Walt Monegan – An Alaskan for Truth!
I had the pleasure of hearing Walt Monegan speak at the weekly Democratic Bartlett Club lunch today. He spoke for about 25 minutes, and his topic was Ethics in Government.
The place was packed, and they announced it was the biggest turnout ever. Notable audience members included mayoral candidate Eric Croft, newly elected legislator Chris Tuck, John Cyr, head of the troopers union, and others affiliated with the Anchorage Police Department, and the Democratic Party.
And in a moment of amusing oddity, there was one guy wearing a t-shirt that said, “Drill Here. Drill Now. Drill Baby, Drill!” with an “I Voted Today” sticker that looked like it had been through the wash. He was wearing a stars & stripes baseball cap, and when he introduced himself as being from the “Sarah Palin 2012″ campaign, he held up some sort of other t-shirt to prove it. He was met with uproarious laughter, which he didn’t expect apparently. Then someone yelled out, “I think you’re in the wrong place!” More laughter. He sat back down again. I think it was a long lunch for him.
In the introduction we learned that Monegan was born in Nyac, Alaska, population 54. He went to school in a one room schoolhouse. He is a former marine, and ex-police chief of Anchorage. His list of credentials is very impressive. He was chosen as the Commissioner of Public Safety for the state of Alaska by Governor Sarah Palin. He initiated the first ever strategic plan for the Alaska State Troopers. And then, when he wouldn’t compromise his integrity, he was called an insubordinate rogue and was fired.
But, he didn’t talk about that. At least, not directly. Actually, Monegan masterfully talked about exactly that, without talking about it.
“We must have ethics and honesty in all branches of government. We must demand it.”
“Those in power enter into a social contract that is based on trust.”
“If someone is doing what they’re doing for political purposes and not for the good of their community, call them on it. Hold them accountable.”
I heard those words leave Monegan’s lips and noticed immediately that the clouds outside dissapated, and small songbirds began to sing in the trees. Suddenly my lunch tasted better, and the people around me began to smile and cheer! A vivid rainbow descended from the heavens and landed smack on top of the Denny’s on DeBarr Road in Anchorage where we sat. OK, that didn’t actually happen. But it felt like it.
Hold them accountable.
He said it four times. I counted.
He also talked quite a bit about how people feel when their government is not working for them. “What really tears you up is being lied to,” he said. There was nobody in that room that didn’t hear everything Monegan said through the lens of Sarah Palin. He talked about the credo of the Anchorage Police Department being “honesty, courage and compassion.” Then he pointed at one of the retired officers in the room and asked him if he remembered “the saying.” Without hesitation he responded, “You lie, you die.” And Monegan said, “That’s right. You lie, you die. What that means is that dishonesty will end your law enforcement career.”
But perhaps the most important thing he said came when he talked about what we can do. What do we do when our government has failed us? What do we do when our leaders violate the social contract, and break the trust? What do we do when they lie?
The worst thing you can do is nothing. When you cease in taking part in society, and the more you step away, the quicker our country fails. We need people who lean in. Each of us has a voice and a vote. Use them.
I like the image of leaning in, and keeping pressure where it needs to be, and remaining involved, even when those in power are failing us.
There is no doubt that Walt Monegan is an impressive guy. He isn’t flashy, nor full of himself, nor is he a brilliant orator. But he carries himself with confidence, dignity, and sincerity. The guy practically oozes integrity from his pores. You sense that you are in the presence of a diplomat, not a bully. A refreshing change on all counts.
At the end of his talk, he was rewarded with thunderous applause.
And then he took questions from the audience. I held my breath.
John Cyr asked one of the questions on everyone’s mind. He stated that there needed to be 150 additional Troopers hired to meet the minimum basic needs of the state. The Governor’s next budget, which is to be released on Monday, flatlines the budget and possibly will not even fund the current positions. He said that while the Anchorage Police Department does an outstanding job within the city limits, resources outside Anchorage are sorely lacking. “Outside Anchorage it’s mayhem,” he said. “We’re involved in a war that isn’t going away.”
Monegan responded that, “Rural Alaska is hurting big time.” Many rural residents don’t even have a 911 to call. It can sometimes be days before a trooper can answer a call for help, even in cases of a shooting or a domestic or sexual assault, if the weather conditions are bad. He said that the Troopers are just as commited and dedicated as the Anchorage Police, and in some ways they have mastered the art of low-key diplomacy in dealing with tricky situations, because they have no back-up.
He added that the state needs to do a better job providing basic services to rural communities. “People living a subsistence lifestyle are not prepared to enter the workforce in urban communities,” he noted. “There are going to be more and more issues.
Then came an interesting question. “Do you think Sarah Palin practices good ethics?” (sound of pin dropping)
Monegan smiled for a moment, and measured his words. “I think there could be improvement. Let me put it that way.” A gold star for diplomacy.
Nobody directly asked if he would be running for governor. And nobody directly asked if he’d be running for mayor. But he mentioned over and over how much he loved the city of Anchorage….and this made me wonder if this meant he was thinking of throwing his hat in the ring for mayor. That ring already has more hats than it knows what to do with.
After Mark Begich leaves the coveted seat, there may be as many as three good progressive candidates running: Matt Claman, Assembly Chair and interim mayor when Begich leaves, Sheila Selkregg, Assembly Vice Chair, and Eric Croft, former legislator. Progressives are pulling their hair out hoping that two of these three withdraw their hats, rather than risk splitting the vote and allowing conservative Dan Sullivan to win the seat.
But, I digress.
I think it’s time for all of us to heed Walt Monegan’s directive.
If someone is doing what they’re doing for political purposes and not the good of their community, call them on it. Hold them accountable.
So, have you held your government accountable today? I direct you back to the Alaskans for Truth website, which has a call to action, and the email addresses of the Alaska Legislature. Let ‘em have it!
Let me be the “foist” to say Bravo to Monegan; a class act, unlike some…politicians we know.
“The worst thing you can do is nothing. When you cease in taking part in society, and the more you step away, the quicker our country fails. We need people who lean in. Each of us has a voice and a vote. Use them.”
I really like these words by Monegan; I think they could have come from Fitzgerald in IL, or countless others across the country.
AKM-
Do you think Monegan is leaning toward Anchorage because he has no political experience, and might need to start smaller before he aims for governor?
That guy from the Palin 2012 campaign is like Palin herself going out on the ice at the Flyers game, not having a clue what people think of her.
GREAT THREAD!! TRUTH! What a NOVEL concept in the Gov’s office in Chicago!
Oh! Annnnd in ALASKA 2! BTW did the “TRUTH FAIRY” EVER visit Juneau’s capitol? :>) :>)
Also BTW: Did Bristol have her BABY – -YET?? Please let me/us know when the Blessed event occurred [occurs.] Thank you.
Mudflats ROCKS!!!
GreenLadyHere (20:26:55) :
GREAT THREAD!! TRUTH! What a NOVEL concept in the Gov’s office in Chicago!
That’s right- I forgot that Blago the Greedy moved the capitol of IL to Chicago by executive fiat:)
He has my vote when and if he runs for Governor! We may be a small portion of Alaska….but here in Southeast, we will be very, very vocal when it comes to supporting Monegan for Governor. Yes, Sarah has been quite effective at putting her thumb in our eye, and we will remember her for that, come election day.
Walt Monegan is a class act. For other Alaskans, does he remind you of anyone? Jay Hammond, maybe? I think it has to do with his heritage, his being raised in a VERY small town where you have to be diplomatic to survive lonnnngggg winters, and where force does not work.
Walt, you are another of the shining stars in Alaska. May you find your path of truth and right and may you succeed in your quest for what is good for the whole! There are many of us long-time Alaskans who will support you!
“Those in power enter into a social contract that is based on trust.”
How refreshing. We should all expect and accept nothing less. How fortunate for you to have someone like Walt Monegan who is willing to serve the people and the state in public office. Walt just might give politicians a good name.
“If someone is doing what they’re doing for political purposes and not the good of their community, call them on it. Hold them accountable.”
He may have not mentioned names but that is the best one sentence description of Sarah Palin I’ve heard in a long, long time. Has Palin ever done anything that wasn’t for political purposes? If she has, I would love to hear what it is.
wow. Not that I don’t think Anchorage needs the best elected officials it can get, but the entire state of Alaska needs Walt Monegan.
Moving slightly OT: There seem to be a lot of corrupt politicians going down recently. And an interesting new crop replacing them, like Cao in New Orleans. Is this what’s known as a paradigm shift?
And now really OT: Did you all see that Richard Cizik, a big time evangelical lobbyist, has come out (no, not quite that), but has stepped down from his position because of his support of gay marriage? Yoiks!
Did you try to track down the Palin fan, AKM? Would be interesting to hear why he thought it’d be a good idea to go there.
he sounds like a great guy…someone alaska can be proud of and his mom also…
“We must have ethics and honesty in all branches of government. We must demand it.”
I have never understood why politicians believe it is in their best interest to dissemble when confronted with claims of wrong doing. Why not just trust the intelligence of the voters and tell them the TRUTH about what happened and take your lumps? I believe Bill Clinton could have saved this country a lot of anguish, ill will, and money if he had just said, “Yes, I was indiscreet with that woman, and it is between my wife and me.” Name your politician and his/her moment of infamy and think how it might have been different if the public had been given the truth to think about and consider before the spin was applied and the waffling began.
Mr. Monegan shows a lot of character in refusing to respond to the questions about his unfortunate dealings with SWWNBN and the unpaid adviser with whom she sleeps. Good for him, his silence speaks volumes to his character and solidifies his image as an honorable man and exemplary public servant. Too bad Alaska lost his experience and sound foresight in dealing with Alaska’s problems beyond its most populous city because he refused to yield his integrity and good name to the vindictiveness of a bitter family in a position of power.
this has to be one of my favorite posts yet…..about values and and an ethical man; I hope there are more meetings like that all over the city, often. Just might be ‘catchy’ ! Go, Walt!
Wired: I heard Cizik on Fresh Air, and thought it was the most incredible and refreshing thing to hear from an evangelical. Just about fell over, to be honest. More important, I think, is that he said that younger evangelicals are moving the same direction (I’m pretty sure I heard that–hope it’s not my imagination but you never can tell w/me…). I wondered as I listened to him if and what the fall out would be. Now we know. I hope he hangs onto his soul and finds a spiritual home more in keeping with his evolving values. I wish him well.
I said it before over in the forums and I’ll say it again here.
DRAFT WALT MONEGAN FOR GOVERNOR!
While I’m sure Walt has a deep and abiding love of the city he served faithfully for so many years, we really need him working for us on the state level.
I wonder if Palin cronys were there taking pictures and writing down names for their blacklists.
I would have loved to have been there. Sounds like a great topic and a great speaker. I sure hope Walt is thinking of running for gov in 2010.
I just have one question. Why would someone show up at a Democratic luncheon to show off a Palin for 2012 t-shirt? He had to know he was not going to be welcomed with opened arms.
Peaceful Granny: Palin and her followers don’t subscribe to the same reality as the rest of us…
“And then, when he wouldn’t compromise his integrity, he was called an insubordinate rogue and was fired. ”
This statement just about tells the whole sorry-ass story of a malicious, petty dictator in lipstick and her subsequent discarding and discrediting a true Knight of the Round Table.
Ignorance is what put Palin into office. Education and hard work will be required to dislodge “The Pretender” from office.
Walt Moneghan Rocks!! He sounds very diplomatic.
Something sounded familiar. Oh yeah.
Sarah Palin: “Hold me accountable.”
It’s nice to see that there is some hope on the politcal stage in Alaska. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, and where Monegan ends up. It sounds like he is a man of integrity, and that’s exactly what Alaska needs. Let’s hope the majority of the voters think the same when his name appears on the ballot.
AK, this is one of your nicest posts ever. I’m really getting a good idea of what Monegan is like, thanks to your excellent reporting from this event. And thanks for including the comic relief (re. the guy in the Drill shirt) – it sounds like Monegan might appeal to the population as a whole, and here’s hoping he runs for governor, or for ANYthing. What a great person to be in politics, representing and leading. That would be good for ALL Alaskans!
Monegan for Senator! Replace Lisa with Walt!
AKM: Did you get a chance to say to him, what you wanted to say that day you saw him on the street with his wife?
I agree with AKDennis, Walt Monegan should be drafted to run for governor. AKM, can’t we at Mudflats start a draft petition?
alaska!! i believe you have a good man in search of a job. hire him before we new yorkers steal him away…love you guys …..b
Monegan is a hero. I hope he does pursue a further political career. We need more like him in office. And whether he runs for governor, or mayor or dog catcher, I would contribute to his campaign.
I think Governor or Senator would be great! But he may need some other office first to get his feet wet in governing.
Good luck Mr. Monegan, and thanks for showing the world that not everyone in power is corrupt.
After all the stupid corrupt politicians (Blagojavech being the latest), Walt Monegan is a breath of fresh air. Isn’t it a sad state of affairs when we view an honest person as “a breath of fresh air”? Perhaps the Clean Air Act needs to include a special investigatory committee solely for the purpose of stopping political polluters, and be headed by Patrick Fitzgerald.
The unfortunate thing which often happens to really good people who run for office is that they get elected.
Not to suggest anything about Moneghan, or to be contrarian, but just sayin’.