Rep. Chuck Kopp makes bank as a private consultant with his Winfluence Strategies political consulting company that he co-owns. In fact, his biggest check comes from the AFL-CIO — up to $200,000 in the past year.
So it’s no surprise that he is also carrying water of the same union that has been pushing for the restoration of defined pensions for State of Alaska and other government workers.
Kopp’s Public Officer Financial Disclosure shows:
House Bill 78 is Kopp’s passion. It’s why he got elected over fiscal conservative Craig Johnson for the south Anchorage House seat. HB 78 would recreate a set pension for public employees — similar but not exactly like the one that the state discontinued in 2006, after it began bankrupting the state. This time, he promised it will not.
Kopp himself is a beneficiary of the former pension plan, as he is a 100% vested recipient of the Tier 2 Public Employee Retirement System.
On the floor of the House on Monday, he spoke at length about how this time, it will be different and it won’t lead the state to insolvency.
His House campaign account is filled with donations from Democrat donors like Mark Begich, Zack Fields, and soft Republicans like Sen. Lisa Murkowski, as well as major donations from unions.
In my book Mr. Kopp is a criminal.
DIRTY. KOPP.
So how do you sanitize a dirty Kopp?
Has he declared a conflict and been excused?
No kidding. This is a clear conflict of interest and an ethical breach of the highest order.
I am completely baffled here. How can he be an elected Legislator AND a paid consultant at the same time. No wonder we are in such a mess.
Mitch,
When you have no morals, and no moral compass to guide you, it’s easy.
I could not agree more! Obviously, if he wasn’t a legislator he would be continually pursued by APOC as a paid lobbyist who needs to register as a lobbyist, file regular reports, etc. This is a legislator, presumably being paid as a legislator, and also being paid as a lobbyist. Can this possibly be legal?
He’s not really a representative, he is just a lobbyist.
Defined Benefits is the anvil that will break the States financial spine. Enjoy suckers.
A good time to remind all y’all that the current billion dollar annual giveaway to the oil companies was brought in by 2 Senators who worked for the oil companies.
Legislators are allowed to have private work-they do not even have to disclose what they do beyond the generic, like “consulting.” All that is required is information “sufficiently detailed that a reader of the disclosure can ascertain the nature of the association.”
MRAK readers who think that is bogus should think long and hard to decide which candidates have had the guts to stand up to the industry in Alaska that has the deepest pockets. The self-named Corrupt Bastards Club revealed how cheaply a legislator could be bought for…
And even if a legislature finds a backbone passes laws against the desires of the oil companies they will find themselves out of office pretty quickly with unlimited donations from individuals to candidate and unlimited donations from corporations to advocacy groups.
Excuse the interruption to your diatribe for a minute here.
To equate what oil companies provide to the state with union activities, is at best uninformed and at worst political hackery.
Last I checked we ARE a resource state and our main source of revenue still comes from our natural resources. Enhancing the business climate simply makes good sense.
The AFL-CIO produces nothing and has at its goal to get more and more power and benefits for itself and its members and the state/Alaskans be damned! So the chosen few reap all, to the detriment of the rest of us, who will have to forgo better infrastructure, roads and other improvements to pay for AFL-CIO members largess.
As for the “deep pockets” have you checked lately how much money the unions and their affiliates spend on candidates directly or indirectly (see above)???
Maybe you missed the point: this type of “conflict” is legal and permissible. IDGAF which side you are on, that is totally wrong. The ones who write the rules are the ones making the profit off of it.
But to your point…
Oil companies dropped about 25 million in one redistricting cycle and got a legislature that passed a “tax break” returning roughly a billion a year. Not many times when spending $25 once will get you $1,000 annually, but our “citizen legislature” thought it was a good idea. And they got bought cheap. One thing you can say about Trump-he knows how to maximize the gifts… $400,000,000 for a plane? Bravo!
Has a union ever dropped $25,000,000 on a single election cycle in Alaska?
“Oil companies dropped about 25 million in one redistricting cycle and got a legislature that passed a “tax break” returning roughly a billion a year.”
You have sources to back that up?
As for “that plane” it is in the same category as the Statue of Liberty. A gift from one country to another country…..
You ignored my point:
Oil companies bring a value to the state by producing a marketable product which generates royalties, taxes, fees, infrastructure, along with providing employment not only for direct employees, but also adjunct infrastructure in shops and services.
What value does the AFL-CIO bring to the state?
I have always maintained that public sector unions are oxymoronic, as they negotiate against the very people they claim to serve.
Shocked? Shouldn’t be?
I’d love to see just how much unions pump into “Republican” candidates.
I’d love to see sizable donations disallowed.
That is an easy answer.
Just count up the number of “Republicans” that continue to caucus and vote with the Democrats on most conservative issues and multiply that number by the cost of re-electing those idiots.
Another stupid RINO. Bed down with the Devil, and you don’t get out of bed again. There are no sunrises. Kopp is finished.
?? In Anchorage?
Where all pols are elected by Gov employees & their families/ NGO workers/ teachers & other government union members represented by the 13 unions that control us?
I’d say he’s just getting started.
He beat Craig Johnson by 24 points. 61-37. And that was after he had lost his seat in the house in a previous election.
Unless you can get someone to run against him that can appeal to people in his district that ousted extra conservative Craig Johnson in a landslide, I don’t think he is going anywhere.
And remember, this is in a pretty conservative South Anchorage neighborhood that was +7 points for Trump.
He also campaigned on this pension issue and won election. He is sticking to his promises whether you like it or not
And get citizens to vote. When the people don’t exercise their right to vote you get elected leader’s like Kopp.
A Dirty Kopp.
Turnout for the 2024 election was 50.8% of all voters. That is for overall turnout in Alaska.
Turnout in Kopp’s house district was 57.43%.
Sure we should hope and encourage 100% turnout, but it seems that Kopp’s district exercised their right more than the state average.
Ever heard of ballot harvesting and election fraud?
The right always accuses anyone who dissents against President Trump as having TDS, but whenever anyone sites election results that didn’t go their way, it is always ballot harvesting or election fraud.
What proof of this alleged fraud do you have? None.
Could it be instead that more people liked what Kopp was about more than what Craig Johnson was selling?
Craig Johnson isn’t a dirty Kopp. The voters were fooled……….again.
Kopp campaigned on more school funding, or at least not voting the way Craig Johnson did on the previous veto override. He also campaigned on this pension bill and won his election.
How were voters fooled when he had campaign mailers and questionnaires stating his positions and intent?
What is the definition of insanity that everyone jokes about? This is a slap in the face to all the legislators who had common sense years ago. We saw the handwriting on the wall and knew defined benefits couldn’t work in perpetuity. I thought Bryce Edgmon was an arrogant **** but it sounds like Chuck Kopp belongs in the same boat. Why don’t these very rich guys have any sympathy for the rest of us? I thought they were Democrats, the party of love and compassion?
Knopp. Kopp. Both losers.
Yeah, but Knopp went on to meet his maker. Kopp is still making his meter.
Expired parking!
Crook.
Corruption.
RINO.
Scum.
Shame.
Kopp looks like he finally passed the gas that Giessel never could. What kind of food do they serve in the Capitol?
Kopp and Giessel eat together so I imagine their food is similar. Kopp just has better constitution than Giessel, thus, the contorted facial expressions. But they both need to face the music.
I knew that at some point someone would follow the money. Alas, nothing will happen. NOTHING.
Of course he did this.
It’s what the NGO/ government folks are paying him for.
When is his trial start?
Clients and Partners of
Chuck Kopp’s Winfluence Strategies LLC:
Cathy Giessel
City of Kodiak Alaska
Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce
Visitor Information Center
Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce
Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
Kenai
Municipality of Anchorage
AEDC Anchorage Economic Development Corporation
APDEA Anchorage Police Department Employees Association
Alaska State Firefighters Association
Alaska Professional Fire Fighters Association
Alaska Court System State of Alaska
Alaskans for Fair Courts
Resource Development Council
APOA—Alaska Peace Officers Association
PRSA—Alaska Chapter
Golden Heart
Seems to me there’s a major conflict of interest with Chuck Kopp presenting
HB 78. According to Speaker Edgmon, after Rep McCabe called out the conflict on the floor, he said that the issue had already been through APOC and the Ethics Committee. If it did go through the Ethics Committee, it was when there was a vacancy. This is one, very corrupt state! More good people need to get involved and make a difference or we will be like California in the near future.
Edgman seemed very angry and Kopps face was very red. I watched that nite session and it was lit. Mccabe was exactly right. But where was Costelo?
Why didn’t she make that point of order?
Is she in cahoots with Kopp and the democrats?
Why is this the first time it has come up?
We need much more information on this Suzanne. Someone needs to file an ethics complaint or law suit!
Neo Corrupt Bastards Club.
Even when a legislator tried to recuse themselves it only takes a single other legistor to object to “force” them to vote.
These recusal objections should be subject to a vote of the body, but that would mean actually policing themselves. No session has seen fit to do that.
Kopp also tried to manipulate the AKRR to stop the Fish Creek Trail for a property owner who encroaches on the RR ROW. Very Cheesy IMO
Clients and Partners of
Chuck Kopp’s Winfluence Strategies LLC: Chuck is JUST GIVING ALL OF US SCHMUCKS THE MIDDLE FINGER.
Who cares — no one cares because NO ONE WILL DO SQUAT about his blatant theft of Alaska Resources.
Chuck Kopp is a THIEF no matter how you cut the sheet.
Wasn’t Kopp a cop? Dirty Kopp?
We managed to get that snake out office, sad to see he slithered his back in.
We managed to get that snake out office once before, sad to see he slithered his way back in.
What were penny’s made of? DIRTY KOPPer.
This should come as no surprise to anyone. Kopp has been a dirt bag a very long time.
Someone needs to ask the expert gun handler Kopp the cop about the steer butchering fiasco!
Bought and paid for.
More selective outrage from an outlet whose opinion is determined by which clients are paying to be heard.
A person can not hold office and lobby at the same time. What’s with this situation..?.
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