Oyster Roundup!
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more and more! (Click titles for links to full stories) Farewell to Alaska’s First First Lady Neva Egan, Alaska’s very first First Lady, died Wednesday night in Juneau at the age of 96. Wife of Governor Bill Egan, she came to Alaska to settle in Valdez as a teacher in 1937. She is survived by her son Dennis Egan (D), State Senator from Juneau and his family. Who Shills for Shell on the Chukchi Sea Shore? Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich today said oil and gas exploration in the Beaufort…
The 2010 Muddies – Vote Now!
It’s that time of the year again – the beginning of it. And it wouldn’t feel right, hanging up that new calendar without our yearly round up of the ne’er-do-wells, miscreants, and rogues of Alaska politics. Yes boys and girls, it’s time for the Muddy Awards. Now that our heads are clear after the holidays, it’s time to reflect. In past years, the first place award winner frankly hasn’t been much of a shock. I’m sure you won’t be surprised in the least when I tell you that the First Place Muddy for 2008, and 2009 went to Sarah Palin….
Commissioners to APOC Staff: Try Again.
Some of you have been following the saga here on Mudflats about my APOC complaint against Alaska House District 5 Representative William Thomas, Jr. (R-Haines) and his re-election campaign. The complaint (plus amendment) deals with 17 ads placed and designed by campaign Deputy Treasurer James Studley and charged to various Haines businesses. My complaint asserts that they should be considered illegal campaign ads in total, either illegal in-kind contributions because some of them were paid for by corporations, or illegal independent expenditures because they were coordinated with Studley as well as others campaign staff. We left the story at the…
The APOC Hearing Has A Part Deux: The Deliberation
A week ago Friday, I testified at the hearing for my first APOC complaint–Kellen vs. Thomas et al. It seemed to go very well…better than I’d hoped. I wasn’t planning on writing another post about it until there was a decision (I didn’t want to irritate the Commission until after they decided) but I also expected there would be one by now. To my surprise, we are still awaiting the “verdict” from the Commission. This is amazing, as today was the end of their 10 days. I actually believe that this is a very good sign…they wouldn’t need this amount…
APOC Staff tries to (mostly) give Rep. Bill Thomas Campaign a pass–My testimony for today's hearing
UPDATE – For those who are interested in listening to the hearing, the information can be found HERE. Teleconference number 1-800-315-6338, Code 4176#1 ********* Everyone may remember a few weeks back when I filed an APOC complaint against Rep. William Thomas, Jr. (R–Haines). I posted about the APOC Complaint I had filed against the re-election campaign of Representative Bill Thomas, Jr. Here is the complaint as listed on the APOC website. The complaint is in response to a newspaper advertising campaign consisting of 17 ads which ran in the Chilkat Valley News during the weeks leading up to the election: …Upon…
APOC Complaint Against Rep. Bill Thomas Campaign (R-Haines)–The response(s).
Back on October 13th, I posted about the APOC Complaint I had filed against the re-election campaign of Representative Bill Thomas, Jr. (above, on the left, with Sen. Al Kookesh, who appears in several of the ads.) The complaint is in response to a newspaper advertising campaign consisting of 12 ads which ran in the Chilkat Valley News during the weeks leading up to the primary election: …Upon further research, it was impossible to determine exactly what category of legal contributions these ads were attempting to fit, if any: James Studley was the one who coordinated the entire ad buy….
Politics v. Policy – The Wrong Side Wins With Berkowitz’s “Visionary Plan”
Until last week, we believed that both Democratic candidates for governor were good choices. We believed that both put the interests of Alaskans first, supported Democratic achievements, and could be effective leaders working across the aisle to pass legislation and to support policy and existing legislation that benefited the people of Alaska. Many of our readers support Hollis French. Many of our readers support Ethan Berkowitz. But very few had substantial angst about the other. But last week something happened that rocked the boat, and by ‘rocked the boat’ we mean pitched the boat to the point where a lot…
Senate Hopeful Ron Slepecki – Keeping Alaska Safe from the Buddhists?
With the number of uncontested races in Anchorage this election cycle, it surprised me to see someone actually running against Bill Wielechowski, also known as “The Best Bill in Juneau.” There’s nobody who works harder or more effectively for the benefit of all Alaskans than our favorite Bill. So who is this daring upstart that thinks he can topple Wielechowski? His name is Ron Slepecki, making this race: “Slepecki vs. Wielechowski” Say that ten times fast. So let’s check out Mr. Slepecki and see what he tells us on his website, and then we’ll look at what he doesn’t tell…
Gov. Sean Parnell Inherits Flaming Pants from Palin & Denies Children Health Care
Governor Sean Parnell, who has framed himself as an advocate for women and children, last week vetoed a bipartisan bill passed by the Alaska Legislature that would have provided health care for 1300 Alaskan children and prenatal care to more than 200 pregnant Alaskan women. These, most vulnerable Alaskans are those that fall between 175% and 200% of the federally recognized poverty level. Those that fall below that level are already covered by the state program, called Denali KidCare. What made the governor decide to veto the bill? He just discovered, he said, that some of the money allocated would…