commission filing lists her as an “Independent.”

In Alaska, there is no such thing as an Independent. There is an Alaska Independent Party, but nothing that is simply Independent.

https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00665711/?cycle=2018&tab=summary

So which is it? What does party-bender Galvin identify with today and how are voters supposed to know what she stands for — Independent? Undeclared? Democrat?

How does the Division of Elections allow her to list herself as both Undeclared and Democrat when Judge Philip Pallenberg ruled that a person’s affiliation must be absolutely clear to voters?

[Read: Judge rules Democratic Party can run ‘nonpartisans’ in their primary]

Galvin may wish to correct her email address, as seen in the official record below, so people can ask her directly what party she identifies with on a day-to-day basis:

“The State is challenging Judge Pallenberg’s decision in Supreme Court, but meanwhile, allowing Undeclared Democrats to file is confusing and not allowed under current law,” said Tuckerman Babcock, chairman of the Alaska Republican Party. “Isn’t this the kind of confusion that Judge Pallenberg warned the state not to engage in?”

Look, up in the sky! It’s Air Force Two!

The 907

Suzanne Downing

-

February 5, 2018

1

TWO CHANCES TO SEE SIGNATURE AIRCRAFT

Vice President Mike Pence will stop in Anchorage this afternoon. Air Force II will be landing at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson at approximately 5 pm, as the vice president and his wife Karen make their way to Japan and then South Korea for the start of the Winter Olympics.

Typically, the aircraft is accompanied by F-16s. Airspace in the area will have temporary flight restrictions (TFR) and Merrill Field is likely to be affected.

After landing, Pence will take in a Northern Command briefing with aerospace and missile defense leadership and then tour the Alaska Command and Control Center.

At 6:45 pm, the vice president’s plane will depart for Tokyo, Japan before heading to PyeongChang for the opening ceremonies, which start Friday.

Pence will lead the US delegation to the winter Olympics and play the part of America’s top dignitary present to celebrate American athletes.

But his visit to South Korea comes at a time when North Korea has been increasingly hostile to the United States, and the symbolism of his trip will be the fodder for much media coverage.

Pence has in the past visited the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas. His father served in the Korean War and was awarded the Bronze Star.

Temporary Flight Restrictions are in effect:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN THE SKY

The Air Force 2 is a custom version of the Boeing 757-200 commercial intercontinental airliner.

The C-32 body is the same as the Boeing 757-200, but it stands taller, for security reasons, allowing the Secret Service personnel to view all around the aircraft.

Length: 155 feet, 3 inches (47.32 meters)
Height: 44 feet, 6 inches (11.02 meters)
Wingspan: 124 feet, 8 inches (37.99 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 255,000 pounds (115,668 kilograms)
Range: 5,500 nautical miles unrefueled range
Ceiling: 42,000 feet (12,727 meters)
Speed: 530 miles per hour (Mach 0.8)
Load: 45 passengers
Unit Cost: Unavailable
Crew: 16 (varies with mission)
Date Deployed: June 19, 1998
Inventory: Active force, 4

The passenger cabin has four main areas, according to the U.S. Air Force:

1. The forward area has a communications center, galley, lavatory and 10 business class seats.
2. The second section is a fully enclosed stateroom for the use of the primary passenger. It
includes a changing area, private lavatory, separate entertainment system, two first-class
swivel seats and a convertible divan that seats three and folds out to a bed.
3. The third section contains the conference and staff facility with eight business class seats.
4. The rear section of the cabin contains general seating with 32 business-class seats, galley,
two lavatories and closets.

Dunleavy first Alaska gov candidate with Super Bowl ad

The 907

Suzanne Downing

-

February 4, 2018

4

(Corrected version: Bob Richards in 1986 ran a Super Bowl ad, “A new day is dawning.”)

Rarely before has a gubernatorial candidate in Alaska had an ad in the Super Bowl. One ran on Sunday night for the first time since 1986.

“Dunleavy for Alaska,” the independent expenditure group chaired by Terre Gales, bought a 30-second spot at the end of the third quarter of the game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.

The ad was “voiced over” by Mike Porcaro, longtime advertising agency owner and broadcaster in Anchorage. He said in his 52 years of advertising work in Alaska, he’d never seen an ad promoting a gubernatorial candidate.

“I think we got across the message we wanted,” Porcaro said, after the game ended. “It was a good game, and a good spot.”

The group “Dunleavy for Alaska” is different from the candidate’s actual campaign, “Alaskans for Dunleavy.” It operates under its own election rules and is not allowed to coordinate with the campaign, so it was likely that candidate Dunleavy saw the ad for the first time himself on Sunday, as he and his wife watched the game from their farm house.

But parts of it would have looked familiar to him, as imagery was lifted from his previous campaigns for Senate District E.

The ad started out with Dunleavy walking out of a barn, and the message focused on getting oil out of the ground, protecting the Permanent Fund dividend, and “Mike’s been Juneau’s loudest voice for a balanced budget….We just need a governor who will get us there.”

He was filmed brushing one of his dozen mules that he owns on his farm in the Mat-Su Valley, and then the usual set of oil and budget imagery followed, with upbeat music in the background. The ad ended with the usual required disclosures.

The ad buy cost the group $19,000 and was seen by Super Bowl viewers in Anchorage and Fairbanks media markets.

Dunleavy for Alaska has also purchased television ads for the Olympics from Feb. 9-24, with a spend of $36,000.

The group’s radio buy that starts Monday morning and runs through the end of the month will burn through $9,000, according to FCC records.

Porcaro Communications is the group’s Agency of Record for ad placement, according to the FCC filings.

A longer version of the ad is running on Dunleavy’s Facebook Page.

Alaska’s students are being failed at every level

Walker names Planned Parenthood veteran to midwives oversight board

Outside group complains about Alaska Super-PACs

Heads and Tails: Who’s in for Anchorage mayor, explaining the Fansler replacement process

The old switcharoo in municipal election

Alyse Galvin: What is she? Democrat? Undeclared? Independent?

Look, up in the sky! It’s Air Force Two!

Dunleavy first Alaska gov candidate with Super Bowl ad

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