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Sneaky: Records show local newspaper knew in advance Navarre would be named temp mayor of Kenai Borough

Suzanne Downing
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22
Sneaky: Records show local newspaper knew in advance Navarre would be named temp mayor of Kenai Borough

A digital trail shows that the Peninsula Clarion, the local newspaper for the Kenai Peninsula, already had its story queued up in advance of Tuesday night’s Kenai Borough Assembly vote to appoint former mayor Mike Navarre as interim mayor, when Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce steps down later this month.

In fact, the Clarion had started on its story a full day before the vote was taken by the Assembly on a matter that was “lay down,” a term to describe a last-minute item that has not been added to the normal agenda. Lay downs are for things that are considered emergencies. Evidently appointing an interim mayor without public knowledge is in the emergency category. The Assembly has known about Pierce’s resignation since Aug. 26.

The vote to make Navarre the interim mayor was passed, 7-2, with no public comment and no public notice. But the newspaper knew.

Whenever Google scrapes a website, it shows when the story was started. A search for the story on Sept. 7 at 5:21 pm shows the story was started on Sept. 5, one day before the Sept. 6 meeting.

The following coding shows backend information from the story that is available through the Chrome browser. It gives another view of when the story was started, highlighted for MRAK readers. It’s like a fingerprint for the story:

There is at least some indication of coordination between Assemblymen Jesse Bjorkman, Tyson Cox, Cindy Ecklund, Lane Chesley, Mike Tupper, Brent Hibbert, and Assembly President Brent Johnson, who said during the meeting that everyone already had the information, that multiple people had sent in names, and that time was of the essence.

The Assembly majority knew it had the votes, and Mike Navarre himself appeared at the meeting for the first time in many years. Another person who seemed to know the fix was in was Soldotna City Councilwoman Linda Hutchings, who plans to run again for Borough mayor. Such collusion by the Assembly, if proven, would be prohibited under the Alaska Open Meetings Act, which requires transparency in government decision making.

Assemblymen Richard Derkevorkian and Bill Elam were the two elected officials who voted against the resolution. Those two wanted to appoint a mayor on Sept. 20, which would have given the Assembly more time to involve the public.

“We just wanted to accept applications. I was going to encourage a few people to apply, but Tyson acted like no one else was qualified,” Derkevorkian said, mentioning that former Borough Chief of Staff James Baisden had applied and is very well qualified, but was not considered. The purpose of not including the public was to prevent protests against Navarre, he said.

The original story follows:

Surprise: Kenai Borough Assembly votes in Navarre as temporary mayor

Data delayed: Division of Elections sits on election results for the Aug. 16 special general election, to the disadvantage of Begich and Palin for November race

Suzanne Downing
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47
Data delayed: Division of Elections sits on election results for the Aug. 16 special general election, to the disadvantage of Begich and Palin for November race

The Division of Elections said last week it would release information by Tuesday that shows how the voters who ranked Sarah Palin first ranked Nick Begich and Mary Peltola on their ballots, and how the voters for Congresswoman-elect Mary Peltola ranked Begich and Palin.

Tuesday passed with no data released.

Then it was going to be Wednesday. Now, it may be Thursday or Friday before that information is released to the public. Or perhaps not this year — it’s difficult to know.

The special primary election, Alaska’s first experiment with ranked choice voting, took place Aug. 16. The ranking exercise to determine the ultimate winner — Peltola — took place Aug. 31.

Within seconds on Aug. 31, those second-round votes were available for the Begich votes. It was done with a push of a button on the Elections Division computer. Those numbers for the other races are in that same machine.

But now, the Division of Elections can’t seem to do the same for the Peltola and Palin second-round votes, greatly disadvantaging both the Palin campaign and the Begich campaign, who rightfully should be able to determine where their support was from those who chose the other two candidates.

Must Read Alaska will file a public records request for that information on Thursday before the close of business, presuming the Division of Elections does not release that information, which the public has a clear and compelling reason to have and which effects the November election and the decisions being made now by campaigns who are entitled to have all the data from the Aug. 16 elections in a timely way.

Breaking: Peltola wins temporary seat for Congress

Oh no! Little Debbie snacks no longer will be sold at military commissaries due to high regulatory compliance burden, family-owned bakery says

Suzanne Downing
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21
Oh no! Little Debbie snacks no longer will be sold at military commissaries due to high regulatory compliance burden, family-owned bakery says

McKee Foods, the maker of Little Debbie snack cakes, announced it cannot afford the regulatory standards required to sell its famous confectionary to the Defense Commissary Agency and Navy Exchange Service, according to company spokesman Mike Gloekler.

The company told Stars and Stripes that it will end its contract to supply Zebra Cakes, Swiss Rolls, Nutty Buddies, Fudge Rounds and Oatmeal Creme Pies, to name a few of the popular sweets that are found at commissaries around the world.

“As supporters of the men and women who serve the United States military this was a very difficult decision for us to make,” Gloekler said. “We believe in the mission of forward-deployed troops, and we understand the impact that the comforts of home have on morale. Perhaps some will see an opportunity to streamline federal contractor compliance.”

McKee Foods Corp. is a family-owned bakery based in Collegedale, Tenn. that creates a large variety of bakery items, but is best known for its Little Debbie line. It has had a contract with the Defense Commissary Agency for at least 30 years.

The full story is at Stars and Stripes.

‘Woke investing’ draws ire of conservative lawmakers

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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12
‘Woke investing’ draws ire of conservative lawmakers

By TOM GANTERT AND BRETT ROWLAND | THE CENTER SQUARE

BlackRock Inc., the self-proclaimed world’s largest investment manager, announced this year that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the growth of “gender lens investing.”

The term, which didn’t appear in newspapers until 2012, is described by one multi-national accounting firm as “investing in organizations that promote workplace equity … or in organizations that offer products or services that improve the lives of women in a sustainable manner.”

It’s that type of what the political right refers to as “woke investing” known as ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) that has BlackRock and a handful of other investment managers on the radar of Republican politicians.

With annual revenue of $19.3 billion, BlackRock was accused in 2021 media stories of flexing its economic might by demanding “corporate polluters” to explain how they meet BlackRock’s goal of net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 or risk BlackRock divesting from those companies with its managed funds.

Some states are now responding.

State of Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar published a list of 10 financial companies that boycott energy companies. BlackRock was on his list.

“The environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) movement has produced an opaque and perverse system in which some financial companies no longer make decisions in the best interest of their shareholders or their clients, but instead use their financial clout to push a social and political agenda shrouded in secrecy,” Hegar said in a statement.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated in a letter that BlackRock’s energy agenda may violate state laws across the country that are “requiring a sole focus on financial return.”

“Our states will not idly stand for our pensioners’ retirements to be sacrificed for BlackRock’s climate agenda,” Paxton’s letter stated, which was signed by a total of 19 GOP state attorneys general.

In August, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the State Board of Administration passed a resolution that removed ESG from consideration when it comes to investing state funds.

“Corporate power has increasingly been utilized to impose an ideological agenda on the American people through the perversion of financial investment priorities under the euphemistic banners of environmental, social, and corporate governance and diversity, inclusion, and equity,” DeSantis said in a statement.

In 2021, BlackRock reported record results.

BlackRock supports the Paris Agreement, in which the U.S. ended its participation in 2020 under President Donald Trump due to the “onerous energy restrictions it has placed on the United States.” Trump said in a news release the Paris Accord would cost the U.S. economy $3 trillion and 6.5 million industrial jobs by 2040. President Joe Biden reversed course on his first day in office and accepted the Paris Agreement.

The Texas Attorney General’s Aug. 4, 2022, letter specifically mentioned BlackRock’s support of the Paris Agreement.

BlackRock has been transparent about its investment strategy involving ESG.

In 2018, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink sent a letter to CEOs stating, “Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose. To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.”

Fink added, “… a company’s ability to manage environmental, social, and governance matters demonstrates the leadership and good governance that is so essential to sustainable growth, which is why we are increasingly integrating these issues into our investment process.”

Tom Gantert worked at many daily newspapers including the Ann Arbor News, Lansing State Journal and USA Today. Gantert was the managing editor of Michigan Capitol Confidential for five years before joining The Center Square.

Brett Rowland has worked as a reporter in newsrooms in Illinois and Wisconsin. He most recently served as news editor of the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Illinois. He previously held the same position at the Daily Chronicle in DeKalb.

Surprise: Kenai Borough Assembly votes in Navarre as temporary mayor

Suzanne Downing
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31
Surprise: Kenai Borough Assembly votes in Navarre as temporary mayor

Former Mayor Mike Navarre will take over as mayor when Kenai Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce steps away at the end of September to focus his efforts on his campaign for governor. The vote was taken at Tuesday night’s Assembly meeting and was something of a surprise.

Assemblyman Richard Derkevorkian wanted to get more public input before the decision was made.

“I pushed for this appointment to be postponed until the next assembly meeting on Sept. 20 to allow interested parties to submit resumes for the Assembly to review at the next meeting. This would have allowed the public to be involved in the process. The candidates would have been included in the agenda packet, and the public would have had an opportunity to comment on the proposed candidates,” he said.

Assemblyman Tyson Cox of Soldotna, however, drove the push for getting the appointment done quickly. The Assembly voted 7-2 in favor of his proposal; there was little public involvement. Derkevorkian and Assemblyman Bill Elam were the only members who voted against it.

“This completely bypassed involving the public,” Derkevorkian said.

The item was a “lay down,” which means it was a last-minute item and the public was not aware that something as important as choosing an interim mayor was on the agenda. “There would have been no interruption to borough activities if we had waited until Sept. 20. Mayor Pierce’s resignation doesn’t take effect until the end of the month,” Derkevorkian said.

Navarre, a Democrat and political activist, was mayor of the borough from 1996-1999 and later from 2011-2017. He was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives, was the commissioner of the Commerce for former Gov. Bill Walker, and is a co-chair of the Walker for Governor campaign.

There was an air of orchestration to the quick deliberation and vote, without inviting public comment. Navarre, who attended the meeting for the first time in a long while, sat in the back of the room for most of the proceedings, but came forward to speak to the Assembly at one point during the deliberations. He said he sees the role as a caretaker position. But his role will involve work on the 2024 budget.

Pierce is leaving the borough with as much as a $30 million surplus, after not raising taxes during his five-year tenure.

Mat-Su Borough will hand count ballots from now on

Suzanne Downing
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29
Mat-Su Borough will hand count ballots from now on

A resolution to hand count ballots in Mat-Su Borough elections passed the Assembly on Tuesday night. The hand count will be centralized at the Mat-Su Borough building, rather than done at the precincts. Machines will still be used to count ballots, but hand counting will be done as well.

Thirty-seven people testified in favor of removing the election machines and doing only a hand count. One testifier represented 7 others, and one represented three others, for a total of 45 in favor of removing the machines, and four testifying against removing them.

At a meeting in August, when the issue was first brought up, about 65-70 people attended and 30 testified that they don’t trust the vote tabulating machines.

Assemblyman Ron Bernier said that he will introduce an ordinance to remove the voting machines. That ordinance will be introduced Oct. 4, and the public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16.

Notes from the trail: Mat-Su may return to hand-counts, a chili feed on the calendar, and Sarah in new spat with NYT

Man arrested for allegedly shooting at cars on Glenn Hwy

Suzanne Downing
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15
Man arrested for allegedly shooting at cars on Glenn Hwy

Reports of shots being fired near the Glenn Highway and Boniface Parkway on Tuesday night brought a large law enforcement presence to the area. Arrested was Franklin Dias, 37, and Evamarie G. I. Booth, 20.

At 6:22 pm, several reports were called into the Anchorage police, saying a man was walking along the bike path by the Glenn Highway and shooting at vehicles driving by. The first officer responding to the incident was shot at, with a bullet lodging in the patrol vehicle, but not injuring the officer. A person in another vehicle was hit by a bullet in the upper body. That victim was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.

As officers responded to the area, witnesses advised the dispatcher that the shooter had a female with him.  Soon after the first arriving officer advised his patrol vehicle had been hit, other officers arrived at the scene and saw an adult male and adult female running on the bike trail near the Glenn Highway and Boniface overpass. Initially the two did not respond to commands, but became compliant when they saw how many officers had arrived on scene. 
 
Just before Franklin Dias was taken into custody, and while he was still trying to run from police, officers saw him toss a handgun over the JBER property fence. That gun was subsequently recovered by APD.  A large knife was also found on the sidewalk where Dias had been.
 
Dias was remanded at the Anchorage Jail on an outstanding felony warrant.  He was additionally charged with Misconduct Involving a Weapon V – Fire Gun by Highway, Tamper with Physical Evidence, five counts of Assault III, two counts of Assault I, Misconduct Involving a Weapon III – Felon in Possession, Misconduct Involving a Weapon II – Fire Gun at a Dwelling, and Reckless Endangerment.

Dias has other prior encounters with the justice system. The Alaska Court system has an open case on him relating to robbery in 2020, in which he pleaded guilty in February of 2022, with a warrant issued for his arrest in August for probation violations.
 
Booth was charged with Resisting.

Former lawmaker Vic Kohring dead in car accident

Suzanne Downing
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12
Former lawmaker Vic Kohring dead in car accident

Former legislator Victor Kohring, age 64, has died in a car accident.

On Tuesday at 5:06 pm, the Alaska State Troopers were notified of a vehicle collision near mile 53 of the Glenn Highway north of Palmer. Troopers and first responders immediately responded to the scene.

Troopers came upon a Toyota minivan that had collided head-on with a semi-truck after crossing the center line for unknown reasons. Kohring was the sole occupant of the minivan and was declared deceased on the scene.

The AST Bureau of Highway Patrol conducted an investigation of the crash scene and assumed case responsibility for the investigation. Kohring’s remains were transported to the State Medical Examiner for autopsy. The Glenn Highway was closed in both directions for approximately two hours as Troopers documented the scene and cleared the roadway.

Kohring served in the Alaska House of Representatives until 2007, when he resigned during a corruption probe, after serving seven terms, beginning in 1994. After the FBI searched his offices in Juneau, Kohring was indicted on federal bribery and extortion charges on May 4, 2007, accused of soliciting and accepting bribes from VECO, an oilfield services company.

On Nov. 1, 2007, a federal jury found Kohring guilty in three out of four criminal charges and acquitted on the fourth, a charge of extortion. He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison, but then the conviction was vacated in 2011, and Kohring agreed to plead guilty in exchange for being sentenced to time served, and conditions for his release, which was June 11, 2009.

Kohring came to Alaska as a child from Lake Zurich, IL, after traveling the Alaska-Canada Highway with his family. They settled in Chugiak, and moved to Anchorage in 1969. Kohring worked in construction after he graduated from Dimond High. He graduated from Alaska Pacific University in 1987 and 1989 with an undergraduate degree in Management Science and a graduate degree in Business Administration (MBA), respectively. Since 1976, he had been a resident of Wasilla, where he served on the Wasilla Planning and Utilities Commission, on the board of Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, and in other roles.

Mat-Su School Board to take action on suspending current transgender bathroom policy, pending review

Suzanne Downing
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9
Mat-Su School Board to take action on suspending current transgender bathroom policy, pending review

Wednesday’s Mat-Su School Board meeting will take up the touchy matter of which boys may use the girls’ bathrooms, and vice versa, during the school year. The board is expected to vote to direct Direct Superintendent Randy Trani to suspend the district’s “Transgender Student Guidelines Regarding Use of Communal School Bathrooms that Match Their Gender Identity.”

War on children continues in Mat-Su schools with permissive transgender bathroom policy

The board is somewhat boxed in by a federal judge’s ruling, which enjoined the United States Department of Education’s Title IX guidance. The Biden Administration is insisting that students must be able to use communal bathrooms/locker rooms that the students say match their gender identity.

Mat-Su School District has been following that guidance in its Transgender Student Guidelines. The court action affords an opportunity to review its current policies regarding such matters, and for the District’s administration to review its guidelines regarding student use of communal bathrooms/locker rooms that match their gender identity. 

The committee recommending the action believes that the District’s guidelines should be placed on hold pending such reviews. It is requesting the Board take action and if the proposal passes, the district will continue offering those transgender students use of school bathrooms that provide individual locked access and privacy, for locker room use as well. Transgender students continue to have access to communal bathrooms/locker rooms that match their biologically established gender.

The meeting starts at 6 pm at the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Central Office, 501 N. Gulkana St., Palmer.

Meetings are streamed online at https://vimeo.com/MSBSD

The agenda can be found at this link.

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