Page 1772 – Must Read Alaska

Events

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January 3, 2017

January is shaping up to be a busy month for conservatives in Alaska. Here are some events on the horizon:

screen-shot-2017-01-01-at-9-09-55-pm

JAN. 5, 7 pm: District 7 Republicans, White Fields Church, 4800 Palmer Wasilla Highway. Guest presenter is Sen. Mike Dunleavy with his proposed state budget, how to balance it now, and control it in the future.

JAN. 7: 6 pm, 58th Presidential Inaugural Gala, Alaska Petroleum Club. Contact Kristie Babcock, [email protected], for tickets.
JAN. 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, national holiday.

JAN. 16: 5-7 pm, Juneau, House and Senate Republican fundraiser at The Hangar.

JAN. 17: First day of Alaska Legislature.

JAN. 23: House Finance starts budget hearings.

FEB. 16: Anchorage Republican Women’s Lincoln Day Dinner, Bridge Seafood Restaurant & Catering, 221 W. Ship Creek Ave, Anchorage.

FEB. 17: Mat-Su Republican Women’s Lincoln Day Dinner.
FEB. 24: Capital City Republicans Lincoln Day Dinner at the Baranof Hotel. Speaker is national energy expert Jeremy Carl of the Hoover Institute. Ticket information forthcoming. Must Read Alaska will be there, with bells on.
FEB. 24-25: Juneau – Alaska Republicans’ State Central Committee quarterly meeting.
FEB. 25: Hunting Expo and Sportsman’s Banquet, Dena’ina Center. Tickets: http://www.aksafariclub.org/2013-banquet

CAPITAL CITY LINCOLN DAY DINNER: As they have since before Statehood, Juneau Republicans (a hardy bunch) host a great event in honor of the first Republican president. Watch for ticket information, coming soon.

screen-shot-2017-01-02-at-8-43-48-pm — *Jeremy Carl*

This year it’s on Feb. 24 and the speaker is Jeremy Carl, a research fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, where he specializes in U.S. politics and energy policy. He is also a regular contributor to the National Review and National Review Online.

Carl has served as a policy advisor to many state and national political figures and his recent policy work for a prominent Republican governor was highlighted by The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine.

He was recently profiled as “a rising star on the right” by the influential conservative Power Line Blog and was the author of what National Review’s Washington editor referred to as “The most interesting piece I’ve read this election cycle.”

His scholarly work at Hoover focuses on energy and environmental policy, with an emphasis on energy security, climate policy, energy innovation, and global fuel markets. He directs Hoover’s Task Force on Energy Policy and is a member of the Arctic Security Initiative, both of which frequently address issues relevant to Alaskans.

Carl is the author or editor of several books, including Powering the Armed Forces (with former US Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead) and his scholarly articles have appeared in numerous academic journals.

His political writing and commentary has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Politico, The Economist, and many other leading newspapers and magazines. Carl received a BA with distinction from Yale University. He holds an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and did further graduate work at Stanford University, where he was a Packard Foundation Fellow.

Here are just two of his recent articles we found of interest:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/442365/donald-trump-won-midwest-states-new-red-wall

http://www.claremont.org/crb/article/the-church-of-environmentalism/

Bright, shiny objects: Rubenstein, Trump, minimum wage’s nickel

Suzanne Downing

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December 30, 2016

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RUBENSTEIN MEETS WITH TRUMP

Alice Rogoff, owner of the Alaska Dispatch News and wife of billionaire private equity investor David Rubenstein, famously served President Barack Obama caribou, moose, oysters, fresh-plucked Alaska greens, and berries she picked, when he visited her Anchorage home in 2015.

Her husband, on the other hand, just met with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Alice and David are, after all, the ultimate power couple.

Rubenstein, who lives in Bethesda, MD, while Alice lives in Alaska, is co-founder of The Carlyle Group. He flew his Gulfstream jet to Mar-a-Lago, Fla. to meet with Trump. He spends a lot of time on his jet — some 1,100 hours a year, it’s reported by The Washington Post.

The Carlyle Group manages $178 billion in investments. Rubenstein is also a known philanthropist, and has been close to the Obama Administration. A lifelong Democrat who got his start working in the Carter Administration, he didn’t reveal what the meeting with Trump was about. Through Carlyle’s spokesperson Christopher Ullman, he only said it was private.

Perhaps Rubenstein prevailed upon Trump to undo the Obama Administration’s shutdown of the Arctic? It would be a shrewd move, since Carlyle has developed strong private equity interests here. His company also manages 5 percent of the Alaska Permanent Fund.

In May, Rubenstein made a case that Donald Trump had a strong chance of winning the electoral map.

“It’s going to be a hard-fought campaign and it’s not going to be decided until the very end,” he predicted.

MINIMUM WAGE GOES UP A NICKEL

Come Sunday, Alaska’s minimum wage will be $9.80 an hour. That’s one nickel more than it is today, or another 40 cents a day for many workers.

Nineteen states will see an increase in their minimum wages, including Washington and Massachusetts, both of which will bump to $11 an hour, the highest in the country.

California’s will be higher than Alaska’s by 20 cents.

Voters in Arizona, Maine, Colorado and Washington approved minimum wage hikes this past year. Alaska, Florida, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio and South Dakota, will simply see automatic increases due to being indexed to inflation.

Look to the Democrat-run majority in the Alaska House to offer a bill that raises Alaska’s minimum wage even further. At its fall meeting, the Alaska Democratic Party State Executive Committee passed a resolution favoring $15 an hour.

A similar bill was sponsored by retiring Sen. Johnny Ellis during the past legislative session, but it died.

YEAR OF KINDNESS

Juneau Police Department is launching a “Year of Kindness” initiative, starting with barbecues on Saturday, Dec. 31, 1-3 p.m., at Douglas Island’s Sandy Beach and Sunday, Jan. 1, noon – 2 p.m., at the Auke Village Recreation Area. It’s potluck and participants are encouraged to write down negative things on a piece of paper and then burn the paper in the bonfire. Perhaps Juneauites can write down the number $4,200,000,000 and burn it, symbolic of the way the State’s operating budget is burning through Alaska’s savings accounts.

The kindness event is so newsworthy it made The Washington Post.

Of course, the Alaska Legislature has not yet arrived for the season, and after that, all bets are off: It could be more like The Year of Living Dangerously.

Democrats announce budget subcommittee change

Suzanne Downing

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December 28, 2016

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Democrats announce budget subcommittee change

Democrats controlling the Alaska House of Representatives have announced they will have standing committees and special committees reviewing the budgets of the various departments, rather than the usual subcommittees of the House Finance Committee.

In a press release, the new majority explained it this way:

House Majority Coalition to Implement New Budget Subcommittee Process

Expertise of Standing and Special Committee Members Will Be Utilized to Identify Budget Savings

Anchorage – When the 30^th Alaska Legislature convenes next month, a new budget subcommittee process will be implemented by the House Finance Committee. Previously, unique budget subcommittees were established to review the budget of each state agency. In an effort to more efficiently use the time and expertise of lawmakers, the new House Majority Coalition has decided to use the current standing and special committees as budget subcommittees. Each subcommittee will be chaired by a majority member from the House Finance Committee.

“A benefit to this new approach is that those legislators with subject matter expertise or interest who sit on a relevant committee can now work on both budgets and policy,” said incoming House Finance Committee Co-chair Paul Seaton (R-Homer). “With this new structure, if legislation is required to make a budget change, the standing and special committee can start that process at the same time they examine the budget for the relevant department.”

The new approach to the budget subcommittee process will make more efficient use of members’ time during the 90-day legislative session. It will also increase transparency by allowing the public and media to more closely follow the budget subcommittee process. With this change, it’s anticipated that more budget subcommittee meetings will be held during the regular work day and can more easily be broadcast by 360 North and covered by the media.

“The members of the House Majority Coalition want to shift to a more holistic review of each department in order to find additional budget savings by identifying programs that can be combined, cut, or even eliminated without negatively impacting essential state services,” said Speaker-Elect Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham). “Our members will be looking at each program to determine if it’s essential to the core mission of each agency. In addressing the ongoing fiscal crisis, we will prioritize how and where we spend Alaska’s limited funds.”

The members of the House Majority Coalition are committed to passing a comprehensive fiscal plan this session and believe this common-sense proposal to streamline the budget subcommittee process will help achieve that goal.

The new budget subcommittee process will be implemented when the 30^th Alaska Legislature convenes on January 17^th in Juneau. A list of budget subcommittees is attached.

For more information, please contact House Majority Coalition Press Secretary Mike Mason at (907) 444-0889.

The assignments on the departments are as follows:

Bright, shiny objects: Juneau office shuffle, deadly Anchorage, intolerant Oahu

Suzanne Downing

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December 28, 2016

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screen-shot-2016-12-28-at-9-34-46-am — Rep. Harriet Drummond, D-Anchorage, will serve on the House Natural Resources Committee, which will be led by Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, and Rep. Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage in the House Democrat-led majority.

JUNEAU OFFICE ASSIGNMENTS: Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome, evidently doesn’t want one of the offices assigned to the House Finance Committee co-chairs. He’s decided to move into his late father’s office (Rep. Richard Foster) at the opposite end of the Capitol, one floor down from the Fifth Floor Finance corner, where all the budget action takes place.

Foster, who was appointed to represent the Nome area after his father died in office of a heart attack, was previously part of the bipartisan, Republican-dominated majority, but joined with the Democratic-led majority this fall, which earned him the plum spot leading Finance, where he has served for just one year.

Foster is known to show up late and leave early, work out twice a day and not do much heavy lifting in the Legislature. His role on Finance may be merely ceremonial, with Vice Chair Les Gara, an Anchorage Democrat, doing the real work on budget and legislation.

Richard Foster’s office was legendary in the Capitol for Friday parties with food, music, and camaraderie.

Word is that Gara is taking the office of Rep. Steve Thompson (R-Fairbanks), who is the current co-chair of Finance.

‘SAFE AND SECURE’ AND DEADLY ANCHORAGE

Mayor Ethan Berkowitz ran on the slogan “safe and secure.” But halfway through his mayoral term, he is reigning over the deadliest year in Anchorage history, with 34 murders and a lot of associated mayhem, much of it drug-related.

The last record was set in 1995 with 29 homicides.

In September, after a rash of unusual killings, Anchorage police warned citizens not to travel alone at night or in isolated places.

American cities generally saw a rise in homicides in 2016. Chicago has had more than 720 murders, a 56 percent jump over 2015, and was the site of more murders than New York and Los Angeles combined.

Anchorage makes the list of the top 25 most deadly cities in America, coming in at No. 22. But what makes Anchorage unusual on the list is its poverty rate, which is under 10 percent and the only city listed with a poverty rate in single digits.

‘NO NAZIS’ ALLOWED AT OAHU CAFE

Heading to Hawaii for a quick dip in the sun? Keep your politics to yourself if you voted for Trump because Hawaii went solidly for Clinton and some are taking the loss hard.

At least one restaurant is telling you they don’t want your business if you voted for Trump. Honolulu’s Cafe 8-1/2 posted a handmade sign that reads: “If you voted for Trump you cannot eat here! No Nazis.”

While the land of Aloha is not exactly throwing out the welcome mat for Republican travelers, if you do go, you might want to avoid Oahu anyway, as President Obama and his family are there until Jan. 3, which typically makes it difficult to navigate.

Should governor have assigned executive authority before surgery?

Suzanne Downing

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December 27, 2016

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screen-shot-2016-12-27-at-8-54-28-am — *Gov. Bill Walker on Nov. 4 announces he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. His family surrounds him during the brief news conference.*

CANCER SURGERY WAS FOUR HOURS

In mid-December, Gov. Bill Walker travelled out of Alaska for major surgery to remove cancer from his prostate. The surgery may have taken place on Dec. 15, but the specific date has not been made clear by his office; he was announced to be recovering from the surgery on Dec. 15.

Although Walker had made a dramatic announcement of his cancer six weeks earlier, with his entire family present, he kept all further information private.

The time and place of his surgery was not known, although he had indicated it would be not in Alaska.

Walker did not, from all indications, assign executive powers to Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott for the duration of what turned into a four-hour surgery.

In November, Walker said he expected the surgery would take three hours and that he would be back to work the next day or shortly thereafter.

In reality, he was not heard from for several days, although he may have been working from his hospital bed.

Walker was seen on a flight from Arizona to Alaska on Dec. 20. His press office has demurred on answering questions in recent days, stating he would not answer media inquiries as to whether a foreign government should have paid for his travel this fall and given him gifts due to his status of being in recovery.

SHOULD WALKER HAVE ASSIGNED AUTHORITY?

The Alaska Constitution does not require the governor to assign executive powers prior to a surgery or other incapacitation, so it’s a judgment call.

Other governors have faced similar decisions and come to different conclusions.

New York Gov. George Pataki, in 2006, faced emergency appendectomy surgery and quickly assigned authority to Mary O’Donohue, New York’s lieutenant governor, for the duration he was under anesthesia.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin in 2011 had a scheduled hip surgery and assigned executive powers to the lieutenant governor, Todd Lamb, for the time she was under anesthesia, which was anticipated to be three hours.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence in 2015 assigned his duties to Lt. Gov.Sue Ellspermann for the duration of his hernia surgery, writing in advance that he would transmit a document after surgery stating when he would assume his duties and a “declaration that no inability exists.”

Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter last year had his hip resurfaced and assigned acting governor status to Lt. Gov. Brad Little. Little received an official letter letting him know the time and place of his upcoming gubernatorial powers, but told Boise Public Radio that at times, it’s been a more spontaneous temporary transfer of powers:

“One time the Governor went to a rodeo in Oregon on a Sunday afternoon. [My] phone rang and he says, ‘I’m getting ready to cross the bridge, [so] you’re governor — I’ll be back in a little bit,'” Little described.

But Alaska Gov. Walker chose a different path. A records request to Alaska’s Attorney General for the decision-making process for whether he should turn over his executive authority during his surgery was denied on the basis of attorney-client privilege.

There was, the Attorney General’s office said, an email exchange between Walker and Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth, with a total of three pages, but the AG’s office decided it will not release them.

A four-hour surgery is not a minor procedure and complications can arise for a man of Walker’s age.

Other surgeries that take four hours include coronary artery bypass graft surgery, the most common heart surgery, which takes between three and six hours. A kidney transplant takes between two and three hours.

The question about turning over the reins of government to the man who has become his very close associate, Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, comes down to a judgment call: Why did Gov. Walker not feel the need to provide the state with the assurance that, should an earthquake occur or another emergency arise, it was clear who was in charge?

The Alaska Constitution, Section 9, speaks vaguely to the role of the acting governor: “In case of the temporary absence of the governor from office, the lieutenant governor shall serve as acting governor.” There is no further indication of what “absence of the governor from office” means.

Alaska’s first governor, Bill Egan, became ill shortly after he assumed office in January, 1959. He was in a Seattle hospital until April of that year, and during that period Lt. Gov. Hugh Wade served as acting governor.

Must Read Alaska has made further public records requests to determine if any still undisclosed documents exist that the governor may have signed prior to traveling to Arizona for surgery.

With Alaska law remarkably vague regarding transfer of power in the event of the absence or temporary incapacitation of the Governor, perhaps in due course the Legislature will consider addressing the question by statute.

Inaugural events in January: Alaska, DC

The 907

Suzanne Downing

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December 27, 2016

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screen-shot-2016-12-26-at-5-35-59-pm — *The invitation to the Jan. 7 Inaugural Party in Anchorage.*

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS STARTS JAN. 7 IN ANCHORAGE

Just 24 days remain until the 58th Presidential Inauguration, but the festivities start in Anchorage with the official Alaska Republican Inaugural Gala in just two weeks.

Jan. 7: The Anchorage party is billed as “The Power of Red,” at the Petroleum Club. It’s a fundraiser for the state party to kick off momentum for the next big election cycle in 2018, and is definitely black tie, but organizers are encouraging everyone to wear a bit of red.

Tickets are $200 per person, and it is likely the social event of the winter, but it’s limited to 100 people. Contact Josh Walton at 227-5785 to reserve your tickets.

The Alaska gala takes place prior to the official presidential inauguration so that legislators heading to Juneau and those heading to Washington, DC would have the opportunity to attend, said Dawn Linton-Warren, the head of the gala committee.

Ladies, it’s a chance to see if the sequins are still firmly attached to your gown and is one of the few occasions you’ll have to wear that spangled dress in Alaska in 2017.

JAN. 20: Word has it an event is being organized for Anchorage on the day of the inauguration, but details were not available this weekend.

*View of the Washington Monument and the Mall from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial earlier this month.*

WASHINGTON, DC EVENTS

Jan. 19: A reception hosted by the Alaska delegation, from 3-5 pm in the House Transportation Committee room that Rep. Don Young secured. It’s an occasion for those who have requested tickets through any of the three delegation offices.

Jan. 19: Donald Trump and Mike Pence will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. A welcome concert is planned at the Lincoln Memorial.

Jan. 19: An Alaska Inauguration Celebration, with honorary cohosts Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, at the Washington Plaza. Tickets are free and invitations are being sent to those on the list who have obtained tickets to the swearing-in ceremony (awarded by lottery by the Alaska delegation). Event sponsors will have tickets as well. Mike Robbins at Steelhead Productions was hired to handle the event, which will be an Alaska extravaganza with Native dancing and drumming, Hobo Jim, Alaska beers and seafood, and historic photos and artifacts on display. Contact: [email protected]. To get a room at the Plaza, use this link and get $400 off with the event discount code. Normal room rates appear to be close to $1,000 a night, with a four-night minimum.

Jan. 20: Parade and Swearing-in ceremony. Full schedule of events is at this link. The best place to see the parade? From the balcony of the Canadian Embassy, (501 Pennsylvania Avenue), if you can get yourself an invitation. Word has it that Sen. Sullivan’s Chief of Staff Joe Balash has one, but word also has it he is going to be busy that day.

Jan. 20: The Senate immediately convenes after Trump is sworn in to vote on cabinet appointments. The questions are: Which one will Democrats allow to be confirmed, which do they require a roll-call vote for, and which ones do they want to debate? Typically the incoming president will get at least his “big four” appointees: Justice, State, Defense and Treasury, but Democrats are said to be gearing up for a bruising fight. In 2009, six of Obama’s appointees were confirmed and the only one requiring a roll call vote was Hillary Clinton for State.

Jan. 20: Native Nations Inaugural Ball at the Native American Museum on the National Mall. The 7 pm event is in support of the National Native American Veterans Memorial. Tickets are $750 and can be found at this link. Contact Jerry Ward for more information: 907-887-3677.

Jan. 21: Best of the West Inaugural Ball. A combined event by the DC “societies” of Western states. Tickets are $100 and are available from the Alaska State Society. Many attendees from Alaska will be stopping in at this event, which is steps from the White House at the Old Ebbitt Grill Atrium.

HOW MANY ALASKANS HEADING TO DC?

Jerry Ward, who managed the Trump campaign in Alaska, says he thinks 1,000 to 2,000 Alaskans will head to the nation’s capital for the inaugural festivities. He arrived at that number by counting up the tickets the delegation had available by lottery, and those he knows are available from the Trump organization itself.

The drama queen exits, stage left

Suzanne Downing

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December 23, 2016

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screen-shot-2016-12-23-at-9-32-49-am — In 2014, Michelle Obama started a Twitter campaign to try to save 276 Nigerian girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram in Nigeria. The publicity stunt received a lot of press attention but fizzled quickly. Most of the girls have never been found, although a few ultimately escaped.

CHAMPION OF AGGRIEVEMENT, AND A MOVIE RECOMMENDATION

Michelle Obama has a cult following and they’ll follow her right out of the White House.

Those who love her for her fashion sense, strength, independence, and veggie lunch snacks will continue their admiration her as she steps back into a quasi-civilian life next month. Her speaking fees will be staggering, she’ll have servants and Secret Service protection, and her children will attend ivy league universities, like their parents before them.

But for a minority of Americans, the drama queen has worn her welcome. Michelle Obama lost many of us at the outset, when she said in 2008: “For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.”

She had no good explanation for saying such a thing. A firestorm erupted around her and her husband: Why would she not be proud of her country? Is America really that bad or is this her way of saying she hates America? Or perhaps America is only praiseworthy when she and her husband are in charge.

The Obama campaign brushed it off by explaining Michelle was proud that people voted, but many wondered how a hospital lawyer at a high-octane Chicago firm, who attended both Princeton and Yale Universities, could give anything but full-throated support to a nation such as this.

Last month, she did it again. After Donald Trump was elected president, Michelle Obama was in mourning: “We are feeling what not having hope feels like” she told Oprah Winfrey.

“Hope is necessary. It’s a necessary concept,” she went on. “And Barack didn’t just talk about hope because he thought it was a nice slogan to get votes. He and I and so many believed that … what else do you have if you don’t have hope? What do you give your kids if you can’t give them hope?”

It is as though only one vision — the Obama vision of America — can prompt hope in a nation. After eight years of her husband’s presidency and his “fundamentally transforming” America into a nation of government dependents, all is lost: For the first lady, once she and her husband leave the building, there is nothing to hope for.

Many Americans have the good taste to not criticize a first lady. After all, few of us could hold up to that kind of scrutiny of our looks, our language, and our lapses of judgment. Criticizing first ladies is a bit of a national pastime as we judge their hair, their choice of day wear, and their children. Mrs. Obama has endured criticism that often has a racist tinge.

But Michelle Obama has no cause to complain about Americans. Her approval rating remains above 64 percent, according to recent polls. The mean bloggers are relentless, but the predominant mainstream media has given her a hall pass to say just about anything:

Beyonce is her role model for girls.
People criticizing her sometimes-angry demeanor are being racists.
“I wake up every morning in a house (the White House) that was built by slaves.”
“There’s nowhere in the world I can go and sit and have a cup of coffee.”
Living in the White House is like “living in a cave.”

Mrs. Obama is as aggrieved as a multi-millionaire in a cashmere sweater can be this Christmas. She reflects and upholds the politics of identity that has cleaved us into a nation of racial separatists, where wrongs can never truly be atoned for and old wounds, real or imagined, must be scratched open time and again.

It’s not politically correct to say so, but Michelle Obama is not a champion of achievement, but aggrievement.

REAL ROLE MODELS ABOUND

And yet, it’s Christmas and an inaugural season is ahead. Whining Michelle Obama is nearly in the rearview mirror.

There are role models out there for girls, be they black, brown, or pinkish. This Christmas take your family to see a family-friendly movie, Hidden Figures, which will be in all theaters in January, and a select few on Christmas Day. It’s rated PG.

A group of mathematically inclined women, who were African-American and had plenty to overcome during the Jim Crow era, became part of the space program that sent John Glenn into orbit. Their story is remarkable, as told in the book that inspired the movie.

Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson are depicted in the movie as three of the brains who calculated like computers and whose hands worked the slide rules behind one of the greatest achievements in space exploration, helping America win the Space Race.

These math geniuses started with the government’s aeronautical program during World War II, stayed with it, and would live to launch Americans into space. Those are truly some role models.

There are stories of inspiration everywhere this Christmas. We take comfort that Americans dream, and achieve, no matter how humble their beginnings and no matter how great the adversity seems, our nation is on the right path.

Unlike the Doctrine of the Oppressed coming from the White House over the past eight years, Hidden Figures is a story that has played out in every field across America, to our nation’s proud advantage.

Bright, shiny objects: Stoltze; new newspaper; Dems’ conflicts of interest

Suzanne Downing

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December 22, 2016

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screen-shot-2016-12-22-at-2-58-16-pm — Sen. Bill Stoltze, center, surrounded by, left to right, Sen. Charlie Huggins, Rep. Cathy Tilton, Sen. Mike Dunleavy, former Sen. Rick Halford, Rep. (Sen.-elect) Shelley Hughes, and Rep. Dan Saddler, at the Chugiak Eagle River Senior Center. (Amy Armstrong, Eagle River Echo Photo)

IT’S THE BILL STOLTZE DINING ROOM

About 150 people gathered at the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center on Monday to surprise retiring Sen. Bill Stoltze with the naming of the dining room after him.

Yes, he was surprised.

“You never see Bill show that much emotion, but it really touched him,” said Rep. Cathy Tilton, who organized the event and serves on the board of the center.

In spite of bad road conditions on the Glenn Highway, the center was filled with political friends, and neighborhood and community supporters.

Stoltze is known to stop by the senior center almost every day to share a cup of coffee with residents.

EAGLE RIVER GETS NEW NEWSPAPER

Speaking of Eagle River, a new weekly newspaper has emerged. Amy Armstrong is the editor and the paper is community focused and lively, so don’t bother telling her that newspapers are dead. Read all about it.

FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE RUMBLINGS

Word out of Juneau is that the new Democrat-controlled majority is doing things differently when it comes to Finance subcommittees. We’re chasing it all down but here’s what we’ve heard so far:

Rep. Sam Kito will be chair of the Finance subcommittee reviewing the Department of Labor budget.

Kito, a Juneau Democrat, is frequently seen escorting Commissioner of Labor Heidi Drygas.

Rep. Louise Stutes is said to be the new chair of the Fish and Game Finance Subcommittee, which is going to be interesting because Deputy F&G Commissioner Kevin Brooks endorsed her for her seat during the most recent election cycle — using his official title.

Someone filing an ethics complaint about this will have to go through Rep. Chris Tuck.

Walker chooses different path for domestic violence council

Suzanne Downing

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December 22, 2016

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‘CHOOSE RESPECT’ NOW IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR

Saying he wants to go in a new direction, Gov. Bill Walker has fired the executive director of the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

Lauree Morton, recognized as one of the nation’s leaders in the field, was asked to resign by Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan this month.

Jayne Andreen was named temporary head of the agency. She was director for the council from 1994 to 1998 and worked with the Alaska Division of Public Health in the area of health promotion.

The move sent shock waves through the domestic violence and sexual assault prevention field, where Morton is considered an effective and nonpartisan leader.

Morton, with a long history of advocacy and grant writing, joined the council as a grant writer in 2007 and became executive director in 2011. Before that, she was executive director of the Tundra Women’s Coalition in Bethel and executive director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

Sources who asked to remain anonymous said the council itself was taken by surprise at the governor’s actions, which they perceived as politically motivated. The council has received no policy change requests from the governor and Morton had always earned positive performance reviews.

Additionally, they said, Walker already controls the direction of the council because he appoints five of the nine members. They are commissioners or their designees. If he wanted a change, it was as simple as ordering a new direction.

Morton reports to the council members. By state statute, the council hires the executive director, but state law does not speak to who fires her. The council itself is embedded in the Department of Public Safety, and her position evidently serves at the pleasure of the governor.

Speculation across the field is that Walker will ask the board to hire Amanda Price, who works in his office as a senior advisor on public safety issues.

The governor may be looking for places for his senior staff as he attempts to reduce the size of his office and deflect criticism for some of the high salaries he is paying his staff.

The council’s stated mission is to provide crisis intervention, perpetrator accountability, and prevention services to Alaskans victimized or impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault. It has been engaged in a major Alaska Victimization Survey since 2010 to understand a baseline for how many Alaskans are victims of these crimes.

There were 8,055 fewer victims in 2015 than in 2010, according to the study, which may speak to the effectiveness of the previous administration’s Choose Respect Initiative. Choose Respect has been abandoned by Gov. Walker in favor of an as-yet unarticulated direction.

Events

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Bright, shiny objects: Rubenstein, Trump, minimum wage’s nickel

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Democrats announce budget subcommittee change

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Bright, shiny objects: Juneau office shuffle, deadly Anchorage, intolerant Oahu

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Should governor have assigned executive authority before surgery?

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Inaugural events in January: Alaska, DC

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The drama queen exits, stage left

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Bright, shiny objects: Stoltze; new newspaper; Dems’ conflicts of interest

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Walker chooses different path for domestic violence council

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