Page 1685 – Must Read Alaska

Hawkins on governor’s banishment decision: Too many questions unanswered

Politics

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October 11, 2017

Scott Hawkins, candidate for governor of Alaska, has raised questions about Gov. Bill Walker’s decision to keep the State out of tribal criminal justice proceedings that involve the punishment of “banishment.”

“Like many Alaskans, I am concerned about law and justice, so I find it a bit mystifying and extraordinary that the Attorney General of the State of Alaska would walk away from important criminal justice issues and, specifically, her duty to protect rural Alaskans,” he wrote.

While tribal banishment may have a place in a rural criminal justice system, Gov. Walker and Attorney General Lindemuth have not put any definition around it, Hawkins said, and cited examples of where sideboards need to be placed in this new State policy:

Which communities will be allowed to administer tribal justice, including banishment? Could any community institute it?
How will decisions be made about which communities can and cannot?
Beyond banishment, how about imprisonment? Cruel and unusual punishment?
What are the requirements for due process? Are there any?
What will happen when justice is administered by a tribe and it leads to an Alaskan’s death due to lack of training and oversight?

“There are just too many unanswered questions for the Walker Administration to have washed its hands of the tribal justice issue so completely and so early, without defining a coherent policy.

“At the very least, Gov. Walker needs to clarify the parameters of his new ‘rural justice policy.’ Alaskans need to know in advance which communities they may travel to and still have their rights protected by the U.S. and Alaska Constitutions.”

Hawkins, a business entrepreneur and well-known figure in Alaska politics, filed a letter of intent to run for governor in September.

Quote of the Week: Attorney General gives thumbs up to banishment

(Disclosure: Hawkins writes an occasional column on this site and his nonprofit, Alaska Wins, is an advertiser).

Events for Politicos Oct-Nov 2017

Politics

Suzanne Downing

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October 11, 2017

0

Send your political event items to suzanne @ mustreadalaska.com. Here’s what we’re serving up this week:

Oct. 17: Rep. George Rauscher meet and greet and fundraiser at Pinnacle Mountain RV, 26616 North Glenn Hwy in Sutton, 6-8 pm.

Oct. 19: Visions for Victory Series: Crime and Punishment in Anchorage, sponsored by Anchorage Republican Women’s Club. The Center, 4855 Arctic Blvd., Anchorage, 6-8 pm.

Oct. 19: Scott Hawkins for Governor evening presentation at Valley Republican Women Club, Mat-Su Restaurant, 7 pm.

Oct. 19: Don Young for Congress fundraising reception, 3822 Locarno Drive, (Ashlock residence), Anchorage, 5:30 -7:00 pm.

Oct. 19: Senate Majority fundraiser to support the team standing for Alaska’s economy. Hosts Senators Pete Kelly, Click Bishop, John Coghill, Cathy Giessel, Anna MacKinnon, Kevin Meyer, Peter Micciche, Bert Stedman, Gary Stevens, Natasha von Imhof David Wilson. Crowne Plaza Hotel, International Blvd. at C Street, 5-7:30 pm

Oct. 19: Mia Costello for Senate fundraiser, Jens Restaurant, 701 W. 36th, noon – 1:30 pm

Oct. 20: Charlie Huggins for Governor fundraiser, 36357 Sylvan Circle, Soldotna, 6-9 pm.

Oct. 20: Sen. Pete Kelly luncheon presentation at Friday Interior GOP/ Fairbanks Republican Women, Denny’s Restaurant, 11:30 am.

Oct. 21: Mike Chenault for Governor at Rie Munoz Gallery in Juneau, 5-7 pm

Oct 21: Charlie Huggins for Governor meet and greet, Challenger Learning Center, Kenai, 11 am -1 pm

Oct. 23: Bart LeBon for House District 1fundraiser, North Pole Coffee Roaster, 1502 Minnie Street in the rail industrial rail, 5:30-7 pm.

Oct. 24: Charlie Huggins for Governor fundraiser at Nesbett house, 10900 Kamishak Bay Circle, Anchorage. Time TBA

Oct. 27: Sen. Click Bishop luncheon presentation at Friday Interior GOP/ Fairbanks Republican Women, Denny’s Restaurant, 11:30 am

Nov. 3: Sue Hull, State Board of Education, luncheon presentation at Friday Interior GOP/ Fairbanks Republican Women, Denny’s Restaurant, 11:30 am

Nov. 10: Bart LeBon, candidate for House District 1, luncheon presentation at Friday Interior GOP/ Fairbanks Republican Women, Denny’s Restaurant, 11:30 am

Nov. 15-16: Resource Development Council conference, Dena’ina Center in Anchorage.

Nov. 3: Republican Women of Anchorage Masquerade Gala at 49th State Brewing Co. in Anchorage, 6:30 pm.

Send political calendar items to suzanne @ mustreadalaska.com

Chronic school absenteeism: More to the story

Politics

Suzanne Downing

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October 11, 2017

2

Chronic school absenteeism: More to the story

BOB GRIFFIN / COMMENTARY
ALASKA POLICY FORUM

On Sept. 18, Charles Wohlforth posted an opinion in the Alaska Dispatch News with a headline that read: “A fourth of Alaska students are chronically absent. No wonder test scores are so bad.”

He wrote, “If parents are satisfied with ignorance, so will their children be.”

But there’s a bit more to the story beyond “bad” parents.

Students who miss more than 10 percent of school days are considered “chronically absent.” According to a 2016 study from The Hamilton Project, Alaska has the 3rd highest rate of chronic school absenteeism in the US (the only two places that did worse were Washington State and Washington DC).

With our high rate of absenteeism it’s easy to see why Mr. Wohlforth could jump to his conclusion that Alaska’s low test scores are a result of kids skipping school. Let’s dig a little deeper:

Washington State, with a slightly worse rate of chronic absenteeism than Alaska, was ranked 5th in the US in 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores, while Alaska was 47th.

On average, Washington state students scored 9.7 points higher on 4th and 8th grade reading and math NAEP tests than Alaska students of the same economic strata.

Given that students are expected to improve about 10 points per year on NAEP measurements, Washington students are achieving around one entire school year ahead of their peers in Alaska in NAEP testing, despite their slightly worse attendance.

Students in Washington, D.C. have a chronic absentee that is rate 21 percent higher than Alaska. Despite that appalling absentee rate, the D.C. average 2015 NAEP test scores are 3.9 NAEP points better than Alaska’s students — or three to four months more advanced in achievement.

Don’t get me wrong — chronic absenteeism clearly hurts student outcomes. All states would certainly achieve at higher levels if they could find ways to keep more kids in class more often.

This is where public policy comes in. The trend of rampant absenteeism seems to be a regional West Coast phenomenon. The four states with the worst chronic attendance figures in the US are, (in order) Washington, Alaska, Oregon and Hawaii.

The exception to that Pacific coast trend is California. While every other Pacific state has a chronic absentee rate between 19.7-24.6 percent, California, with the highest percentage of English language learners in the country (four times the U.S. average), has the 9th best chronic absentee rate in the US at 11.3 percent.

What’s different in California? Do parents in California somehow love their kids more? No. The more likely difference is financial incentives. California is the only one of the five Pacific states that incentivizes consistent attendance by funding schools based on daily attendance.

All the other Pacific states fund their K-12 programs based on small number of enrollment days instead of daily attendance. In the case of Alaska, school funding is based on the number of enrolled students during the 20 school-day count period ending on the fourth Friday of October. After that date, Alaska schools have no financial stake in making sure kids attend.

Our high levels of chronic school absenteeism hurt Alaska’s kids, though it’s not the biggest factor holding them back. The misallocation of resources favoring buildings and bureaucracies over classroom operations, and lack of healthy competition to spur improvements and innovations that are taking place in other states that spend much less on K-12 are much bigger concerns.

In all, I’m bullish on the prospects for improvements in K-12 in Alaska. Our kids are just as bright as students anywhere else, our teachers are just as dedicated, our parents are just as loving and our taxpayers more generous than most when it comes to educating our kids. With the right policy incentives, I have faith we can “right the education ship” for the next generation of Alaskans.

Bob Griffin is an education research fellow at Alaska Policy Forum.

New art at lieutenant governor’s office honors the shaming of Seward

The 907

Suzanne Downing

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October 10, 2017

13

For the “First Friday” art walk in Juneau last week, the Third Floor of the Capitol was open with a new item of art on display outside the office of the lieutenant governor, and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott highlighted it with particular pride.

The work in question is a large photograph of the Tongass People’s “shaming totem” of a former U.S. secretary of state, with a few artistic liberties taken by the photographer to add insult to injury: The ears are unnaturally red, the mouth is exaggerated, and the lighting is ghoulish.

The totem mocks Secretary of State William Seward, who orchestrated the 1867 purchase of Alaska from Tzarist Russia. The real totem was recently replaced in Saxman (a Native village near Ketchikan) after the previous two rotted.

But Seward evidently insulted coastal Alaska Natives by not reciprocating a potlatch they had held in honor of the visiting dignitary over 150 years ago.

*KINY photo of the photograph outside the door of Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott.*

According to KINY radio, Mallott says that the totem is an admonishment to visitors that all people should be treated with respect.

Mallott told the radio station that the insult remains all these years later.

“There has been a lack of closure and I think the Seward Pole kind of represents that in a very clear, powerful way. But it is not a closure people are sitting around waiting for. People are continuing to grow and develop and create lives and our own history and our own society as Alaskans all, in this place. But it is appropriate, I think, to continue these conversations to work toward having respect for every single Alaskan.”

Respect for William Seward is evidently not warranted in Mallott’s view, but Seward was a towering figure for civil rights, who was not only instrumental in the acquisition of the Alaska Territory, but was a lifelong activist who freed many slaves at great personal and professional risk.

Seward and his wife Frances were ahead of their times for social justice causes, especially abolition. Their home was a safe house along the Underground Railroad, which passed fleeing slaves along to freedom in the north.

Seward became an abolitionist at an early age, influenced by his interactions with the slaves working in his family home, whom he found to be engaging, intelligent, and moral.

His activism continued throughout his life and he risked political power for the cause of emancipation. His speeches and writings are widely documented.

However, his lack of understanding about the culture of potlatches and the tradition of reciprocating them led to a grave insult taken by the tribe, and thus the subsequent erection of a totem in Saxman. On it, Seward was depicted with white face paint and red “ashamed” cheeks.

The two earlier totems rotted with time and rain, and a new one has been completed. They have continued to memorialize Seward’s faux pas of so many years ago.

A large photograph of the totem now reminds every visitor to the Office of the Governor that respect should be given, or else there will be a price to pay. Because some insults can just never be forgiven.

Quote of the Week: Mum is the word from Alaska’s NOW on Harvey

Politics

Suzanne Downing

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October 10, 2017

1

The Alaska chapter of the National Organization for Women has an active Twitter account that posts comments on everything from Obamacare to guns, keeping up a steady chatter of hard-left bias.

But when it comes to Harvey Weinstein, the chapter cannot yet bring itself to criticize the man who has fondled everything in his path.

Thus, our Quote of the Week is the chapter’s own slogan: “Your silence will not protect you.”

So be it, ladies.

Marilyn Stewart files letter of intent for District 21

Politics

Suzanne Downing

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October 10, 2017

2

Marilyn Stewart was a rookie candidate for House District 21 in 2016. She came close, but incumbent Matt Claman won his seat back 4,145 to 3,767 votes to represent Sand Lake, Spenard, and Turnagain.

In the months since the election, Stewart, a Republican activist, has been approached by Democrats from her district who say they regretted voting for Claman, and would vote for her if she ran again.

Republicans told her they wished they’d helped her more. Major donors have come forward to pledge support.

On Oct. 10, Stewart filed her letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. No longer a rookie, she knows what an election campaign cycle looks like, has walked every street in her district, has the support of her family, and is ready to make her case for public office to a district that, by now, knows what she stands for.

Stewart was born in rural Alabama and came to Alaska as a soldier in the U.S. Army, stationed at Ft. Richardson. She’s lived in Alaska for 37 years and raised her family here. She worked for the administration of Mayor Dan Sullivan.

In 2012, Stewart was awarded the Freedom’s Sister Award by Ford Motor Company for her community outreach and inspiring and empowering others. Others who have received the award are Myrlie Evers-Williams, Barbara Jordan, and Rosa Parks.

Stewart said she will continue to listen to her neighbors and future constituents in District 21 about crime, the economy, and education.

‘They be going down at Barter Town’

The 907

Suzanne Downing

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October 10, 2017

12

PALMER RESIDENTS TAKE TO FACEBOOK TO FIGHT CRIME

Barter Town, Alaska.

It sounds like the latest Alaska-based reality show. It’s actually a compound not far behind a well-known mattress store on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, and it’s behind 8-foot fences that patchwork their way down one side of Richmond Lane.

From the street it looks a bit unkempt, but not any more so than many other places in Alaska.

In the movie Mad Max, Barter Town is a remote commerce outpost situated in the midst of the wasteland of the future. The original script describes it as a crowded square where “blacksmiths and wheelwrights hammer away at their trade, merchants tout their wares and men are trading. Chickens for grain, grain for alcohol, alcohol for sex. Directly in front of Max is a signpost which directs traders to the various delights and services of Bartertown: PARADISE ALLEY, GARDEN OF PLEASURE, BLACKSMITH, SMALL ANIMALS.”

In Palmer, Alaska, Barter Town on Richmond Lane is the scene of a neighborhood uprising over crime that they say has gotten out of control. The locals have taken to Facebook to inform each other about the possible nefarious activities happening nearby.

Cars come and go late at night down Richmond Lane, it’s reported on the Facebook group Stop Valley Thieves. Trucks pulling trailers full of stuff idle up to the gate. Things get unloaded from duffle bags. Lots of duffle bags, especially between 1-3 a.m.

Drone footage accessed by Must Read Alaska shows the extent of materials strewn across the scruffy lot. Either someone has a hoarding problem or there’s a lot of miscellaneous stuff for sale. Maybe your stuff.

What was a quiet family neighborhood four years ago has spiraled into a place where nearby residents sweep their driveways for spent drug needles, keep their kids out of the front yards, and worry about the passed-out druggies who sometimes slump over the wheel of a car in front of the gated compound on the corner. There are fights on the street over merchandise and shouted demands for payments that are evidently not being honored.

If you’re hoping to go recover your stolen stuff in the Valley, you might want to head to Barter Town. On the other hand, you might not. No one really knows what is happening behind those fences. But the neighbors don’t feel safe.

*A person in handcuffs is escorted by State Troopers on Richmond Road in Palmer, in front of a fenced-compound known as Barter Town.*

Barter Town is a company known to the State of Alaska under license number 1055789. The man who appears to own and operate it is known to the Alaska Courts system for a handful of misdemeanors and is out on bail for a June arrest. He will face trial in November for intent to commit burglary, a Class A misdemeanor. More likely, he’ll cop a plea at his Oct. 16 pretrial conference.

Stop Valley Thieves members have had an eye on the Richmond Lane situation for months. The group’s administrators say that State Troopers know about what’s happening, but are under-staffed to make a case that will stick.

But they’re not ignoring it either. Someone in the Facebook group, which has over 15,600 members, posted a video of a man they know as Nicholas T. White being hauled off in handcuffs on Oct. 4 after a group of Troopers swarmed the gates. No charges have been filed yet, according to court records.

The person in handcuffs may or may not be White.

Kyle Muslin, who lives across the street, says it is White. Muslin has been documenting him for months.

Richmond Lane a place where he and his family no longer feel safe. His daughter sleeps with him and his wife in their bedroom, because at night things get pretty sketchy on that part of Richmond.

One day last summer, 30-40 lawnmowers showed up at the site, he said. Four-wheelers come and go. Chainsaws. Tools. Welding equipment. Weed-wackers.

And “dufflebags and dufflebags and dufflebags,” he said.

“The troopers told us the only way we can do anything is if someone identifies their stolen stuff,” Muslin said.

Doing so would mean going inside the fence, however. That’s private property.

Muslin keeps his security cameras rolling. When Must Read Alaska reached him this week, he was finishing up the installation of yet another camera. He has started posting photos of the comings and goings on the Stop Valley Thieves page, at times using the hashtag #ShutDownBarterTown.

At this point, he’s on a mission, and where the Troopers once thought he was just a disgruntled neighbor, they now text him notes of encouragement to keep up the pressure.

Like many others in the Stop Valley Thieves group, Muslin doesn’t hide his identity under a pseudonym. He and the others say it’s time for the community to stand up to the thieves and drug dealers. They’re taking the Crime Stoppers model to the next level: Social media.

But they also worry that at some point, some law-abiding citizen is going to get hurt. Several in the Facebook group, including himself, have been threatened. A driver tried to run him over with a truck in June. Another threatened him by saying he and his family would not “wake up in the morning.”

“I’m afraid for our safety every day,” Muslin said. “We have sort of put ourselves in the crosshairs. But there’s either going to be a gun fight right outside our doors or someone is going to shoot me, so I’m stuck with this. We couldn’t even sell our house if we tried. Who would buy it, with that going on?”

Some members of the Facebook group keep track of specific people, said Vicki Wallner, one of the group administrators. They video and photograph them, sometimes in the act of what appears to be a crime, and post the scenes on Stop Valley Thieves.

The Facebook vigilantes just share information. But even Wallner worries that someone will take the law into their own hands as the frustration with crime grows.

It’s not just Richmond Lane. Other places in the Valley draw similar concern by neighbors, she said.

There’s the house on Fairview Loop with a lot of junk cars and junkie types, and there’s a place known to locals as “The Compound,” where scary stuff goes on – people sleeping in abandoned cars on the property. Another place is described by critics as the “drug compound gravel pit crap hole.”

Others identify a sketchy house on Homebuilt Circle. The group is naming names of people they say are dealing drugs, using drugs, breaking into houses and stealing cars. When one of the suspects is arrested, they celebrate it and post the details of the arrest, along with their unfiltered opinions.

“They be going down at Barter Town!” posted one member in response to recent activity on Richmond Lane.

Other crime-stopper groups have sprung up on Facebook include a similarly named “Stop Valley Thieves Uncensored.” It has over 4,100 members. “Stolen in Alaska” has nearly 26,000 members. “Stolen Vehicles of Alaska” is a more narrowly focused self-help group. And a search found a dozen other groups dedicated to stopping theft and returning stolen items.

Where law enforcement has fallen short in Alaska, the Facebook community is stepping in, and facing personal peril as they take on criminals in a war they feel like they’ve been losing for too long.

MEETINGS IN VALLEY FOCUS ON CRIME

Meetings in the Mat-Su Valley are scheduled for coming days to discuss crime in advance of the legislative special session on Oct. 23, which will take up some criminal justice reform measures:

Oct. 10, 7:30-9:30 pm Alaska Republican Assembly Forum hosts “SB 91/ SB 54 Crime for Dummies” at the MTA Building, 480 Commercial Drive, Palmer, Alaska, downstairs. Guest speakers include Rep. Lora Reinbold, Stop Valley Thieves Administrator Vicki Wallner, Candidate for Lieutenant Governor Edie Grunwald, AKRA President Justin Giles, and Steve St. Clair.

Oct. 17, 5:30-7 pm, Talkeetna listening session with Sen. Mike Dunleavy at Upper Susitna Seniors, 16463 E. Helena Drive, Talkeetna.

Oct 18, 6-8 pm Public safety listening session with Sen. Mike Dunleavy at Teeland Middle School, cohosted by Rep. Cathy Tilton.

Parrott out at Ted Stevens Airport

The 907

Suzanne Downing

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October 9, 2017

3

The Governor has relieved John Parrott of his duties as the director of the Ted Stevens International Airport.

The announcement has not been made publicly, but has been sent to key individuals in the state. Must Read Alaska will update this news report when more information is available.

Deputy Commissioner John Binder will take over as Interim Executive Director until the governor and Transportation Commissioner Marc Luiken make a new appointment, according to our sources.

Parrott is well-regarded in the industry and has won many awards for his management of the airport. He was presented the Airport Executive of the Year award by the Northwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives in 2014. Parrott had been with the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport since 1998, taking over the Airport Manager’s position in 2008.

What’s in Monday’s newsletter? A peek

Politics

Suzanne Downing

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October 9, 2017

2

Do you get the Must Read Alaska Monday newsletter in your inbox? Sign up at the right side of the home page for news that is written and curated for politicos.

Every few weeks we post some of the Monday newsletter here, and we welcome you to subscribe to it. It’s free. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Here’s a portion-control slice from the Oct. 9, 2017 newsletter:

Good morning Alaska … First big snow in Fairbanks tonight …6.6 magnitude quake in the Rat Islands area last night … Charlie Pierce and Linda Hutchings headed to an Oct. 24 runoff for Kenai Borough mayor … But first …

WHY, HARVEY!!!

Where to start with the Democrats and their little Harvey Weinstein problem?

Just a donor? Only an entertainment executive? And why didn’t Saturday Night Live even touch the subject? (SNL creator Lorne Michaels said they didn’t go after Weinstein because “It’s a New York thing,” he told the Daily Mail.)

It’s a Hollywood thing, too: A 2015 survey of Oscar acceptance speeches show that Weinstein was thanked more frequently than God.

As for the Democrats he donated to — including Hillary Clinton — as they re-gift his money to Emily’s List, isn’t that the same as keeping it?

The Dems can’t have it both ways. (They will always try.)

NATION

20-WEEK ABORTION BAN

The U.S. is one of just seven countries that allow abortions after 20 weeks, which is the midpoint of a child’s development in the womb. Currently, states can decide to ban abortions after a certain point in the pregnancy, usually 20 to 24 weeks. H.R. 36 would prevent states from approving abortions after 20 weeks. It is also called the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.” Exceptions are for rape, incest, life of mother. It seems to be an improvement.

After all, which senator wants unborn children to feel the pain of their abortion?

WAIT…WHAT? BIRTH CONTROL IS ONLY $9 A MONTH?

On Friday, the Trump administration cleared the way for all companies — profit or nonprofit — to stop paying for birth control through the insurance plans they offer.

The question the feminists are asking: Why are you taking away our right to birth control?

The question the rest of us ask is: When did it become an entitlement?

At Walmart, birth control costs $9 a month, the cost of two pumpkin spice lattes.

At Amazon you can get over a hundred condoms for less than $15. (We checked.)

Cheap birth control options to forward to your friends of childbearing years.

HAPPY INDIGENOUS TO THE PLANET DAY

Columbus was bad to the bone, as explorer-warriors were, but there have been plenty who were worse. Happy Historical Accuracy Day.

Must Read Alaska’s recommended reading is on slavery in pre-contact Americas by historian Tony Seybert.

STATE

BETTING OUR SUBARU ON THIS …

… That Tara Sweeney is named the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs during the AFN annual convention, which is Oct. 19-21 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage.

Tara Sweeney is the Executive Vice President of External Affairs for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, where she has been responsible for all facets of the corporation’s media and government relations and communications.

ASRC is the largest locally owned and operated business in Alaska, with revenues in excess of $2 billion and more than 10,000 employees worldwide, according to its website.

Sweeney lived most of her life in rural Alaska, graduating from Barrow High School in 1991. She attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. She and her husband have two children. Until recently, Kevin Sweeney was state director for Sen. Lisa Murkowski. He had served on and off the senator’s staff for many years.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke will speak by teleconference to AFN on Oct. 19 during the morning session. This might be the time at AFN to pay attention: Alaska has not had one of our own heading the BIA since Morris Thompson, 1973-76 (hat tip Jmark for the correction).

WHO HEADS GOVERNOR’S DC OFFICE?

Craig Fleener, who was once Gov. Bill Walker’s choice to replace Kip Knudson as the director of the DC office of the Governor, is now simply known in the cabinet as “Arctic Policy” on the governor’s cabinet page.

That is still a big portfolio, but it is not as big as the one he had last year.

Fleener has bounced around jobs in the administration since giving up his hopes of being Gov. Walker’s running mate back in September of 2014. The reward for allowing the Democrats to remove him from the ticket and replace him with Byron Mallott? A job for four years, with no deliverables, no questions asked. Word is that he is still in D.C., but the Governor’s webpage says he lives in Anchorage.

WHO HEADS GOVERNOR’S CAMPAIGN? HIS AIDE JOHN-HENRY, OF COURSE

The governor’s office and Ship Creek Group are now fully integrated, as his aide John-Henry Heckendorn has a toehold in the official capacity, campaign capacity, and with the group that is managing the Walker-Mallott campaign. It all looks perfectly legal, the kind of arrangement that threads the ethics needle. We report.

SHIP CREEK GROUP GEARING UP CAMPAIGN FOR GENDER-FLUID BATHROOMS

Speaking of Ship Creek Group and the governor, the group has opened up a political action committee to push for gender-neutral bathrooms in Anchorage. That question — can anyone use any bathroom or locker room — will be on the April 3 municipal ballot.

The chair of the group “Fair Anchorage No On Prop 1” (FANOP-1) is Joshua Decker of the ACLU, and the treasurer is Paula DeLaiarro of Ship Creek Group, who is also treasurer for Walker-Mallott.

Others on the FANOP-1 bathroom brigade are deputy treasurers Laura Herman, Rashika Rakibullah, Casey Reynolds, and Andrea Zekis — all of ACLU, Grant Johnson of Yuit Communications, Samuel Ohana, a transgender activist, and Michael Burke, who is likely an Anchorage Episocopalian priest.

The group got early money from LGBTQ advocates Freedom for All Americans (nearly $27,000 including staff time and the fees for Blue State Digital, a Democrat-focused campaign software); former Anchorage School Superintendent Carol Comeau ($500); Planned Parenthood of Northwest & Hawaii ($1,200 staff and phone bank); National Center for Transgender Equality ($2,000); Human Rights Campaign ($2,000 in services); and the ACLU (over $17,000 that included money, lots of pizza, and other food). Who’d we miss on the FANOP-1 bathroom brigade?

NORTH KOREA FILLET?

The evidence is strong that North Korean forced labor is processing Alaska-caught seafood. Will lawmakers take on that problem or is it just too nuclear? We looked closer.

PEBBLE’S NEW PLAN IS…

Giving the EPA exactly what they asked for … we’ll see how that goes for Pebble. Hope for the best but don’t hold your breath.

FORMER DISPATCH EDITOR NOW QUITE THE TWEETER

Twitter is just too easy for former ADN Editor Pat Dougherty, who is now blaming Trump for the Las Vegas massacre and approving of Shannyn Moore’s sick rants. These kind of tweets ought to make all current ADN reporters just cringe:

LOCAL

ANCHOR-CRIME REPORT

If you were not able to make the “crime-is-outta-control” meeting at Loussac Library on Saturday, you missed some lively public comments. Reps. Charisse Millett, Cathy Tilton and Geran Tarr attended as the Anchorage Assembly spent four hours listening to testimony from fed-up Anchorage residents. Gubernatorial hopeful Scott Hawkins was in the audience.

The Assembly will consider two resolutions on Tuesday: One in support of SB54, which would revise SB 91. The other would support the repeal of SB91, and encourage a new bill to heighten the penalties for murder, sex offenses, and expand the rights of victims.

Weigh in by emailing all Assembly members at [email protected]. But first, come up to speed by reviewing the agenda for the Oct. 10 meeting.

LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS

It looks like it’s Brower vs. Brower in Barrow, as the mayor of the North Slope Borough may be decided in a runoff. Back in June, voters went to the polls to decide on a replacement for Charlotte Brower, who was ousted by recall in April. Now it’s Harry vs. Frederick Brower.

Other results from around the state.

ELECTION WE MISSED

Skagway’s Dan Henry, in spite of a conviction for evading federal taxes, is back on the Skagway Assembly, winning by five votes. Henry had served for 19 years on the Assembly. Also, two-term mayor Mark Schaefer was beat by Monica Carlson, who is the director of tour operations for Skagway Street Car Co.

WILLIAM WEATHERBY IS BACK

Recent filings of letters of intent include Republican Sara Rasmussen for District 22 (now occupied by stealth Democrat Jason Grenn), and William Weatherby, who challenged Bryce Edgmon two years ago and appears to be ready to do so again. Edgmon won District 37 in 2016 with an 18 point advantage, 59 by 41 percent, but Weatherby ran a heck of a campaign and impressed many. Including this writer.

POLL IN THE FIELD

A pollster was calling this week asking opinions of about Jim Minnery, Jerry Prevo, Mayor Dan Sullivan, ACLU, Alaska Family Council, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, former Sen. Mark Begich and the Anchorage municipal bathroom initiative. It was a long questionnaire.

MAYOR OF HOMER COMMENDS SEATON

Here’s what the mayor of Homer plans to sign tonight. It speaks for itself:

Hawkins on governor’s banishment decision: Too many questions unanswered

Events for Politicos Oct-Nov 2017

Chronic school absenteeism: More to the story

New art at lieutenant governor’s office honors the shaming of Seward

Quote of the Week: Mum is the word from Alaska’s NOW on Harvey

Marilyn Stewart files letter of intent for District 21

‘They be going down at Barter Town’

Parrott out at Ted Stevens Airport

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