Some people, it seems, are always getting invited to balls. I look on Facebook, at yet another woman dressed in sequins, and another man in a tux, and I think, what do they have that I don’t? (A pleasant personality? Big bucks?) Anyway, there are some balls coming up—inaugural balls—that we all might be able to attend. They are balls for the people, of the people. While I haven’t seen any official announcements, I’ve heard that Lindsey Hobson and Mandy Mallott, daughters of the governor and lite governor respectively, will be co-chairing the inaugural committee. The first ball is scheduled to be held in the governor’s hometown, Valdez, on January 3. The other dates appear to be in Juneau on January 10, Fairbanks on January 24, and Anchorage on January 31. More details as I get them.
Karly Meyer, daughter of Senate president Kevin Meyer, graduated from college this spring and served as the volunteer coordinator for the Parnell for Governor Campaign. She has now joined PS Strategies, a local PR/advertising firm, which was founded and is owned by Mary Ann Pruitt, wife of Rep. Lance Pruitt, and radio talk show host David Stieren.
The Department of Health and Social Services announced the appointments of Dr. Jay Butler and John Sherwood to the department’s senior management team. Dr. Butler will serve the dual roles of Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Division of Public Health. He most recently worked at ANTHC. Sherwood is a 25 year DHSS employee and will now be a deputy commissioner. The press release also incorrectly indicated that the appointments were subject to legislative confirmation. They aren’t.
The two key people working to improve the Aetna insurance contract for state workers and retirees was DOA Deputy Commissioner Mike Barnhill and the state’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ward Hurlburt. Both have been released from state service by the Walker administration. So, who knows what’s going on, what the issues are and who, if anyone, is handling the contract? Continue reading →
On Monday night at the New Horizon hanger in Palmer, over 100 Valley residents turned out to visit Sen.-elect Dan Sullivan and his wife Julie. Sen. Mike Dunleavy, who showed with his pistol but without his mule, helped organize the event. He and Palmer Mayor DeLana Johnson were the emcees, which they did a rather unique job of. As Sullivan stood on the sidelines waiting to talk, they continually passed the mic back and forth because they kept on forgetting that they had just one other thing to say. But Valley conservatives—many of whom leave their cushy government jobs at the office when they clock out at 4:30 p.m.—tend to be a patient bunch, and a plethora of cookies helped. Sen. Charlie Huggins also spoke before Sullivan had at it. He made some allusion to Dan Sullivan being the “last boy scout,” which may or may not have had something to do with a 1991 Bruce Willis film involving a pro-football team, a politician and a murder. But Huggins, as he always does, spoke with enough confidence and aplomb that everyone seemed convinced that something prophetic was being said. But the crowd—including Sullivan–was sincerely and understandably touched when Tammy Miller, president of the Mat-Su Republican Women’s Club, presented Sullivan with a pair of cuff links that were made by Sen. Ted Stevens that read, “To Hell with Politics. Do What’s Right for Alaska.” But what brought the crowd to their feet was when Sullivan paid tribute to Alaska’s veterans and introduced Wayne Woods, a gold star parent, and Cajun Bob Thoms, a Vietnam vet who is the recipient of a silver star, two bronze stars and six purple hearts. Other legislators spotted: Reps. Bill Stoltze. Shelley Hughes, Wes Keller and Lora Reinbold. Also there: Bethany Marcum, Mike Coons, Ben and Kathleen Rowell, MEA’s Joe Griffith, Sonya Walden, Joe Balash, John Shepherd, Dave and Dana Cruz, Becky Huggins, Rep.-elect Cathy Tilton, John Lee, Noel and Jean Woods, Curtis Thayer, John Harris, Otto and Nancy Feather, Myrna Maynard, Mat-Su Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss and Assemblyman Steve Colligan, former Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and his mother Anne, and Wasilla City Council member Gretchen O’Barr.
