LEGISLATIVE ETHICS COMMITTEE ISSUES DECISION
A legislative ethics committee issued a ruling against Rep. Geran Tarr, who used her legislative staff to perform organizing and fundraising activities for the Mountain View Street Fair Festival in 2017. In other words, she used government resources and government workers on her campaign.
However, the committee recommended no punishment for the Anchorage Democrat.
“Representative Geran Tarr violated the Legislative Ethics Act by instructing staff to perform organizing and fundraising activities for the Mountain View Street Fair Festival in 2017. Representative Tarr and staff performed these organizing and fundraising activities on government time with the use of government assets and resources for a nonlegislative purpose. These activities provided a private benefit to the legislator and the Mountain View Street Fair Festival.”
The House subcommittee offered a suggestion to the legislator that will help her prevent future violations, saying that “Representative Tarr [should] seek guidance of the Ethics Office before committing government resources to a project which would provide a clear private benefit in violation of the Legislative Ethics Act.”
One part-time aide to Tarr spent over 120 hours of government-paid time working on her campaign event. Other staff members of the government provided her similar services for this event.
[The decision can be found. here: Ethics decision on rep. Geran Tarr – H 17-04 Decision]
