Rep. Ivy Spohnholz is not running for reelection

By
Suzanne Downing
-
30

 Democrat Rep. Ivy Spohnholz announced today that she will not run for office after six years in the Alaska House of Representatives. 

“After a lot of thought and discussion with my family, I have decided that I am not going to run for office in 2022,” she said. “I am really proud of what I have accomplished over the last six years in the legislature. I have worked with Democrats, Republicans, and nonpartisans in coalition majorities that have prioritized public education, the University of Alaska, public safety, protecting our most vulnerable, and economic and fiscal responsibility.”

Spohnholz represents District 16 (old number); her new District is 18 under the new redistricting plan. In that new district, Clinton and Trump were even in 2016. It’s a swing to lean-Democrat district. She has favored an income tax and a smaller Permanent Fund dividend for Alaskans, and has repeatedly attacked Republican lawmakers and appointees, such as her unfounded accusations against former Judge Karl Johnstone, when he was appointed to the Alaska Board of Fisheries.

“When I reflect on my legislative accomplishments I am particularly proud of passing health care price transparency in 2018 (originally HB 123, but passed in SB 105) and HB 265 expanding access to telehealth care for Alaskans this year. Alaska’s health care costs are the highest in the entire country and reducing them is a sure-fire way to put more money in Alaskans’ pockets. Each of these policies passed into law through bipartisan collaboration that put Alaskans ahead of special interests,” she said.

“I am proud of the passage of SB 26 in 2018, which protected the Permanent Fund and created a new stable mechanism for funding essential government services in addition to Permanent Fund dividends. I remain passionate about the need for a comprehensive and sustainable fiscal plan. Although this work is not yet done, I am confident it will continue,” she said.

SB 26 is the bill that restructured the draw from the Permanent Fund Earnings Reserve Account to allow for stable use of earnings from the Permanent Fund to pay for government services. Because it was an incomplete bill that did not make a plan for the Permanent Fund dividend, the Legislature has continued to fight over the amount of the dividend year after year since SB 26’s passage. Many critics consider SB 26 to be highly flawed because it took care of government, but not the people of Alaska who are shareholders in the state’s oil.

“In my years of service in the Alaska State legislature, I’ve learned that there are an infinite number of ways to serve Alaskans. For decades prior to coming to the legislature, I worked to make Alaskans’ lives better in the nonprofit, business, and public sectors. The Alaskans I’ve met and worked with over the past six years have inspired me and demonstrated the countless ways we can improve our communities. While I don’t know what is next for me, I look forward to my next chapter in service to our great state,” she said.

Related:

Johnstone: What Spohnholz did to me, she can do to anyone
https://mustreadalaska.com/house-creates-ways-and-means-committee-for-spohnholz-to-run/
House creates Ways and Means Committee for Spohnholz to run

That time when Ivy Spohnholz lectured on taking ‘responsibility’

30 COMMENTS

    • Ivy would not be quitting if she thought for a second that she would not fail to be re-elected.

      Prior to 2022 redistricting Ivy represents one of the poorest districts in Anchorage. Despite representing a poor district, since 2016 Ivy tirelessly and repeatedly voted to steal PFD funds from her constituents every single year. She is quite possibly one of the most tone-deaf, self-absorbed, manipulative and petty representatives in the Alaska Legislature. Her Chief of Staff is leaving for law school. This likely factored into Ivy’s decision to not seek re-election.

      Call Ivy or speak to her in person and she will openly admit that PFD cuts are the most regressive form of taxation, more regressive than any sales or income tax and hurt the poor and middle class disproportionately.

      Ivy believes the Permanent Fund exists to expand government and the special interests.

      If Ivy had her way you would get nothing, absent that objective you would get a 25% POMV PFD ($1,200) which is a fraction of this year’s full statutory PFD ($4,200)

      On April 5, 2022 Ivy was a NO vote against a full statutory PFD of $4200 on HB281 amendments #1, #2, and #3

      http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Journal/Pages/32?Chamber=H&Page=2304&pageEnd=2308#HB%20281

      Here’s Ivy arguing against a full $4,200 PFD during debate on HB281 amendment #2

      https://www.ktoo.org/gavel/video/?clientID=2147483647&eventID=2022041029&startStreamAt=3450

      …

      On May 14, 2022 Ivy also was a NO vote against concurrence with Senate changes that approved a statutory $4200 PFD + $1,300 Energy rebate on HB281 when the state is swimming in money with oil prices above $110 barrel.

      http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Journal/Pages/32?Chamber=H&Bill=HB%20281&Page=02884#2884

      Last year during 15 billion record profits by the Permanent Fund, Ivy and her allies did everything to shutdown the HB3003 budget paying a Dunleavy 50/50 POMV PFD of $2,350 when a full statutory PFD should have paid $3,800. Ivy began by proposing a PFD of $500 on April 30, 2021 through her committee. More on that below. In August after the bi-partisan PFD working group recommended paying Dunleavy’s 50/50 PFD of $2,350 Ivy began holding her own private PFD “working group” out of Ways and Means only taking private testimony from allies. She was extremely vocal against Alaskans getting $2,350 after people were hurting financially less than one year after COVID lockdowns.

      Here is Ivy rising (8:46pm) to object to a $2,350 PFD last year.

      https://www.ktoo.org/gavel/video/?clientID=2147483647&eventID=2021081052&startStreamAt=23134

      And the vote

      http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Journal/Pages/32?Chamber=H&Bill=HB3003&Page=01457#1457

      To show how little she cares consider HB197, often ignored by media.

      In 2021, Ivy introduced HB197 as chair of her Ways and Means committee, that proposed a $500 PFD. Her name isn’t on the bill, but as chair her fingerprints are all over it. Nothing gets introduced unless Ivy wants it, and she doesn’t put her name on controversial bills.

      http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/32?Root=HB%20197#tab1_4

  4. Did the white hats get to her? Those who suddenly announce getting covid or are not going to seek reelection seem to know they are in trouble.
    She claims to be for the pfd, but did she vote for the FULL pfd since stalker Walker withheld the full amounts? One thing they do not admit is that if the State brings in more oil revenues, both the State and the shareholders (the people of Alaska) there will always be a dividend for the people and money for the State to do it’s/our business. But we know they have distain for we the people when it comes to the pfd.

  5. Don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya on your way out. Reducing the PFD amounts to the largest tax increases of every man, woman & child in Alaska history, hurting the poor the most.

  6. Why run again, she will get her money for doing nothing, I am not quite sure how it works , but Legislators with a short number years in office get payed their wages as a pension for life, if anyone knows exactly how it works let us know so we can see just some more money goes down the drain.

    • Legislators get PERS, their tier depends on their first hire date with a PERS employer; state or local government or some non-profits. It vests after five years but you have to have 30 years or be over 55 to retire, though if you’re Tier IV you can take both your contributions and the employer contribution lump sum when you quit no matter your term of service or age.

      The system you attempt to describe sounds like the EPORS retirement system that applied to elected an appointed officials. It was repealed by citizen initiative back in the late ’70s or early ’80s and there are no actively employed members of the system that I know of; there are only a handful still alive.

  7. This person will show up in some comfy job in the non-profit sector. Warning to her new employer: She will make racism, sexism and harassment claims at the drop of a hat.

  9. In the past people would offer to serve as an elected public servant for personal motivations. Now we need people who know THE US CONSTITUTION to be able to defend it and the rights of those in the districts. Some refresher US Constitution courses are imperative prior to signing the oath..

  12. Let’s hope Kendra Kloster DOES NOT decide to throw her hat into the ring. She has displayed consistently what most of us consider to be questionable ethics, values, and morals. If she were to end up as a member of the Alaska legislature, she would surely rival those representatives that Alaskans have come to consider the worst of the very worst! Please District 18 voters, vote wisely.

  13. Good riddance, hopefully that district will wake up and place a true conservative in office.

  14. Why not list SB91 as one of her accomplishments? She was for it and against any amendments to it afterwards.
    ‘https://legiscan.com/AK/rollcall/SB91/id/542118 and ‘https://650keni.iheart.com/featured/mike-porcaro/content/2017-10-26-how-they-voted-on-sb91/

    ‘https://www.alaskapublic.org/2017/11/06/alaska-house-rejects-repeal-of-controversial-criminal-justice-law/
    Alaska House rejects repeal of controversial criminal justice law
    Anchorage Democratic Rep. Ivy Spohnholz voted against the repeal amendment. She listed many of the changes in SB 54.

    “Theft in the second-degree? We fixed it in SB 54. Lightest sentencing in the nation for C felonies? We fixed it in SB 54. Violation of condition of release problems? We fixed it in SB 54. Investing in addiction? We’re doing it,” Spohnholz said.

  17. Ok anchorage, buck up go vote, remember you determine the rest of our future. My youngest just finished high school and wants to work in old Ak, not Seattle.

  18. Made my day reading this article, she was only in it for herself. Did not care one iota about the community she was supposed to represent!
    Fraud, phony, poison-ivy!
    Now please leave Alaska too!

  19. Her blatant lies about retired judge Johnstone should disqualify her from ever again serving in a position of public trust. Shameful.

    • Yes, Unfounded slander was a shocking violation of civility from an elected official. That’s when I understood why some call her “Poison Ivy”.

  20. Ivy is a Bernie Sanders liberal, as is Gara, but Ivy works harder than Gara does. For these liberals all roads lead to an income tax, more for the ideology than for the claimed state revenue increase (which is always over-stated by at least 100 percent). When Alper and Wool explained their income tax bills, year after year after year, in Ivy’s Gays and Queens Committee she would swoon. Still, she is smarter than Alper and Wool combined, much more likeable than Gara, and almost as honest as Walker is dishonest; but for all that I am glad to see her leave. Is she the Dunleavy mystery running-mate? After all, he backed off all of the budget-cutting he said he would do back in 2018, and he now has before him the largest budget in state history (just about $100,000 for a family of four!). Imagine a Governor going from Babcock and Arduin, to Ivy in less that 4 years; there has to be something in the Juneau municipal water.

  22. she certainly did vote for SB91 which helped to fill our streets in muldoon ( her area ) with opioid addicts, car theives and some who sat in jail for not even a few hours. Her goal was to help SNyder get in there and that she did. they both claim that there is no money in the pfd fund. Ballot harvesting is now a popular sport in muldoon— seen with forest, bill wiley, and other open border and build back better bullies !

  24. Think back a few years to the people who have served in the legislature, were reelected time and time again, yet ultimately never amounted to more than backbenchers. They decide one year they’re not running for reelection, then at some later point are elected to the Anchorage Assembly or Anchorage School Board, where they flourish. Is Anchorage ready for that possibility? In the week since this story was published, we’ve learned that Forrest Dunbar is running for the legislature. He’s in his last term on the Assembly before term limits take effect, so he’ll be gone either way.

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