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Joe Hayes, former House Speaker, passes

Suzanne Downing
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12

KNOWN AS A GENTLE MAN, AND FOR TREATING PEOPLE WELL

Joe Hayes, who was Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives during the 13th Legislature in 1983-84, died on Feb. 16, 2018. He was 88.

In Juneau, many former colleagues in government learned of his death when U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski noted it during her annual remarks to the Legislature on Thursday.

Hayes served with legends of the Alaska Legislature, among them the late Al Adams, Ramona Barnes, Charlie Bussell, and Ben Grussendorf.

According to the Alaska Blue Book* of 1977, Hayes was “an American retired civil engineer, lobbyist and politician. Hayes moved to Alaska with his family as a teenager, among one of the first civilians to travel the Alaska Highway following World War II. Hayes was a founding partner of Tryck, Nyman and Hayes, one of Alaska’s leading engineering firms. He served as a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1977 to 1985 and was the body’s speaker from 1981 to 1985. He later became a leading legislative lobbyist in Alaska.”

He was elected to then-District 9-A in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982.

By 2001, he was the state’s leading lobbyist in dollars earned, representing the cruise industry and a multitude of other clients. He was the go-to lobbyist because he kept extraordinarily good relationships with people, always treating them with respect.

TERRITORIAL DAYS

Born in Bakersfield, Missouri on Feb. 18, 1930 to “Darby” and Dicy Hayes, Hayes moved to Alaska with his family during World War II. His uncle, Herman Cotter, worked throughout the Territory of Alaska during World War II and had convinced the Hayes family to come north with him and his family. The Hayes family drove the Alaska Highway in June of 1946 and settled in Anchorage. The following year, Joe Hayes graduated from Anchorage High School.

He attended the University of Washington, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. At the University of Alaska, he received a master’s degree in engineering management.

He was a member of the Anchorage Platting Board and on the roster of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. Hayes was a partner at Tryck, Nyman and Hayes, an engineering firm.

TALES FROM BACK IN THE DAY

Among the stories that old politicos remember is how, when the confirmation of Norm Gorsuch for attorney general was being debated, Gov. Bill Sheffield called the Troopers to bring in recalcitrant House members, in order to get the quorum needed for the joint-session vote.

That year, the House was controlled by Republicans, with Hayes as Speaker, while the Senate was controlled by Democrats, with Jay Kerttula of Palmer, as President.

The Republicans were going to try to block Gorsuch because of a perceived conflict of interest he had with Sheffield and his hotel business.

But Sheffield called for a joint session on June 7, 1983, and Kerttula supported the call because he knew there were enough votes to confirm.

However, only 17 members of the House attended that day, not enough for a quorum. Troopers searched all over Juneau for the other Republican legislators but came up empty handed. Some had flown to Skagway on a small plane rented by Rep. Vernon Hurlburt, a bush pilot from Sleetmute.

Eventually four were found in their offices and escorted by armed Troopers into the House Chambers, where a vote was held. This short-changed the Republicans, who wanted to hold hearings and bring up information they thought showed the conflict of interest between Gorsuch and Sheffield.

The story of armed Troopers escorting unwilling lawmakers made the New York Times.

Hayes had become Speaker of the House as a result of a political coup, when Democrats formed a coalition with two Libertarians and Republicans, deposing the Democrats House Speaker Jim Duncan, a reverse of how the House is formed in 2018, with a coalition of three Republicans who sided with the Democrats and two “indie-Democrats” to take over the House deliver it to Democrat control.

Hayes opted not to run in 1984, and ran for governor in 1986. It was an unusually crowded field of 14, and he placed fourth after Arliss Sturgulewski, Wally Hickel, and Dick Randolph.

*The author of the 1977 Alaska Blue Book is Robert Burnett, who is Suzanne Downing’s father. This story will be updated as details are gathered. Memories about Joe Hayes are welcome in the comments section below.

SB 91 Poster Child: Charles Sadler

Suzanne Downing
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9
SB 91 Poster Child: Charles Sadler

On Oct. 26, 2017 Anchorage police started getting calls from Mountain View in Anchorage about shots being fired. People hunkered down in their homes, held their children close.

By 1 am, there was a patrol car trolling the area. The officer was flagged down by a man at the 100 block of Ridgeline Loop, who reported someone had just tried to rob him and had shot at him.

The victim told police he had ridden his bike home from the Shell gas station nearby. As he was opening his garage door with the key pad, a man got out of the driver’s side of a car parked in front of his home.

The robber produced a gun, followed the victim into his garage, and tried to force his way into the house. The robber then ordered the victim to empty his pockets, at which point the victim tried to knock the gun out of the man’s hand.

That’s when the suspect fired, shooting at the victim from both inside and outside the garage. Luckily, he was a bad shot and the victim wasn’t hit. Police recovered bullet casings.

The suspect was 18-year-old Charles Sadler. He was located about a half hour later based on the description given to the officer, and he was stopped at the corner of Thompson and North Flower. He had two guns in his car. One was reported as stolen.

Sadler was charged with Robbery 1, Misconduct Involving a Weapon II, Assault II, and Theft II.

He pled guilty on the robbery charge (armed with a deadly weapon) and other charges were dismissed.

On Jan.5 he was sentenced to serve time. But then he was placed in a halfway house.

By Feb. 15, he had left the Cordova Center, the halfway house, with permission only to never return to the facility that is on contract with the Department of Corrections to help prisoners re-enter society.

It’s been less than three months since the armed robbery to the conviction, to the incarceration in a low-supervision facility, to the inevitable escape.

Sadler is 19 now and has been on the run for a week. He doesn’t have a long list of priors, at least in his short adulthood. But rather than his June, 2018 release date, when he could turn over a new page in his life, he’ll be looking at prison when the law catches up with him.

Anchorage is hoping that’s sooner, rather than later, considering his history with stolen guns and his willingness to use them.

Mr. Mayor continues to have ‘nothing to report’

Suzanne Downing
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2
Mr. Mayor continues to have ‘nothing to report’

“Reformed Snowflake” has been at it again, with another in the series of videos that show a nonchalant Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, who has nothing to report, to the point where Anchorage Assembly Chair Elvi Gray-Jackson wonders aloud why she even bothers to ask him.

In a year when murder hit a record high in Alaska’s largest city, Berkowitz never has anything to say to the Assembly or public. Even though he was, behind the scenes, working on the sale of the city’s utility, ML&P, he still had nothing to say to the Assembly.

Reformed Snowflake’s identity is unknown, but he or she has obviously been reviewing tape from the Assembly meetings, and is hardly impressed.

It’s all on You Tube with the other “Nothing to say mayor” videos posted in recent weeks, including the “Galaxy Far, Far Away Mayor.”

See Part III here:

 

Galaxy Far, Far Away version:

 

The original: “All these people and nothing to say?”

 

Juneau arts council apologizes, then doubles down

Suzanne Downing
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13
Juneau arts council apologizes, then doubles down

BOARD REINFORCES COMMITMENT TO RACIAL AND CULTURAL PURITY

The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council apologized to everyone for how it handled the “cultural appropriations” controversy that it created last weekend, when it chose not to defend, but publicly shame an artist and model because an Asian-inspired entry into the Wearable Arts 2018 exhibit had offended a viewer.

The Council issued the letter today to the “Juneau Community and beyond,” saying:

“We write understanding that harm has already been done that cannot be undone. As a board it is our responsibility to guide a multifaceted organization as it navigates sometimes tricky waters. Our belief is, and remains, that the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and all those who engage with it ultimately seek good in our community. This belief is foundational.

“There has been a spectrum of responses in the community and in our own correspondence that represent a range of perspectives on both this incident and the broader concept of cultural appropriation. We want everyone to know that we hear you. We have read every word you have written and listened carefully to each word spoken. We value your voices. We value you. Our goal is absolutely not to censor art and we do not believe this piece was intended to do harm, however it did.”

The piece in question?

The art the council censored: An Asian-inspired, mermaid-inspired, dragon-inspired whatcha-ma-call-it that went down the runway like this, and won third place before it was banned:

The offense?

The artist is, apparently, white. She’s from Haines and she is probably not used to being asked if she is white.

The model?

That’s hard to say. Juneau far-left assumes she is white or, at the very least, not Asian. It doesn’t appear they asked in this shoot-first-ask-later environment.

In social media posts, the model has an indeterminate racial appearance. As many of us are these days, she could be a “Heinz 57” of just about any heritage — Laplander, Tibetan, Peruvian — we can’t hazard a guess in this era without running the risk of offending Juneau. But she looks like this:

In other words, the model presents like many Americans who have a mix of lineage from the great melting pot. More than seven percent of Americans are mixed heritage and they belong to families. That means nearly half of families have people of more than one race.

The costume entry had a mix of themes as well. And it contained workmanship that appeared to have taken months to complete.

But someone in Juneau who has a Asian background (but is clearly an all-American) was highly offended and wrote extensively about it on Facebook, and others in the community threw gasoline on the fire. The council pulled the work of art from the show.

Few defended the textile artist. The council certainly didn’t defend the artist, but rushed into an apology to the community.

Now, the council writes that it is going into resist mode. It is going to resist cultural appropriation, whatever that is:

“With that understanding we also reaffirm our commitment to racial equity, which includes the elimination of policies, practices, attitudes and cultural messages that reinforce differential outcomes by race. We must resist practices such as cultural appropriation that promote stereotypes that further oppress marginalized communities. As we build a strong and prosperous community we must condemn marginalization and misrepresentation. Not only do we believe the individuals who have communicated that the display of cultural appropriation was hurtful, we believe that stereotypes are harmful to the entire community.

“At an institutional level, many steps could have been taken much sooner to address this issue. There was a path available to the JAHC through patient, kind, thoughtful, and constructive communication for a more amiable resolution. That opportunity was missed, and for that we have the most regret.”

The council is appeasing the “cultural appropriations” crowd, doubling down on cowardice by saying the work of art harmed the “entire community.”

That’s a lot of power to give one artist from Haines, Alaska, who has found herself on the wrong side of political correctness.

SORRY, SORRY, SORRY

The council continued to apologize in its letter, and continued to align with the sentiments of the “racial and cultural purity” crowd that will, in the future, dictate what art is acceptable:

“The JAHC is receiving a high degree of criticism from both sides of this debate, and truthfully it is deserved. By allowing escalation to the degree it reached, our organization let the entire community down. We are sorry to the communities of people of color and individuals who were hurt by this display. We are sorry to the artist who put painstaking hours and obvious talent into their work. We are sorry to the model who was caught in the middle. We are sorry to the friends and family of the artist who were sideswiped by the controversy. We are sorry to the artists and attendees whose celebration of art was interrupted. We are sorry to the individuals who in bringing the issue to light, did not receive the response deserved. It should have been identified and addressed sooner. It was not. That the piece was still judged and awarded is yet one more error made.”

Finally, JAHC wrote about how it is now more dedicated than ever to censorship, will adopt a policy and educational material for all future artists, and will train itself how to identify politically incorrect art. It will censor art far in advance, literally behind the scenes, so the public doesn’t have to see it in a show:

“The JAHC staff and board will work with community leaders to determine a policy and educational materials for all future Wearable Art entrants on identifying and avoiding cultural appropriation.

“The JAHC will seek equity training for the staff and board, a step already identified in the Diversity and Inclusivity Task Force report.

“The JAHC will reaffirm its commitment to equity in the arts and full representation of our entire community.”

[Read: The end of art in Juneau]

PALMER ENJOYS WEARABLE ARTS CONTEST

Meanwhile, in Palmer, Alaska, a wearable arts contest went off without controversy, in spite of the fact that this Roman-inspired costume, made up of Valley Arts Alliance tickets from 12 years of shows, was designed and modeled by non-Romans. And, to the best of our knowledge, nobody of Italian descent was “hurt” by it.

Tuck: Unemployment benefits are ‘economic stimulus’

Suzanne Downing
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9
Tuck: Unemployment benefits are ‘economic stimulus’

FIRST, THE WAGE TAX, NOW THE UNEMPLOYMENT TAX

Like Gov. Bill Walker’s claim that an income tax will be an economic stimulus because taxes put money back into the economy, Rep. Chris Tuck has an idea about how to grow jobs: Increase unemployment benefits for those not working, and put automatic annual increases into the unemployment formula.

Tuck used the last five minutes of a House Majority press availability on Feb. 20 to tell reporters about HB 142, his bill that would increase unemployment benefits from an average of $375 per week to $510 per week.

That’s a 36 percent increase, and brings a typical unemployment benefit to $26,592 per year, up from $19,500.

“Alaska is one of the most seasonal states that there is. Whether it’s construction, mining, oil and gas, tourism, it’s very seasonal up here. And we need to be able to sustain families and communities, especially with the tough economic times right now, so we don’t have some of those skilled workforce leave the state of Alaska. So when things pick up they’re ready and available to go back to work.

“As I have gone through this, I googled the economic benefits of unemployment insurance. And I was surprised to learn that the Number one economic stimulus package for economic recovery is mass transportation projects, infrastructure. Number 2 is unemployment benefits.” – Rep. Chris Tuck

Tuck described how much better unemployment benefits were for stimulating the economy than, for instance, tax cuts.

“For every dollar that goes into unemployment benefits, there’s a return on investment of $1.68. When you … compare that to a tax cut, for every dollar in tax cut, that creates 10,000 jobs nationwide. For every dollar in unemployment increase, that’s 19,000 jobs. So it’s almost double that, due to the fact that when people are on unemployment, ….keeping money in the economy, keeping things flowing and keeping goods and services happening. Trying to maintain a good flowing economy,” Tuck said.

“So this is part of our economic stimulus that we’re trying to do for this State of Alaska. Trying  to help maintain property values. And that’s why this coalition was put together was to again, to save the economy and protect jobs.”

Tuck’s review of economic stimulus analyses is selective.  Some economists believe that making unemployment benefits more lucrative reduces the incentive for the unemployed to find or accept work, thus dampening and delaying an economic turnaround.

For reasons he did not explain, Tuck’s bill was pulled from the House calendar and sent back to Rules for work. Even more remarkable is that it has no fiscal impact. The fiscal note is 0 — meaning that it will cost the State of Alaska nothing to collect. That’s because it is a tax on the private sector, not the self-insured State of Alaska.

Read: HB 142.

HB 142 would be retroactive to Jan. 1. By the time it is signed into law, that would be a six month windfall for unemployed Alaskans and a significant and unexpected cost to employers.

Grace under pressure: Rebecca Logan responds

Suzanne Downing
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3

Before a KTVA reporter looked at Rebecca Logan’s court records, the candidate for Anchorage mayor had already gone over all of them with her family and her circle of advisers. After all, these were not just parking tickets.

Was her messy divorce over a decade ago, which dragged her into some financial problems and wage garnishment, going to come back to haunt her?

What about the DUI she received a decade ago — would it hurt her chances with the voters?

How would she explain it all without harming her former spouse? Her children? Her husband?

Logan’s family and friends said they were ready and they’d stand by her. She filed her letter of intent to run in September for the mayoral election that occurs starting about March 15, when Anchorage voters receive their mail-in ballots.

This week, KTVA TV News ran a report on these items.  It had an edge not typically seen in mainstream media. It scrambled the timeline on events surrounding her divorce and financial hardships. It misstated other events.

Logan found herself having to decide whether to take on all the inaccuracies, one by one, or just hold her head high and stick to the issues facing the city.

“What do you think Anchorage citizens are more concerned about? What happened in my debt and wage garnishment all those years ago, or what’s happening in this city with crime and the quality of life today?” she said this morning by phone.

Rather than relive a traumatic period of her personal life, Logan says the murder, property thefts, and deteriorating conditions in Anchorage are the issue voters care about.

Anchorage experienced 35 known murders in 2017, and more than 3,100 vehicle thefts.

Logan said that crime being out of control was a big motivating factor in her decision to run for mayor:
“Vehicle theft jumped by 73 percent in 2016, and another 50 percent year over year in 2017,” she said. “Everyone in Anchorage knows someone who has had their car stolen.” Meanwhile, there were eight violent crimes per 1,000 residents last year, and residents clearly feel unsafe, she said.

“I just want people to talk to me before making up their minds,” Logan said. “These bad things in life do happen to real people, and I’m no exception. My life is an open book — I’ve not tried to hide anything.

“But we all know that this city is heading in the wrong direction, and that’s what this campaign is all about — making Anchorage safer for families, safer for women, and safer for all of us,” she said.

Governor chooses Tiffany Zulkosky to replace Fansler

Suzanne Downing
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0
Governor chooses Tiffany Zulkosky to replace Fansler

BETHEL WOMAN WAS AIDE TO MARK BEGICH

Gov. Bill Walker appointed Tiffany Zulkosky of Bethel to represent District 38 in the Alaska House of Representatives. She replaces Zach Fansler, whose resignation took place on Feb. 12 after he was accused of slapping a woman. No charges have yet been filed.

Ms. Zulkosky, 34, is vice president of communications for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation. Previously, she served as Bethel’s mayor, was a director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Western Alaska, and worked as rural director for former U.S. Sen. Mark Begich.

“Tiffany is the best person for this job. I’m proud and humbled to forward someone with such a compelling background and strong voice to House Democrats for consideration,” Gov. Walker said. “If and when she is confirmed, the district will be represented well.”

The Democrats in the House will meet and vote on her confirmation in coming days.

Mike Shower confirmed for Senate

Suzanne Downing
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2
Mike Shower confirmed for Senate

TOP GUN HEADS TO JUNEAU

There’s a new Mike in town. The Senate Republicans this morning confirmed Mike Shower as senator for District E, replacing Mike Dunleavy of Wasilla. Shower will be sworn in next week.

Shower, a retired US Air Force pilot and now a FedEx pilot, had been nominated by his district Republicans after their first round of nominees got tangled up in politics in the Governor’s Office. Gov. Bill Walker rejected Todd Smoldon and Rep. George Rauscher, and had nominated Tom Braund of Sutton, who withdrew within 24 hours to care for a loved one who is ill.

Shower’s name came up in the first round of nominations in January, but he was a new Republican and he was skipped over for the “top three” names to be sent to Walker. Shower’s name came up again in the second round, but a question arose as to where his voter registration as a Republican actually was.

Shower had filled out a new voter registration on Jan. 13 at his District 10 Republican convention, and it was hand delivered to the Division of Elections. But the information was not entered into the system. He then registered again online.

After some confusion, the Division of Elections found his original paperwork, which showed that he indeed had changed his registration on Jan. 13.

Shower will stay in Wasilla and attend a town hall meeting with the Mat-Su delegation at 10 am on Saturday at the Palmer Senior Center, before heading to Juneau.

He replaces Mike Dunleavy, who resigned to run for governor.

“The Senate will soon be made whole again with the addition of Mr. Shower,” said Senate President Pete Kelly. “Alaska is home to more military veterans per capita than any state in the Union, and we hope Mr. Shower brings that culture of service to the Legislature as he works on behalf of the people of District E.”

Shower served in the U.S. Air Force for two decades as a pilot where he achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and commanded the first squadron of F-22s at Elmendorf Air Force Base. As Squadron Commander, he led the first successful F-22 intercept of a Russian aircraft in 2007.

“The Senate stood tough for the people of District E and we appreciate that Mr. Shower was chosen through the traditional process,” said Senate Majority Leader Peter Micciche. “His military service to this country is exemplary, making him well suited for today’s tough decisions. We’re looking forward to working with Mr. Shower to address the problems that face Alaskans.”

Reached at his home in Wasilla, where he was caring for his wife Michelle after she had major surgery on a broken leg yesterday, Shower said he was also busy answering phone calls, and he is excited about getting to work for the people of Alaska.

“I guess when God tells you you’re going to get involved, He goes big,” he observed.

Lost and found: Mike Shower voter registration saga is over

Suzanne Downing
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1
Lost and found: Mike Shower voter registration saga is over

DIVISION OF ELECTIONS LOST PAPERWORK, THEN FOUND IT

To the Division of Elections’ credit, it has admitted having misplaced the voter registration of Mike Shower, who Gov. Bill Walker had nominated for Senate Seat E. That took some political courage in an era when that quality is sometimes in short supply.

Yesterday, the Division was not able to locate the Wasilla Air Force veteran’s voter registration form, but that changed today when it was discovered, lost in the shuffle.

Alaska Republican Party Chairman Tuckerman Babcock said that although he has plenty of criticism for the Elections Division for all kinds of inadequacies, having a voter registration file go missing for a month does happen from time to time. It just doesn’t usually happen in such a public way.

Shower was one of the names submitted by District E Republicans to replace Mike Dunleavy, who had stepped down to focus on his campaign for governor.

Media reports followed the social media posts of a poorly sourced blogger, who said Shower was not a Republican. But witnesses said they saw him register at the District 10 Republican convention on Jan. 13 and his registration was hand-delivered to the Elections Division in Juneau.

Yesterday, Shower re-registered online just to make sure. But today, the Division has found his original paperwork.

Mike Shower, senator designee for District E seat

 

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