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Consequence of politics and policy? Portland REI closing due to crime

Suzanne Downing
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29
Consequence of politics and policy? Portland REI closing due to crime

Walmart announced it was out of crime-ridden Portland, Ore. earlier this year, and now the outdoor gear company, REI announced that it, too, will close its downtown Portland store as well.

Recreational Equipment Inc. made the announcement in a Monday statement:

“We are sad to share that our store in Portland’s Pearl District will close early next year,” the company wrote. “For nearly 20 years, REI has proudly served our members and the outdoor community from this location. We’ve had a presence in Oregon for over half of our 85-year history, opening our third store nationally at Jantzen Beach in 1976. The safety of our employees, members and customers is always our number one priority. In recent years, Portland has been dealing with increased crime in our neighborhood and beyond. Last year, REI Portland had its highest number of break-ins and thefts in two decades, despite actions to provide extra security.”

The company added that “we have outgrown this location and as a result are not able to provide the level of customer and employee experience we strive for at REI. For these reasons, we are no longer confident in our ability to serve you in this location. We remain dedicated to serving our community in the area and are continuously evaluating opportunities for new locations. While we do not believe a downtown Portland location will be possible in the near term, our stores in Tualatin, Hillsboro and Clackamas remain open and ready to outfit you with the gear and advice you need to enjoy life outside.”

REI has two stores in Alaska — one in Anchorage and a new location in Fairbanks. It has over 165 locations in 39 states. It’s a liberal company whose former CEO Sally Jewell became Secretary of Interior under President Barack Obama in 2013.

Other companies that have left downtown Portland include Daimler Chrysler, Airbnb, Banana Republic, Microsoft, Cracker Barrel, Umpqua Bank, Rains clothing, to name a few.

“Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told CNBC. He added that “prices will be higher and/or stores will close” if cities don’t crack down on shoplifting crimes.

Walmart also announced it is closing four Chicago stores that are “underperforming.” Most observers recognize that is code for “losing money from looters and shoplifters.” That leaves four Walmart stores in a city of 2.7 million people.

Juneau Empire going digital, will print just two editions a week

Suzanne Downing
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11
Juneau Empire going digital, will print just two editions a week

The Juneau Empire will focus more effort on its digital edition and less on newsprint. On May 3, it will only provide a printed paper two days a week, and that paper will be printed in Lakewood, Wash., south of Tacoma.

Publisher David Rigas said it was a change needed to keep the newspaper viable.

“This is a significant change in the way the voice of Alaska’s capital city does business and it’s not something we take lightly,” Rigas said in the Empire today. “However, it’s a change that needs to happen and one that will mean improved presentation of local news.”

The print department is being laid off. Print subscribers will be offered a reduced rate for a print edition that will only be available on Wednesdays and Saturdays. That means the bundles will be flown into Juneau, where weather can sometimes cause flight delays. The newspaper didn’t say where its existing printing press will go, but these speciality items are harder and harder to sell, as newspapers around the country continue to reduce print editions. It may be worth more as scrap metal.

In the 1990s, the Juneau Empire launched the Sunday edition and had a circulation of over 8,000 copies in a town that had about 10,000 households.

It launched its online edition in 1998, under the direction of Publisher John Winter and then-Managing Editor Suzanne Downing, who is now publisher of Must Read Alaska.

The Empire was founded in 1912 as the Alaska Daily Empire. It was owned by Major John Franklin Alexander Strong, who owned several newspapers, prior to his term as territorial governor of Alaska. Strong served as the editor of the Empire until May 24, 1913, after which John W. Troy took over. Troy was inaugurated governor on April 19, 1933.

The Empire, in its early days, had an editorial and political stance that was a counter to the socialist newspaper, the Alaska Sunday Morning Post. The paper aimed to unseat “Bull Moose” Republican James Wickersham from the congressional delegation by any means possible, according to an account by the Library of Congress.

The paper changed its name to the Daily Alaska Empire from Dec. 8, 1926 until July 21, 1964. It became the Juneau Alaska Empire through July 8, 1968, before switching to the Southeast Alaska Empire until February 8, 1980.

Finally, the paper changed its name to the Juneau Empire, which it retains to this day. William S. Morris III purchased the newspaper in 1969 and made it part of Morris Communications.

In 2017, the Empire was sold by Morris Communications to Gatehouse Media, which sold it to Sound Publishing, the largest community news organization in Washington state, with dailies and weeklies in Washington and Alaska. The parent company of Sound Publishing is Black Press, of British Columbia. Headquartered in Surrey, British Columbia, Black Press was founded and is majority owned by David Black, who is not related to another Canadian-born media mogul, Conrad Black. (Disclosure: This writer was the editor of the Bainbridge Review on Bainbridge Island, when David Black owned that weekly.)

Galvin head tax would need 70 more state workers to collect $120 million

Suzanne Downing
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87
Galvin head tax would need 70 more state workers to collect $120 million

Rep. Alyse Galvin introduced a fiscal note to HB 159, a bill that would create an income tax for Alaskans. In it, the state Department of Revenue says it would need to increase Revenue tax agents and auditors by 70 people. Over the first two years, the cost would be $19 million, and the net revenues that would be collected would be $120 million after the first full year of implementation.

During her presentation to House Ways and Means Committee, Galvin made no attempt to conceal the fact that this is the starter-pack tax, which could be built onto in the future by the government. It’s a tax that gets an income tax back on the books for Alaska, to be increased at a later date by an insatiable government.

This was the bill’s first hearing. Like so many Alaska Democrats in decades before her, Galvin said that taxes were essential to saving Alaska’s state budget. Her presentation notes are here.

The Galvin tax would charge every working Alaskan $20. Those who make more than $200,000 a year would pay 2% on every additional $100 they make. Thus, oil company executives in Alaska would pay $2 for every additional dollar they earn. A person earning $1 million a year in income would pay about $16,000 to the State of Alaska as their head tax.

There is also a capital expenditure associated with the tax, as the Revenue Department says that the complexity of the proposal would require a contractor to build out an income tax module into the Tax Revenue Management System, which would cost about $9.5 million for initial implementation. Successful Alaska business owners might relocate out of the state to avoid the tax. Almost all government workers would only pay $20.

“After initial implementation, continued maintenance and support by FAST for the individual income tax module is estimated to be $2.25 million in CY2025 and $1.5 million in CY2026 and beyond. Continued maintenance and support by FAST for the FIVS module is estimated to be $500,000 in each year,” the fiscal note says.

As part of the Department of Revenue’s research into the potential costs to administer the head tax, officials spoke with tax administrators in the States of Montana and Vermont, which have population sized close to Alaska’s and which have individual income taxes.

Montana and Vermont employ approximately 102 and 60 people, respectively, to administer each state’s individual income taxes.

“Using a simple per‐capita adjustment, these numbers translate to 68 and 70 employees needed to administer an individual income tax in Alaska. Given the complexities that come with administering nonresident and pass‐through corporation returns, and the sheer volume of estimated new taxpayers and returns, combined with the fact that our staff would have little to no experience in state individual income tax administration to start off with, the Department expects to need 70 people to administer an individual income tax in Alaska. The new staff would be roughly split between the Juneau and Anchorage offices. The Department would continue to look for ways to automate administration of this tax and look for efficiencies,” the fiscal report states.

Just a little tax: Rep. Galvin tries for ‘starter pack’ income tax

House passes $6.4 billion operating budget with compromise $2,689 PFD

Suzanne Downing
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30
House passes $6.4 billion operating budget with compromise $2,689 PFD

The Alaska House approved the operating budget on Monday, allocating $1.7 billion for $2,689 Permanent Fund dividends for this fall. However, there is a shortfall of about $600 million, which means the budget may need to rely on cuts in the Senate or dipping into the Constitutional Budget Reserve to balance. Using funds from this reserve requires a three-quarters vote from both the House and Senate.

The budget comes to about $6.4 billion. The House minority voted against using the Constitutional Budget Reserve to balance it, and also voted against a $175 million one-year appropriation for education, leaving room and plenty of items for negotiations with the Senate before the constitutional adjournment date of May 17. The Senate will probably tie the Permanent Fund dividend appropriation and education funding to the Constitutional Budget Reserve, forcing the dividend down. Generally, the budget gets hammered out in conference committee at the very end of the legislative session.

“Despite the spring forecast’s less-than-positive revenue projections, the budget we passed today provides for a robust PFD and other essential services like public safety and education,” said House Finance Co-Chair DeLena Johnson of Palmer. “There is no doubt that Alaska needs a comprehensive fiscal plan; in the meantime, this budget strikes a delicate balance between our current situation and the services Alaskans expect and deserve.”

The House vote was largely divided along caucus lines, with the Republican-Bush-led majority voting in favor and Wasilla Republican David Eastman aligning with the Democrat-led caucus against advancing the budget to the Senate. Eastman is not part of either caucus.

“This operating budget puts us one step closer towards a sustainable fiscal plan for the state of Alaska. The looming issue of falling state revenue has cast a shadow over the budgetary process the past few years,” said House Speaker Cathy Tilton of Wasilla. “This budget – along with the fiscal working group and the thorough work of the House Ways and Means committee – shines a light at the end of the tunnel. I am excited to see the meaningful steps this body will continue to take towards a more stable and predictable fiscal future.”

HB 39 and the Mental Health Budget, HB 41, move to the Senate for a month of deliberation. On the Senate side, the liberal-led majority has expressed support for a dividend of $1,300 and permanent increases in school spending through a higher Base Student Allocation, the formula for public school spending..

The $2,700 Permanent Fund dividend approved by the House on Monday is smaller than the amount proposed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy in his budget, which was $3,400 – the full statutory amount, which needs an appropriation of around $2.2 billion. The House dividend plan is closer to the 50-50 split that some have proposed for a new dividend formula, while the Senate plan allocates 75% of Permanent Fund earnings to the government and 25% to PFDs.

Read Gov. Dunleavy’s budget details at this link.

Milestone: Over 200,000 comments approved at Must Read Alaska in 7 years; nearly 10,000 stories posted

Suzanne Downing
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47
Milestone: Over 200,000 comments approved at Must Read Alaska in 7 years; nearly 10,000 stories posted

Since the website version of Must Read Alaska launched in May of 2016, this editor has approved over 200,000 comments. That is nearly 28,600 comments approved per year. Through storms, earthquakes, late-night flights, and early-morning meetings, the first thing I do each morning is approve the latest batch of comments.

Here’s the 200,000th comment, made on the column by Suzanne Downing titled, “Hey Bud, real marketers of genius don’t hate their customers.”

The 200,000th comment came from someone whose handle is “Meadow.” He or she wrote:

“Of all the problems in the world, this is what democrats are concerned about, turning boys into girls and girls into boys. Mean while the rest of the world wants to destroy us. We are doomed with them in charge. I thank people like Marjorie Taylor Green for calling them what they are, pedofiles and perverts. Just look at our little girl hair sniffing excuse of a president we have. We are living in a psychotic bizarro world.” There have been 33 other comments on that column.

Since that 200th comment, another 550 have been approved and posted.

With such a robust conversation, the decisions about what is civilized enough to publish and what is not is made pretty quickly. During the seven-year period, 1,756 comments we’re not approved. Usually it was because of language or unintelligibility, or perhaps it was someone trolling the site to be abusive to readers.

This author has also written 1,200 comments in response to comments over the seven-year period, usually to clarify a point for a reader or answer a question, or even thank someone for pointing out a typographical error.

(I try to approve comments at least five times a day. Thanks to everyone for their patience with this one-person endeavor.)

Spam folder: Sometimes a perfectly good comment ends up in the spam folder, and occasionally I will go through that folder to look for lost comments, but most of what is in there is just spam. More than 53,000 spam comments have gone into that folder over the years.

Also, as of April 17, 2023, 9,955 stories and columns have been posted on this website, an average of four per day.

This week also marks the eight-year anniversary of the Must Read Alaska newsletter, now going out to 35,500 people three times a week. You can subscribe here.

Thank you to all the commenters. I appreciate the feedback and tremendously enjoy the Must Read Alaska community of commenters. Keep ’em coming!

And thank you to all the supporters of this project to balance out the left-leaning media narrative in Alaska. You are the wind beneath my wings.

~ Suzanne Downing

Downing: Hey Bud, real marketers of genius don’t hate their customers

From cold to hot: Ken McCoy hired to be chief of police in Tempe, Arizona

Suzanne Downing
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5
From cold to hot: Ken McCoy hired to be chief of police in Tempe, Arizona

Anchorage’s former police chief Ken McCoy is the new police chief for Tempe, Arizona. The news was first reported by KTAR radio news.

“McCoy comes to the East Valley city after spending 27 years with the Anchorage Police Department before retiring in 2022,” the station reported.

McCoy left the Municipality of Anchorage last year and then worked as the chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer for Providence Medical Center Alaska..

He beat three other finalists including the interim Tempe police chief Josie Montenegro, the station said. His first day will be June 5, according to the City of Tempe press release.

“I’m honored to be joining the Tempe Police Department as its new chief and I can’t wait to connect with the community,” McCoy said in the release.

Together, we’ll work to build an even safer, stronger and more united Tempe.”

McCoy, just hours after leaving his job as police chief of Anchorage, appeared in uniform in an ad endorsing gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker, who eventually lost in November of 2022. He is a longtime Alaskan who graduated from Bartlett High School and attended the New Mexico Military Institute before serving for a decade in the Alaska Army National Guard.

Hours after leaving as chief of Anchorage Police, former chief appears in APD uniform endorsing Walker, an ethics violation

“Being a good Police Chief takes law enforcement expertise, management skills, leadership abilities and an abundance of character,” Tempe City Manager Andrew Ching said in the release. “Kenneth McCoy has those attributes and many more.”

“I have every confidence that he will solidly lead the Tempe Police Department into the future.”

Anchorage Police Chief McCoy resigns, has another offer that pays better

Anchorage Assembly may crack down on political speech by labeling it ‘hate’

Suzanne Downing
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66
Anchorage Assembly may crack down on political speech by labeling it ‘hate’

A resolution to be considered at Tuesday’s Anchorage Assembly meeting appears to give the Assembly the ability to end public comment at meetings if the members of the body deem the comments to be hateful.

It also may give the Assembly authority to crack down on political speech in general in the city, by labeling it “disinformation,” “misinformation,” or informed by QAnon, a conspiracy subset. It could even go farther, and tacitly give the Assembly permission to sanction or punish speech. If someone challenges the municipal election methods or results, that person may have his or her microphone cut during a meeting, or the Assembly chair could order them arrested for fomenting hate or violence.

The resolution is mainly summarized by saying that members condemn hate speech and political violence of any sort. But it calls out QAnon speech by name. QAnon originated as conspiracy theories in a forum on the 4chan website in 2017. It’s difficult to say what QAnon-inspired speech is exactly, and the resolution does not attempt a definition.

The Wall Street Journal does attempt a definition in a story in 2021:

“QAnon is a far right-wing, loosely organized network and community of believers who embrace a range of unsubstantiated beliefs. These views center on the idea that a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles—mainly consisting of what they see as elitist Democrats, politicians, journalists, entertainment moguls and other institutional figures—have long controlled much of the so-called deep state government, which they say sought to undermine Mr. Trump, mostly with aid of media and entertainment outlets.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, “QAnon conspiracy theory alleges that there is a battle between good and evil in which the Republican Mr. Trump is allied with the former. QAnon followers are awaiting two major events: the Storm and the Great Awakening. The Storm is the mass arrest of people in high-power positions who will face a long-awaited reckoning. The Great Awakening involves a single event in which everyone will attain the epiphany that QAnon theory was accurate the whole time. This realization will allow society to enter an age of utopia.”

The “conspiracy theorists” in Anchorage may think the Assembly is trying to sneak one past the public. After all, the resolution is not any sort of emergency, but has been “laid on the table,” which means it’s a last-minute addition to the Assembly’s Tuesday agenda.

Those “laid on the table” items are supposed to be for matters that simply cannot wait to be included on the agenda in a timely way, which would have been last week. Assembly Chairwoman Suzanne LaFrance has said many times that the “laid on the table” items must have some compelling reason for being put on the agenda so late.

Not only is it “laid on the table,” but it’s done so in a special meeting that was called to curb the authority of the Mayor’s Office and give that authority to the Assembly:

“Ordinance No. AO 2023-45, an ordinance of the Anchorage Assembly amending Anchorage Municipal Code Section (AMC) 2.30.020 to recognize the decision making authority of the assembly with respect to uncodified mayoral directives, policies and procedures, and other uncodified policies and administrative practices as applied to the legislative branch, and amending AMC section 3.50.010 accordingly, Assembly Vice- Chair Constant.“

The last-minute anti-speech resolution condemns the threat or use of politics violence and promotes civil discourse in the community, all seemingly acceptable standards for law-abiding citizens. But it goes farther. It specifically mentions election integrity and public buildings where the citizens have traditionally served as watchdogs for democracy. The resolution condemns bigotry and hate, and harassment based on race, ethnicity national origin, religion, gender, gender ideology, tribal status, and more.

It condemns white supremacy, but does not condemn any other racial supremacy. The resolution says that “disinformation, misinformation, and online conspiracy theories such as Q-Anon are spreading and inspiring real-world political violence” and further denounces “extremist conspiracy theories, misinformation, and disinformation designed to cultivate an alienated and mistrustful electorate, undermine democratic institutions and processes, and increase the likelihood of political violence.”

The resolution, offered by Robin Dern, the temporary Assembly member who the Assembly appointed to fill out the final weeks of Rep. Jamie Allard’s term in office (after she was elected to the Legislature), gives the Assembly cover to label people who disagree with Assembly members as spreading misinformation, disinformation, or dangerous conspiracies.

The resolution will be among others on the agenda and is likely to be missed even by Assembly watchdogs because of the way is is being slipped into the agenda at the last minute, and the fact that the meeting is not a normal meeting.

The Assembly packet for the Tuesday meeting, which starts at 5 pm, is at this link.

The Assembly meetings are held on the ground floor of the Loussac Library, at the corner of 36th Ave. and Denali St.

Read the anti-speech resolution being offered by Assemblywoman Dern of Eagle River:

6.B.1.-AR-2023-137SDownload

Sen. Sullivan condemns harsh sentence of Russian anti-war activist

Suzanne Downing
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15
Sen. Sullivan condemns harsh sentence of Russian anti-war activist

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chairman of the International Republican Institute, released a statement after Vladimir Kara-Murza, a pro-democracy Russian statesman, was sentenced to 25 years in prison:

“I strongly condemn the unjust sentencing of 25 years in prison for Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent advocate for democracy in Russia, for his criticism of Vladimir Putin’s brutal and completely unjust war in Ukraine,” Senator Sullivan said.

Kara-Murza was jailed for 25 years by a judge in Moscow that handed down one of the harshest sentences in recent memory. Kara-Murza was convicted of treason in a trial that appeared politically motivated, as Kara-Murza has spoken out against Putin for years and urged foreign governments to impose sanctions on Russia for human rights atrocities.

“This brazen act of intolerance highlights the fact that the weak and corrupt government in Moscow is truly afraid of those who speak the truth,” Sullivan said. “The Kremlin’s attempts to silence Vladimir and other Russian dissidents will fail to dent their desire for a free and democratic Russia. Those who seek a future of peace and political pluralism will ultimately prevail. Vladimir Kara-Murza and all other political prisoners in Russia, whose courage stands in stark contrast to Putin’s fear of his own people, should be released immediately.”

Kara-Murza is married and the father of three. He has not been allowed to speak with his wife or children, who now live in the United States for their safety, since he was jailed over a year ago.

Last Monday, Kara-Murza addressed the court in his final statement before the judge’s deliberated, saying his only regret was not being able to convince the people of Russia about the danger that Putin poses:

“I was sure that after two decades in Russian politics, with all that I have seen and experienced, nothing could still surprise me. I have to admit that I was wrong. I’ve been surprised by the fact that my trial in 2023 surpassed even the “trials” of Soviet dissidents in the 1960s and 70s in its secrecy and disdain for legal norms, and that’s without even mentioning the harshness of the sentence requested by the prosecution or the use of terms such as “enemy of the state.” My trial had less in common with the 1970s — it was a return to the 1930s. As a historian, I find this something worthy of reflection.

“At one point during my testimony, the presiding judge reminded me that “remorse for the deed committed” could be considered an extenuating circumstance. Though there’s little amusing about my present predicament, I couldn’t help but smile. Criminals are expected to show remorse for their actions, but I’m in prison for my political views. For speaking out against the war in Ukraine. For fighting Putin’s dictatorship for years. For enabling the adoption of personal sanctions against human rights violators under the “Magnitsky Act.” 

“Not only do I not repent of any of this, I’m proud of it. I’m proud of the fact that Boris Nemtsov brought me into politics and I hope he isn’t ashamed of me. I stand by every word I’ve ever uttered and by every word this court accuses me of saying. I only blame myself for one thing: for failing to convince enough of my compatriots and politicians in democratic countries of the danger that the current Kremlin regime poses to Russia and to the world. Today it is obvious to everyone, but at a terrible price — the price of war.

“In their closing statements, defendants usually ask the court to acquit them. For a person who did not commit a crime, the only fair verdict would be an acquittal. But I ask nothing of this court. I know its verdict. I knew it a year ago when I saw people in black uniforms and black masks running after my car in the rearview mirror. This is the price of not remaining silent in Russia today. 

“But I also know that the day will come when the darkness over our country will dissipate. When black will be called black and white will be called white. When it will officially be recognized that two times two is four, when the war will be called a war and the usurper a usurper, and when those who began it rather than those who tried to prevent it will be seen as criminals.

“As inevitably as spring follows even the harshest winter, that day will come. And when it does, our society will open its eyes and be horrified to discover the terrible crimes that have been committed in its name. From this realization, the long, difficult, but vital path toward recovery, Russia’s restoration, and its return to the community of civilized nations will begin. 

“Even today, even in the darkness around us, even sitting in this cage, I love my country and I believe in our people. I believe that we can walk this path.“

Why is Alaska Center trying to take over Chugach Electric Board?

Suzanne Downing
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54
Why is Alaska Center trying to take over Chugach Electric Board?

The “climate change” industry is making a play to take over the board of Chugach Electric. The current election of board members attracted endorsements from The Alaska Center for three candidates: Shaina Kilcoyne, Susanne Fleek-Green, and Jim Nordlund. These are the candidates who have made promises and pledges to the environmental industry to kill natural gas.

Starting April 19, the board election can be voted on by all customers (members) of the association. Voting takes place electronically, when on that day members with emails on file will receive an election notification email from Chugach Electric.

Since Chugach Electric bought all the accounts from Municipal Light and Power, it now has 90,000 voting members from the northern Kenai Peninsula, Whittier, and greater Anchorage.

Hardly any ratepayers vote in sleepy electric utility elections, which gives The Alaska Center the leg up in stacking the board with people who are anti-natural gas. This election is right down their ally in developing a green energy future, whatever that may be for Anchorage.

The Democrats have pushed this deal from the outset. The arrangement to buy ML&P was brokered by former Mayor (and former Senator) Mark Begich with then-Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. Voters approved the purchase in 2019, and the Regulatory Commission of Alaska approved the merger details in 2020, when the deal was complete.

The total transaction was $986 million and the promise was that ratepayers would have lower rates and would save about $200 million over 15 years.

But then the environmentalists decided to take over the board and keep the rates high. The Democrats have fingerprints all over this latest move.

Sen. Mark Begich’s former press secretary Julie Hasquet now serves as Senior Communications manager for Chugach Electric and runs the communications about the elections.

The Alaska Center, meanwhile, dropped the “for the Environment” part of its name a few years ago, but its mission has remained the same — support Democrat candidates and build a Democrat, climate change and anti-oil political base in Alaska, controlling local, state, and national government.

It endorses almost exclusively Democrats and candidates who identify as nonpartisans or undeclareds in order to get elected in marginal districts. Now the Alaska Center is working to take over the electric association and disconnect Alaskans from their natural gas.

Rick Whitbeck: Vote, because if Chugach Electric board goes woke, we go broke

Candidates supported by the Alaska Center have Mark Begich and former Mayor Berkowitz in common: Susanne Fleek-Green was statewide coordinator for Alaskans for (Mark) Begich and was a key advisor on the staff of Mayor Berkowitz. She now works as the superintendent of Lake Clark for the National Park Service.

Shaina Kilcoyne was Energy and Sustainability Manager for Mayor Berkowitz. She wrote the municipality’s climate change plan and installed solar panels on top of the Egan Center, claiming they would save the municipality $21,000 a year once the $200,000 investment is paid off. The panels are covered by snow for about six months a year and no one has looked to see if they are actually functional. She also worked the Alaska Center, and is associated with the Alaska Venture Fund, an environmental group at alaskaventure.org.

Jim Nordlund is the Alaska Center’s third pick and is a former Democrat member of the Alaska House of Representatives. He was Alaska State Director of USDA-Rural Development and is a reliable vote for the Alaska Center’s mission.

The Alaska Center’s top three donors are the Sixteen Thirty Fund, League of Conservation Voters, and Tides Advocacy Fund, all 501(c)(4) left-of-center advocacy groups, according to InfluenceWatch.org.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund has gotten involved in Alaska politics increasingly in recent years, including supporting Forrest Dunbar for mayor, unsuccessfully, and successfully opposing an Alaska constitutional convention.

Dark money trail: Backing Dunbar for mayor, Sixteen Thirty Fund in hot water over major foreign donor pouring millions into races

The Sixteen Thirty Fund is a dark-money behemoth. In 2020, it poured $400 million into efforts to unseat President Donald Trump, according to Politico. It gets involved in Alaska politics because it’s a cheap state to work in, with a small population and voters that are mostly in the undeclared column.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund also brought ranked choice voting to Alaska by funding Alaskans for Better Elections.

‘Dark money’ special interests wage war on Pebble Mine

In addition, the Alaska Center is funded by the Soros-linked Tides Advocacy Fund, which also helped pay for the expenses of Alaskans for Better Elections, the ranked choice voting group.

Laundry operation: San Francisco group donates funds to Alaska Center, which spends it to support Dunbar, Rivera

Chugach Electric’s election ends on May 19, when it will host a community open house event from 3 pm – 6 pm at ChangePoint Alaska. The voting takes place electronically. On April 19, members will receive an election notification email from Chugach Electric.

Learn more about the voting process here:

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