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Shocking report: New Palmer council member documents fierce bullying of women members during executive session in October

Suzanne Downing
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Shocking report: New Palmer council member documents fierce bullying of women members during executive session in October

An October executive session by the Palmer City Council, during which the performance and employment severance contract of the city manager was being discussed, devolved into yelling, bullying, menacing gestures, and misogynistic behavior toward women on the city council, according to a written account by Councilwoman Victoria Hudson, who was newly elected as of October.

Hudson described in her account how then-City Manager Stephen Jellie screamed at her and the other woman councilwoman, Carolina Anzelotti Graber, causing them to both become fearful for their safety. Numerous times, Hudson said Jellie lifted himself out of his chair to menace and threaten them, and he used vulgar hand-gestures witnessed by other council members in order to demean them.

Since that hostile meeting, both Graber and Hudson were traumatized, and one slept with a firearm nearby. Graber, pregnant at the time, suffered a tragic miscarriage that her doctor said was due to the stress and sleep deprivation, she said.

As Mayor Steve Carrington had excused the public from the council chambers, Jellie started in with his antics. To Sarah Heath, the city attorney, who was asked to leave for the executive session, Jellie made the motion of someone flipping burgers and reportedly said, “Enjoy working at Wendy’s, you’ll be a great burger flipper.” 

Later in the session, when Heath was present in the chambers, Jellie repeatedly used the gesture of a circle made by fingers and thumb on one hand and a finger from the other hand going in and out of the circle, Hudson said.

That is a known vulgar gesture that can also be experienced as a threat or intimidation.

Attorney Heath had originally been asked to leave the executive session because she had issued a public advisement about Jellie, which was only part of what was leading to his sudden severance from the city after just 52 days.

But Councilman John Alcantra pushed back and asked why the city attorney had to leave the executive session. “Last time we had an executive session without her there were open meeting act violations,” he reportedly said. Council members Graber, Josh Tudor and Hudson backed Alcantra. A vote was taken and Heath was allowed back in the room, but ordered to sit in the back of the room by the mayor.

The executive session continued, with Jellie reportedly targeting the women on the council, first starting with Graber and then moving on to Hudson, who described his statements as hostile and “screaming louder at her.” Graber tried to defend herself and finally broke down in tears.

“Are you done yet?” Jellie reportedly said, as she tried to stop crying. She was in her first trimester.

Later, some in the room described the entire meeting as abusive. But it went from bad to worse.

Jellie was next asked by Hudson if he had fired the police chief, which was the primary reason the entire city was in an upheaval over his leadership.

According to Hudson’s account, Jellie said, “You’re a nobody and I don’t have to answer that.” Hudson, in fact, is an elected official and his boss, but she had only been recently elected.

“I am somebody. I was elected and you do have to answer to me,” Hudson responded, according to her account, and she said Jellie smirked and made a chuckle toward her. Her microphone was turned off.

“At this point I was very confused as to why the Mayor was not defending Carolina and I. Also I truly felt that Stephen (Jellie) was pushing us to a reaction so he could have something else to use against us. Why else would you yell and yell and yell at a woman until they break and cry and then proceed to laugh at them?” she wrote.

She said the mayor, Councilman Richard Best or Councilman Cooper would not defend order and dignity in the room. In fact they laughed and egged Jellie on in his abuse. 

The drama continued, with Jellie being allowed to berate the women on the council.

“There were multiple times where I personally was again concerned for her (Graber’s) well being and safety during this specific conversation. I also was becoming extremely concerned about the lack of leadership from our Mayor,” Hudson said.

Heath told the council that Jellie needed to leave the room so they could discuss his contract, but Jellie refused and said he could sue Heath for the things she said about him publicly, according to Hudson. Jellie was allowed to stay.

The mockery and degradation of the women — Heath, Graber, and Hudson — continued, Hudson said: “At this point I was crying and very uncomfortable. I was honestly scared. Throughout this entire session I was screamed at more times than I can count. Had hand gestures made at me. Stephen Jellie came out of his chair like he was going to come at me if I dared to upset him anymore or talk back to him. I also had no idea at this point that his lawsuit threats were not something I had to protect myself from personally. I truly felt like I was in danger. And was so shocked that the Mayor did nothing. I also want to note that Richard Best and Jim Cooper making those comments while I was speaking made me very uncomfortable. And were very harassing. Since this executive session I have had nightmares that I cannot escape that room. No matter what I do I cannot wake up and I cant get out. The nightmares end as Stephen Jellie approaches me. I have been scared to be home alone as well. I also feel very uncomfortable in a room behind the dais with three men that did absolutely nothing but make rude disparaging comments while I was speaking and a Mayor that did absolutely nothing to stop the outrageous behavior. “

Hudson and Graber felt so physically threatened that they filed a report about the incident with the Palmer Police.

Both women say they have been scared for their lives and asked the Palmer Police to do patrols near their houses because of the threats they experienced.

Immediately after the meeting that night, Jellie was gone, with his severance contract in hand.

Since that meeting, the seating arrangement in the room has been changed to place members Best by Graber and Cooper by Hudson, and observers say they continue to use intimidation tactics to distract, interrupt, and harass the women under their breath with derogatory statements.

Must Read Alaska recognizes this is a partial account of that executive session and will provide Mayor Carrington and the other members of the council the opportunity to respond to it. This account of what occurred has been condensed greatly and does not provide every behavior accusation lodged against Jellie.

The next meeting of the Palmer City Council is Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Palmer City Council Chambers, 231 W Evergreen Avenue, Palmer.

Under unfinished business is “Discussion of Investigation of Previous City Manager Interactions with City Staff and City Attorney (postponed from 10/22/24 meeting).”

Palmer police chief reinstated
Palmer in upheaval over new city manager, who demanded the badge of cherished police chief
He’s done: Palmer city manager resigns, effective immediately

Lt. Gov. Dahlstrom approves recount of ballot measure on ranked-choice voting

Suzanne Downing
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Lt. Gov. Dahlstrom approves recount of ballot measure on ranked-choice voting

 One day after the Alaska Republican Party announced its intent to request a recount of Ballot Measure 2, after the election is certified on Nov. 30, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom announced she intends to hold that recount.

Ballot Measure 2 was a grassroots effort to get rid of ranked-choice voting. But opponents brought in $15 million in Outside dark money to fight the repeal, and succeeded by 664 votes. The grassroots group had only about $100,000, all from citizens of Alaska who wanted to stop the Outside billionaires from controlling Alaska’s elections.

“Alaska law ensures the integrity of our elections, and with results as close as these, a recount will be conducted as outlined by statute,” Dahlstom said.

According to Alaska Statute 15.20.450, if the margin of defeat for a ballot measure is less than 0.5% of the total votes cast or within 20 votes, the State of Alaska will bear the cost of the recount. Ballot Measure 2 failed by a margin of 0.4% triggering, upon request, a state-funded recount.

The Division of Elections has already begun preparations, said Dahlstrom, who oversees the division.

We are actively gathering the necessary resources to conduct a thorough and efficient recount. Our team is committed to meeting the 10-day recount completion deadline following the scheduled certification of the election by the State Review Board on November 30,” Division Director Carol Beecher said.

Additionally, under Alaska Statute 15.20.480, properly cast absentee and overseas ballots that are received after the respective 10- and 15-day deadlines but before the completion of the recount will be included in the recount. The Division of Elections will ensure compliance with all relevant statutes, according to the press release from Dahlstrom.

Upon certification of the election results, the recount will begin immediately following receipt of the formal request. Further details regarding the formal recount request and process will be provided after the election is certified, she said.

On Sunday, the Alaska Republicans said they’d bring in national Republican lawyer Harmeet Dhillon to help guard the integrity of the process.

Alaska Republicans bring in national lawyer, will ask for recount on Ballot Measure 2

MatSu School Board members sworn in; McCollum given the gavel

Suzanne Downing
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MatSu School Board members sworn in; McCollum given the gavel

Kathy McCollum has been elected by the MatSu School Board as their new chairwoman, replacing Jubilee Underwood, who was recently elected to the Alaska House.

At the Nov. 20 school board meeting, the first since the Nov. 5 election, reelected members Bergey and Brooks Pitcher were reseated and new member Andrew Shane joined the dais.

McCollum has previously been clerk and vice president of the board. Shane was elected as vice president and Kruse became clerk.

The district has over 19,000 students in 49 schools over 25,000 square miles. The school board’s next meeting is at 6 p.m., Dec. 4, at the MatSu Borough School District’s Central Office, 501 N. Gulkana St, Palmer.

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is the only one in the state that has aligned its local elections with national general elections.

(This story corrects an earlier version.)

Lawfare: Mat-Su Borough School District settles out of court with ACLU, Northern Justice Project

Robert Seitz: What’s known about gas levels in Cook Inlet warrants immediate action

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Robert Seitz: What’s known about gas levels in Cook Inlet warrants immediate action

By ROBERT SEITZ

I am mystified by the lack of proactive and energetic response to provide support to the one Cook Inlet Natural Gas provider who is ready to increase natural gas production.  A United States Geological Survey report from 2011 estimates that an undiscovered Cook Inlet gas 19 trillion standard cubit feet, which is 266 years of energy at the current demand.  

Why are we not tapping this resource for the good of Alaska? HEX/Furie (the only Alaskan owned gas production company) believes there is ample gas for many years to come. If Alaska can help to remove the financial burdens on Furie, then we can tap into those opportunities for Alaskans. 

As I dug into this more, I found there are those who are less than sympathetic to HEX/Furie President John Hendrix and say, “He knew what he was getting when he bought Furie in bankruptcy.”  

I also see that there are those who want to use a Cook Inlet Gas crisis to provide more leverage for enabling the Alaska LNG project. Then there are those who want to use the Cook Inlet gas crisis in combination with a climate crisis, to push for Renewable Portfolio Standard legislation, which would provide mandates for more rapid addition of renewables to the Railbelt electrical system. The timelines for all other energy sources are much longer than it will take to ensure increased capacity of Cook Inlet gas, but we need to be able to demonstrate that the capacity is there, to government as well as the citizens of Alaska.  

To try to improve my knowledge about Cook Inlet natural gas I flew to Kenai for the Alaska Alliance lunch meeting on Nov. 15 to hear Hendrix deliver an update on Furie Operations progress in Cook Inlet. While there I got to tour Furie’s Natural Gas processing facility. Since I have been involved with the design and installation of oil and gas facilities for the past 45 years, I could judge it was a good quality installation.

Furie is producing 9mmscf/d from the Kitchen Lights Unit through the Furie Julius R Platform. The system can flow up to 60mmscf/d provided there is somewhere to flow the gas. Currently there is a cap on the demand, at 190mmscf/d of which most is provided by Hilcorp. 

Many are looking for more gas wells to be drilled so they can see the increase in available natural gas in Cook Inlet. The problem is that drilling wells without producing from them will not pay for the wells. There appears to be enough Cook Inlet Gas to warrant immediate action. Furie has sufficient infrastructure in place to produce up to 60mmscf/d right now, and that is one third of the current demand. But no producer can afford to drill wells and not use them.

On the North Slope all the wells in which natural gas has been stored over the years have been paid for by production of gas or oil. Since the gas has already been released from downhole and returned to below ground, that gas is known to exist. In Cook Inlet just drilling a well does not mean it has any gas capacity at all. It must be tested, but even if it proves to be a good well it still needs to produce before it can pay for itself.  

Alaska needs to come up with some protocols and financial assurances, so producers are paid for the wells they drill, and the utilities have sufficient assurance that there are sufficient reserves for a specified period of time. If the well is a crude production well that has gas produced by separating it from the crude, the gas will have to be stored underground if there is nowhere to flow the gas, and the crude can be processed at a refinery to pay for the well.

To have a sustainable, reliable, resilient electrical power system we need to assure the availability of natural gas, especially to ensure we can all get through the cold of winter safely and healthily. All the alternative energy sources have too long a timeline to supply Alaska’s energy needs now. Natural gas is currently a heat source for most homes and businesses in Anchorage. Converting to electric heat for all those locations would be very costly, require massive upgrades to electrical systems, and would be much more difficult to be warm when the electric power is interrupted. The timeline for construction of a gas line from the North Slope is also too long to ensure the wellbeing of the Railbelt citizens in the near distant future. Cook Inlet gas is the most certain choice for Alaska’s security and well-being.

Some have estimated that the Kitchen Lights Unit contains 1.2 to 3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and Furie estimates that they have at least 300 billion cubic feet of natural gas within three miles of the Julius R platform, which is reachable by current drilling technology.  

In addition to these estimates of available natural gas, Hendrix provided a chart which shows Alaska has one of the cheapest costs of gas at the home meter in the entire U.S even though we have the highest wellhead cost. This is due to the very short transport distance for Cook Inlet gas; approximately 40 miles. Every 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas represents 14 years, so 19 trillion would provide 266 years of energy at current demand, as stated earlier.

As a lifelong Alaskan with over 40 years experience in the field, John Hendrix had an opportunity to own the only Alaskan-operated, producing oil and gas company and he seized the opportunity. He would like to see more Alaskans operators. When Hendrix bought the company, he said he had to work on a number of historical foundational issues known and unknown to address past operator problems. Due to the efforts of his dedicated team and focus, they have now operated Furie more than any previous owner.  

One source of Furie’s burdens is the refusal by a past state administration to pay the oil and gas incentives that were due. To grow production more and to help provide more gas to Alaskans Furie needs equalization of royalties. Royalties come off gross income. Furie pays 25%, while the average Cook Inlet gas royalty is less than 14%.

It is time to find a way to couple the utilities need for certainty in future supplies and the producers need to cover the cost of drilling wells, even if the well will not produce for a while. Then it is appropriate to adjust the royalty rate for Furie, as the supply of gas will be more beneficial for all Alaskans than would the addition of the royalty amount to the PFD.  Now is the time for all Alaskans to stand together for our future and many years of Cook Inlet gas.

To demonstrate Furie’s commitment, they completed and tested a new gas well just last week.

Robert Seitz, is a professional electrical engineer and lifelong concerned Alaskan.

Robert Seitz: Work on sensible legislation this next session — with solutions, not bandaids

Enemies list: Sen. Forrest Dunbar blocks political adversaries from his official social media pages

Suzanne Downing
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Enemies list: Sen. Forrest Dunbar blocks political adversaries from his official social media pages

Must Read Alaska has long been blocked by Alaska Sen. Forrest Dunbar from his social media feed on X. Dunbar may be a reader of the publication, but is clearly not a fan.

But now, others are saying they are being blocked by him, as well. This person, for instance:

Screenshot provided by someone who Sen. Forrest Dunbar has blocked from his official government X account.

The matter of legislators blocking members of the public from the accounts associated with their official duties is still being litigated, ever since lawyers with the Northern Justice Project filed a lawsuit against former Sen. Lora Reinbold, who is till fighting it in court.

Last year, a judge ruled state legislators cannot block members of the public from commenting on the social media accounts maintained in connection with their elected offices.

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews said such accounts are considered public forums, where legislators can’t discriminate against a participant based on their positions on topics.

In a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, “Lindke v. Freed,” the justices ruled that a public official can only be considered to be engaging in “state action” (actions that can be subject to First Amendment scrutiny) on social media if they have actual authority to speak on behalf of the government and are clearly exercising that authority when posting on their personal social media accounts; essentially, this means a public official can block users on their personal social media pages unless they are explicitly using the platform to communicate official government information, not just personal opinions.

The Alaska Legislative Council, the body that governs the Legislature when it is not in formal session and that handles other legislative business, will meet at 9 a.m. on Dec. 12 in the Anchorage Legislative Information Office; legislator social media policies are said to be on the agenda, which has not yet been posted.

It’s unclear how that relates to blocking people altogether from an official account, but the matter will be before Alaska legislators next month.

Supreme Court remands two cases dealing with public officials’ social media censoring habits

Breaking: Jack Smith drops charges against Trump

Suzanne Downing
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Breaking: Jack Smith drops charges against Trump

The Justice Department’s special counsel Jack Smith dropped his criminal case against Donald Trump. The case had revolved around Trump’s role in disorderly activity at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, leading up to the Senate’s certification of the victory of Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Now that Trump has been reelected, there is a Justice Department policy that prevents prosecution of a sitting president.

Smith filed his motion to dismiss the case in the U.S. District Court of Washington D.C. 

“It has long been the position of the Department of Justice that the United States Constitution forbids the federal indictment and subsequent criminal prosecution of a sitting President. But the Department and the country have never faced the circumstance here, where a federal indictment against a private citizen has been returned by a grand jury and a criminal prosecution is already underway when the defendant is elected President. Confronted with this unprecedented situation, the Special Counsel’s Office consulted with the Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), whose interpretation of constitutional questions such as those raised here is binding on Department prosecutors. After careful consideration, the Department has determined that OLC’s prior opinions concerning the Constitution’s prohibition result this prosecution must be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated. That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind. Based on the Department’s interpretation of the Constitution, the Government moves for dismissal without prejudice of the superseding indictment under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 48(a). The Government has conferred with defense counsel, who does not object to this motion,” the motion says.

Special Counsel Jack Smith to take a break from prosecution of Trump — for now
Case dismissed: Classified documents case against Trump thrown out by judge

Alaska Republicans bring in national lawyer, will ask for recount on Ballot Measure 2

Suzanne Downing
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Alaska Republicans bring in national lawyer, will ask for recount on Ballot Measure 2

The Alaska Republican Party said on Sunday that it will be asking the Division of Elections for a recount of the votes on Ballot Measure 2, which gave Alaskans the option of repealing ranked-choice voting.

Although dark money from Outside Alaska overwhelmed proponents of the repeal, it ended up failing to be repealed by just 664 votes, a tiny margin.

Of the 320,574 votes cast on the measure, the margin of “No” votes to “Yes” votes was 50.1% to 49.9%. The state must cover the costs of a recount when the margin is this close.

“We will submit this request, along with the names of the requisite Alaskan voters required to initiate this process, once the election is certified, which is scheduled for November 30, 2024,” said the statement issued by the Alaska Republican Party.

The party has hired the Dhillon Law Group, led by Harmeet K. Dhillon, to be on the ground during the recount and review, along with Alaska-based party counsel and observers.

“Ms. Dhillon and her firm are a nationally recognized, seasoned election integrity legal team, and bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to this recount process. Ms. Dhillon is an expert in election law. She and her colleagues Michael Columbo and Mark Meuser were recently on the legal teams in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and other crucial locations nationally to ensure a fair, transparent, and thorough process,” said Party Chairwoman Carmela Warfield. “Our Party Counsel, Ms. Stacey Stone and her team, are experienced Alaskan election law practitioners, and in September 2024, they successfully intervened on the Alaska Republican Party’s behalf in the case of Alaska Democratic Party v. State of Alaska Division of Elections, ultimately prevailing in the Alaska Supreme Court.”

Alaska’s ballot counting marathon ends: Nick Begich declared winner, repeal of ranked-choice fails, and David Nelson pulls upset in District 18

Paulette Simpson: Stronger tripod in D.C. bodes well for Alaska

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Paulette Simpson: Stronger tripod in D.C. bodes well for Alaska

By PAULETTE SIMPSON

In politics, as in sports, bench strength matters. As players come and go, teams can shift from championship to obscurity in one season, or vice versa. Republicans now hold the White House and, narrowly and temporarily, Congress.  

Alaska’s political bench is ready for play, but the season is short.  

Most voters no longer identify with a political party, but even those who do register with a party occupy different places on the spectrum of political thought depending on the issue. Voters’ views range from very liberal to very conservative, often regardless of which party they’re in. 

Some of the 146,661 Alaskans registered with the Republican Party embrace Ronald Reagan’s “big tent” ideal, meaning they accommodate a range of views on the “right” side of the political spectrum.  

Different views within a Party deserve their share of representation so we can keep the tent big.  Elections are won by addition and multiplication, not by subtraction and division. It’s why since her first statewide election in November 2004, Lisa Murkowski has had my support. While saying so has made me a heretic to some, I have also voted for Nick Begich every time I had the chance. 

The only way for Republican or Democratic candidates to win elections in Alaska is to enlist the support of independent voters. Lisa Murkowski figured that out early on. She gets most independents and quite a few Democrats – many of whom are loathe to cast their ballots for a Republican – to do just that. 

That’s been good for Alaska, because it’s helped the Republican Party hold power against the extreme tendencies of the Democratic Party that perennially tries to completely lock up our state.  Remember, without Lisa we almost certainly wouldn’t have scored wins like the Kensington Mine, ANWR, and CD-5 and Willow in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. These are practical realities, and they matter. 

But there are limits. What Lisa could not do in 2024 is convince all of her supporters to vote for Mary Peltola. 

Perhaps the electorate looked deeper and decided another skill set would enhance our small delegation. Or maybe voters thought Alaska would be best served if our lone representative in the U.S House was aligned with their choice for president.  (55% of Alaska voters chose Donald Trump.  41% chose Kamala Harris.)

Whatever the reason 164,000 Alaskans picked Nick, his election to Congress is a win for the most useful sense of the word “diversity.”

Alaska’s population reflects a range of differences that include metrics like age, cultural identity, educational and socioeconomic background, religious beliefs and political worldview. 

How does Alaska’s Congressional delegation now measure up on that diversity index?  

Start with age. Dan Sullivan just turned 60.  Lisa is 67.  Nick is 47. 

Then consider viewpoint diversity. For the past 22 years in the U.S. Senate, while supporting pro-development projects, Lisa Murkowski has also given voice to Alaska’s large cohort (maybe 41%) of more left-of-center-leaning voters, many of whom prioritize social issues.  

Sen. Sullivan’s devotion to military and veterans’ issues, with his State Department and national security experience, has rightly earned him the respect of his peers, plus a national media profile. That’s been good for Alaska and more broadly good for America.

Both Senators Murkowski and Sullivan have been and remain especially devoted to causes and interests that benefit Alaska Indigenous people, their Native corporations, and tribes. 

And now, Nick Begich brings a fresh entrepreneurial bent to our delegation. His background in tech, 21st century business success, and modern conservative mindset (think Vivek, not Mitch) add private sector depth and balance to our congressional team.  

Because Nick has such intellectual and actuarial capacity, he has the ability to achieve meaningful tenure in Congress, opening the door to Alaska once again gaining seniority in the House of Representatives. Don’t be surprised if he ascends to House Leadership within just a few terms.

With their combined 32 years in Congress, Lisa and Dan should offer the rising Nick Begich friendship, mentorship, and a thick Rolodex of relationships to help him accelerate. Not for his sake, but for Alaska’s.

Our delegation shares a love of state and country and a commitment to the responsible development of Alaska’s resources. It’s that commonality, combined with their diverse strengths, life experiences and yes, differing opinions, that give heft and added value to our new DC team.

Each member of our delegation will play an important role in the 119th Congress, as will our aligned Governor.  With all bases covered, we’re seriously positioned for a winning season. There is no time left to look back, and even less time to waste.

Paulette Simpson lives in Juneau and has been politically active for decades.

Breaking: Sen. Dan Sullivan endorses Nick Begich for Congress

Fritz Pettyjohn: Let’s stop harping on the slow ballot count

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Fritz Pettyjohn: Let’s stop harping on the slow ballot count

By FRITZ PETTYJOHN

Thanks to the extended time to count all the ballots, Republican David Nelson beat the incumbent Democrat by 23 votes in House District 18, (Government Hill, JBER in East Anchorage.) 

The same thing happened about 40 years ago, allowing my friend Rep. Terry Martin to squeak out a reelection victory.

The margin of victory in both cases was due to overseas absentees, most of them military. The Division of Elections allows extra time in order to allow all these late arriving ballots to be counted. For Republicans, it’s worth the wait.

These are mostly men and women who established Alaska residency while they were stationed here. When they’re transferred overseas, they maintain their Alaska residency. Many of them do this in order to continue their eligibility for Permanent Fund dividends.  They all vote in order to bolster their claim to Alaska residency.

Their main issue, unsurprisingly, is the Permanent Fund.  Since Republicans have always been the champions of the PFD (initiated by Republican Gov. Jay Hammond in 1980), and Democrats largely hostile, they all vote Republican.

Representative-elect Nelson should send them all a thank you card.

So, let’s stop with all the carping about the long wait. It’s only a problem if the good people at the Division of Elections need the extra time to steal an election. I don’t believe this has ever happened.

Some old-timers claim Gov. Hammond stole the Republican primary election from Wally Hickel in 1978. He only won by 98 votes.  His Attorney General, Avrum Gross, was a little slippery, but I don’t believe the election was stolen.

All of us who worked on Hammond’s campaign (including me – I was Chairman of “Hands for Hammond”) like to think that our efforts were responsible for his victory.

And the PFD.

Fritz Pettyjohn’s first venture in politics was working for Barry Goldwater for president in 1964. He served in the Alaska Legislature in the 1980s and writes the blog ReaganProject.com.

Fritz Pettyjohn: The beginning of four years of fearless leadership
Fritz Pettyjohn: Congratulations, Nick Begich!
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