WHEN A CANDIDATE NEEDS A SLIGHT MAKEOVER
When going door-to-door in Palmer-Wasilla, open collar and tennis shoes are good, jeans are standard, but it’s best not to wear your official Matu-Su Borough vest with the borough’s logo on it, at least not while campaigning for state Senate.
Randall Kowalke, running for Senate District E, was photographed by a home security system wearing the Mat-Su Borough’s seal, holding his campaign literature. The homeowner was not amused the he had also walked past her “No trespassing” signs.
Candidates are deep in door-to-door season and security cameras are on duty, keeping a close eye on them, although actual criminals are the real concern here. The vest is likely a borough ethics violation, but not an actual property crime.
Kowalke was Gov. Bill Walker’s first pick for Senate Seat E, vacated by Sen. Mike Dunleavy so he could be free to run for governor.
But Kowalke, a moderate Republican, was rejected by the right-leaning district and also by the State Senate, which signaled to the governor they would not confirm him. His name was withdrawn.
WHAT TO WEAR IN DISTRICT E
Sen. Mike Shower, speaking in the Mat-Su to a group recently, was dressed in khaki shorts and polo shirt on a warm summer day. While Must Read Alaska is not sure government officials ought to have a sidearm while talking to constituents, everyone else in the room likely had one, so this is just Valley style. We judge it “on point.”
Read this Valley Frontiersman profile of Shower, the man running for the seat to which he was reluctantly appointed by Walker after District E Republicans got into a dogfight over the Randall Kowalke nomination.
We tip our hat to publisher Dennis Anderson for the “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” reference to a sketch from an old Saturday Night Live series.