Loose Lips, getting hooked: AP reporter Becky Bohrer and Juneau Empire sports writer Klas Stolpe were married on a boat on the waters outside of Petersburg. They wore Norwegian sweaters and according to a news account, exchanged gaff hooks.

Gov. Sean Parnell didn’t attend the opening ceremonies for the National Congress of American Indians on Monday morning in Anchorage. Nor, did he attend a governor’s forum that the Congress, in conjunction with AFN, held Monday night. “We’re here again together,” said Democratic candidate Byron Mallott to independent candidate Bill Walker. Mallott said that the two were getting used to sharing the stage together, without Parnell and that they were becoming friends. Walker urged the crowd to remember who showed when they went to the voting booth. “The person who didn’t show up?” Walker said. “He’ll come in third.”

In addition to the governor’s forum, there was also a U.S. Senate candidate forum, where Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and former DNR Commissioner Dan Sullivan talked about everything from ObamaCare, which Alaska Natives generally favor, to the state’s relationship to tribal governance, which the state is generally opposed to, to voting rights. Both were on tricky ground, but both earned respectable applause for showing up and trying. Joe Miller, the other candidate in the Republican primary, didn’t make it for the forum, but showed up later and hung out in the back, listening to the other candidates.

And then other candidates crowded on stage to introduce themselves. Some of the candidates were from Outside, but most were from Alaska. Lt. gov. candidates Bob William and Craig Fleener were there. Hollis French wasn’t. Newly created House District 6 Democratic candidate Wilson Justin of Slana gave brief remarks. So did state Senate Democratic candidate Dorothy Shockley, who will face either Mike Miller or Sen. Click Bishop in the general election. U.S. Congressional candidate Forrest Dunbar made his statement blessedly brief. Republican gubernatorial candidate, Brad Snowden, didn’t. Snowden, who has “strong opinions” and lots of them, was politely hurried along by the moderator when he began to talk about, well, lots of things. The last I saw Snowden was late last month, when he had his thumb out on the Park’s Highway, making his way from Wasilla to Anchorage after the Freedom Festival.

High School freshman Sophie Hultberg, daughter of Becky Hultberg, blasted three home runs on Saturday helping the Juneau Douglas Crimson Bears win the ASAA small school state softball championship. The young Hultberg might have gotten some of her punch from Becky, who as Gov. Frank Murkowski’s spokeswoman, learned how to take swings right back at the media. Also on the team was Mattie Herman, daughter of DOE legislative liaison Marcie Herman.

Upcoming Events:

• June 10, 4:00 -6:00 p.m. Picnic in the Park with Rep. Scott Kawasaki, 1503
Turner Street, Fairbanks.

• June 14, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. BBQ Fundraiser celebrating Flag Day with state senate candidate Harry Crawford and state house candidate Laurie Hummel at the home of Hal and Barb Gazaway, 8620 Boundary Avenue, Anchorage.

• June 17, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Fundraiser for Reps. Lynn Gattis and Gabrielle LeDoux at Le Mex, off Diamond Blvd, Anchorage.

Sen. Mark Begich’s campaign had a brunch fundraiser on Sunday at the south Anchorage home of Greg and Jeanette Wakefield. From all reports, it was a success. More than 50 people showed. Some of the guests attending included former lite governor Stephen McAlpine, Marion Davis from Horizon Lines, former Gov. Bill Sheffield, and Mike Gallagher from Laborers Local 341.

Organized labor held its solidarity picnic in Anchorage on Sunday and hundreds showed. Both Sen. Mark Begich and gubernatorial candidate Byron Mallott gave rousing speeches. Labor favorite state Sen. Bill Wielechowski also spoke. Sen. Hollis French and Bob Williams, both vying for the Democratic Party’s number 2 spot, were there as well. Bill Walker, Independent gubernatorial candidate, who also enjoys some support from organized labor, showed too. And what’s a solidarity picnic without Vince “Baldtrami”?

In a show of electoral confidence, Democratic lite governor candidate Hollis French, given the expected tight market for television air time, bought some time on KTUU – Channel 2 for the week before the general election.

Miracles never cease: Mayor Dan Sullivan had a busy Sunday in his official capacity of being Hizzoner. He threw out the first pitch of the season opener for the Pilots v. Bucs baseball game. Then he headed to Cuddy Park where he gave welcoming remarks to thousands of people gathered for the Love Alaska Festival. One person there, who’s not necessarily a fan of the mayor, said that he did a “beautiful job,” and described him as “humble and funny.”

Congratulations to the Alaska Aces on Monday night’s victory and clenching their 3rd Kelly Cup. Most Alaskan candidates tripped over themselves to congratulate the victors. The Alaska Democrats took to Facebook, wondering if the sound of GOP candidate Dan Sullivan’s silence indicated that he was secretly routing for Cincinnati, his home town’s team.

The smaller of the two Pribilof village corporations, the St. George Tanaq Corporation, held their 40th annual shareholder meeting on Saturday. Congratulations are in order for Anna Tetoff for being named Elder of the Year and to Sara Merculief for being named Aleut of the Year.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

You heard it first here: The Colony Days’ Bed Races took place Friday evening in Palmer. I don’t know what’s involved in a bed race, and because there’s so much to know in the world, I decided not to ask too many questions. I do know that Rep. Bill Stoltze was the only politician who partook. And, wait for it… The 2014 Bed Races champion was the Matanuska Electric Association team captained by their president Joe Griffith!

This is more like it: Some have been wondering why KFQD talk show host Bernadette Wilson’s Chevy Tahoe has legislative license plates. Wonder no more: Wilson’s former boyfriend, House Minority Leader Chris Tuck, didn’t get around to taking them off until Friday, when he heard a blogger was calling around about it. Tuck said that when he and Wilson were dating, he was driving her car. His own went to legislative aides. So he put one of his three allotted sets on hers and always meant to get them off when they broke up last year, but never got around to it. The license plates, which are numbered based on seniority—Tuck is number 23–don’t get you free parking or other perks, unless you count as a perk driving in a car that announces that you’re a state lawmaker. And I guess politicians like that kind of stuff. So, apparently, do talk show hostesses.

Legislative staffer Anna Latham, from Rep. Kurt Olson’s office, is now at the Alaska Department of Labor where she will serve as the department’s legislative liaison.

Upcoming events:

• June 10, 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Ron Arvin for state House fundraiser at the Petroleum Club, Anchorage.
• June 14, 4:00- 6:00 p.m. Bob Williams for lieutenant governor, hosted by Judy Youngquist and Phil Munger, 7127 E Shorewood Drive, Wasilla
• June 19, 5:30 – 7:00 pm. Mat-Su Parnell for Governor Fund Raiser, New Horizons Telcom Hanger, Palmer.

Quien Es Mas Macho? We’ve heard about the Three Amigos in the Valley: Roger Purcell, Steve Jacobson and Verne Rupright—who are running against Reps. Keller, Mark Neuman, and Lynn Gattis. Here’s another Three Amigos for you of a different breed: Wiley Cason, Travis Smith, and Democratic congressional hopeful Forrest Dunbar. UAA debate team guru Cason is the communications guy for Forrest Dunbar for Congress campaign. Cason ran state Sen. Hollis French’s campaign in 2012. Dunbar’s campaign manager is Travis Smith, a recent grad of Willamette University.

Alaskan Lee Goodman’s spanking new legal thriller Indefensible got a starred review by Publisher’s Weekly. Goodman’s my friend, and wrote a damned good book.

About 200 people showed for Vic Fischer’s 90th birthday party on Wednesday to show their support for the Yes on 1 campaign. The haul was more than $30,000. It’s a pittance compared to the millions being spent on the other side. But $30,000 goes a long way when you’re buying Facebook ads and when you’re got a trove of true believers involved in a cause that they believe is a just one.

There were at least three fundraisers that I was aware of on Thursday evening. Gov. Parnell had an event in Fairbanks. I’m told that the take at the door was north of $10,000. Rep. Shelley Hughes had an event that drew almost 50 people in Palmer. And in Anchorage, Reps. Gabrielle LeDoux and Mia Costello held a joint fundraiser at Le Mex. Each of the candidates were rumored to have raised more than $5,000.

Congratulations to former Juneau Rep. Beth Kerttula on her appointment and new role as White House director of ocean policy.

More hot news: All three major gubernatorial candidates – – Sean Parnell, Byron Mallott and Bill Walker – – participated in Saturday’s Colony Days Parade in Palmer! A bunch of other politicians were there as well: Democratic Lite Gov. candidate Bob Williams, GOP senatorial candidates Dan Sullivan and Mead Treadwell, Rep. Bill Stoltze, to name a few. Smiles were bestowed! Candy was thrown!

Rep. Don Young was in Chicken on Friday. Deantha Crockett, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association was there too. I’ll bet you dimes to donuts, or hens to chickens, they discussed last year’s visit from the Alaska Environmental Crimes Task Force, when the agents showed wearing body armor and jackets announcing that they were POLICE! And that they were going to check for DIRTY WATER! And that NOTHING was going to stop them from doing their JOBS, enforcing Section 404 of the Clean Water ACT! It sounds like the good miners of Chicken could have used the help of the Three Amigos.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

• Democrat Forrest Dunbar, who’s running against U.S. Rep. Don Young, might just be the only Alaskan in history to turn down a shot at reality TV stardom. Word is that Esquire TV reached out to him to film his run against Young. Dunbar is an interesting character, and would no doubt do good TV. He’s been in the Peace Corps, has a Yale Law degree, and a master’s from Harvard Kennedy School. He’s also a first lieutenant in the Alaska National Guard, and has the haircut and the arms to prove it. But part of the attraction had to be Young, whose props on the House floor involve a calcified walrus penis, and a wolverine trap. Both are custom-made for Esquire bro-culture.
• Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell is positively reveling in the recent poll numbers that show him within spitting distance of Dan Sullivan, the so-called frontrunner in the GOP U.S. Senate race. “The massive out of state contributions flowing into Dan Sullivan’s campaign have failed to buy the lead in this race – bad news for his inside-the-Beltway backers,” Treadwell wrote in a fundraising email. Treadwell had no fewer than 15 fundraisers last year across the country, trying to shake money from those same backers, to little success.
• On Sunday afternoon in Fairbanks, proponents of the Repeal SB 21 campaign had a rally and BBQ. There was a good turn-out of normal Fairbanksians, whatever that means, and Democratic legislators, both former and current. Among them: Rep. Scott Kawasaki, Sen. Hollis French, and former legislators Joe Thomas, John Davies and Joe Paskvan. Also attending and speaking at the event was UAF’s Mark Myers, who was also the former director of the USGS and Alaska DNR Oil and Gas Division.
• As most Democratic contributors have heard by now, the Mallott for Governor campaign suffered a data breech due to a stolen lap top. According to campaign insiders, credit card contributors have all been notified and it was suggested that for security reasons, they may want to get a new credit card to replace the one they gave with. The problem appears to be behind them and all operations, as it were, are back to normal.
• Word is that APOC and Rep. Chris Tuck, a.k.a. “the most eligible bachelor in Alaska,” have reached a settlement for improper campaign reporting and that the commission will likely approve at their board meeting on either June 4 or 5.
• DOT Special Assistant Tyson Gallagher has resigned his position with the state and will be joining the Parnell campaign. Also, recent college grad Karly Meyer, daughter of Sen. Kevin Meyer, has signed on with the Parnell campaign as their events coordinator.

Events: 

1. June 5th, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Fundraiser for Reps Gabrielle LeDoux and Mia Costello at Le Mex off Diamond Blvd., Anchorage.
2. June 8, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 pm. Fundraising brunch for Senator Mark Begich at the home of Greg and Jeannette Wakefield, 630 Oceanview Drive, Anchorage. RSVP 907. 258. 2583.
3. June 8, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Fundraiser for Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Bob Williams at the home of Peggy and Boyd Berg, 856 S. Begich Drive, Wasilla
4. June 16, 6:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. Go Halibut Fishing in Resurrection Bay aboard Saltwater Safari Charters with GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan. Cost: $2,000 per person. Space is limited. RSVP 677-2014.

• If we’re going to have another lobbyist in the state, it might as well be Laurie Herman, who, full disclosure, I consider a friend. Herman will be retiring later this summer from Providence. With somewhere north of a quarter of century and south of a half century of working around government, you can bet she has friends in powerful places and knows her way around the halls of government.
• This weekend is Colony Days in Palmer. The parade, which is a big deal in Palmer, is on Saturday. The Bill Walker for Governor campaign is soliciting volunteers on Facebook to join them in that parade and encouraging them to bring their hard hats and safety vests. His theme: “Walker is the governor who will stop studying and start building.”
• Will many Dems other than Democratic gubernatorial contender Byron Mallott be marching in the Colony Days parade on Saturday? Probably not many. The party has scheduled candidate training school that day.
• The awesomely named Otto Feather has joined the Sullivan for Senate committee as the campaign’s coalitions director. He also travels with the candidate frequently. He is a retired Air Force colonel and F-18 C-130 pilot.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

UPDATED: This piece has been updated to include Byron Mallott’s participation in the Colony Days parade.

• This from a source in the know: “WITHOUT a Dan Sullivan – or a Mead Treadwell or Joe Miller – campaign spending placed on TV and radio alone, in the (Alaska) U,S. Senate race, has now exceeded $20 million from Feb through Nov 4, 2014.”
• Word is Department of Commerce Assistant Commissioner Robbie Graham has resigned her position with the state and will become the vice president of operations at the Anchorage Daily News. Graham’s partner, Craig Medred, writes for the Alaska Dispatch/ADN, and their talented daughter, Katie Medred, writes for the Anchorage Press.
• Last week, both Alaska’s Democratic Party and U.S. Sen. Mark Begich’s campaign made a big deal about a twitter mess-up made by GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan. When he filed for office, whoever does his tweeting said that he filed in Fairbanks, not in Anchorage. They used that as further evidence that he’s not a “real Alaskan,” etc… However, Sullivan’s campaign could have hit back with its own example of a social media gaffe that could point to a bigger issue in the candidate. On Memorial Day, whoever posts on Begich’s Facebook page pretending to be Begich, said about his visit to Unalaska:  “It was a privilege to visit this site during Veterans Day weekend.” It was quickly fixed. Sullivan’s campaign didn’t say a word about it.
• Happy birthday to John R. Coyne Jr. The best father in the world, a Marine and a Korean War Vet, who knows the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
• The State of Alaska is seeking to join a lawsuit brought by Pebble against the EPA to prevent the agency from doing what it’s basically already done: “taking land by prematurely limiting development before the state’s permitting processes have a chance to work,” so says the state. Pebble filed the suit earlier this month. Via Attorney General Michael Geraghty: “The EPA’s action undermines Alaska’s ability to utilize its mineral resources to grow the economy and create jobs if, after detailed and lengthy environmental review, permitting is warranted.”
• Republican Fairbanks state Sen. Pete Kelly has a Democratic challenger. The challenger, Tamara Kruse Roselius, is 52 years old. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that she has a law degree but not a license. Instead, “she’s volunteered her legal expertise through the Disability Law Center to local parents with special needs children. She said she helps parents navigate the school system and ensure that their child’s needs are met.”
• Monday, June 2, is the last day to file for state and federal office.
• Upcoming Events:

1. June 5, 5 – 7:30 p.m.,  Rep. Shelley Hughes’ campaign kick-off at the Palmer Downtown Deli, 550 S. Alaska Street.
2. June 5, 6 – 8:00 p.m., Sean Parnell fundraiser, 183 View Avenue, Fairbanks.
3. June 5, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Yes on One’s first “Statewide Day of Action House Party,” at Tim Steele’s House, 2124 Solstice Cir. Anchorage.
4. June 7 and 8, 11:00 a.m., Eklutna Potlatch and Pow-Wow. In conjunction and celebration of the National Congress of American Indians mid-year conference, June 8 – 11 in Anchorage.

• I wasn’t there, but I hear that more than 150 of the Valley’s political elite and community activists turned out for Rep. Bill Stoltze’s Senate campaign kick-off on Thursday night in Wasilla. Valley politicians who didn’t come sent emissaries. Ben Sparks, who is the campaign manager for GOP Senate contender Dan Sullivan was there. The new RNC operatives, the Mat-Su Field Coordinator Paul Cason was there, straight from wherever RNC operatives come. Local hockey legend Steve MacSwain was there. Palmer councilwoman Edna DeVries Armstrong, who has endorsed Stoltze, showed. Noel Woods. Benny Cottle. A whole gaggle of businessmen came to kiss the ring. Sen. Lesil McGuire was there and she brought with her all of her personal political magnetism. Stoltze doesn’t have that kind of magnetism. But he makes up for it by tirelessly working for his constituents and through sheer Valley-type ruthlessness. Expect a bruising battle between him and Palmer Mayor DeLena Johnson, whom he campaigned for in her mayoral run. Word is that he feels betrayed because she knew he was eyeing the seat.
• Speaking of McGuire: Word is that her former husband Tom Anderson is no longer working with her. Hackney & Hackney have taken over.
• Signs of the election. Large 4 x 8 signs touting Dan Sullivan for Lt. Governor are sprouting. Expect to see a lot more. Rumor has it that the mayor is working with the best GOP sign guy in the state, Joe Law, who’s been the GOP’s go-to sign guy for years and has a great reputation for securing locations, getting the signs up and keeping them up. Word is that he’ll be putting up 250 of these large signs throughout Southcentral.
• DNR Dan Sullivan is off somewhere this weekend as a Marine reservist, kicking down doors. It’s got something to do with urban warfare, which might put him in good stead for campaigning in Anchorage. If he ever gets around to campaigning in Anchorage.
• New Sullivan staffers: Thomas Reiker has joined the Sullivan for Senate campaign’s communications team. Prior to joining Sullivan’s campaign, he worked in the NRCC’s general counsel’s office. He has also worked as a legislative aide in Juneau. Long time Juneau school teacher, recently retired, Ken Kelsch is slated to be the coordinator for the campaign’s Juneau operation.
• Mead Treadwell is heading to the Kodiak Crabfest to talk fish. Anyone else feel a second wind coming from his campaign? Or is he just filling the vacuum that nature abhors?
• Independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker will also be in Kodiak eating with the fishes, not sleeping with them, like Luca Brasi.
• Meanwhile, Mark Begich is ubiquitous. Close your eyes. Count to three. Open them. Hello Senator! Women for Begich. Vets for Begich. Alaska Natives for Begich. Pilots for Begich. I won’t be surprised before it’s over that there will be Bike Riders for Begich. Peony Lovers for Begich. Lapidarians for Begich. This weekend, he’s having two BBQs. See below.
• Upcoming Events:

1. May 23, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Geran Tarr’s Campaign Kick-off Event at the home of Beth Nordlund, 3230 W. 31st Ave., Anchorage.
2. May 24, 11:30 – 1 p.m. Begich BBQ. Russian Jack Springs Park.
3. May 26, 3:00– 5:00 p.m. Begich Memorial Day BBQ. Jewel Lake Park, 4401 W. Dimond Blvd.  
4. May 28, 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Fundraiser for Sam Kito III at the Sweet Basil Restaurant, 1021 West Northern Lights Blvd., Anchorage.
5. May 28, 5:00 – 6:30 pm. Parnell for Governor Fundraiser at the home of Cindy Sims, 8345 Skyhills Drive, Anchorage. If you’ve never gotten the chance to talk to a commissioner, this is the place to be. They’ll all be there. Just bring your checkbook!

• Today Friday, is Shirley Cote’s last day at work as the Director of Alaska’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The former Soldotna police chief was appointed to the position by Gov. Sarah Palin in 2008.
• NHL Enforcer Joins Parnell Team: When Governor Parnell stood up for Alaska’s hockey community last year, little did he know how warmly some of the town’s hockey players would respond. Justin Johnson, affectionately known in the hockey community as “JJ”, had a long road from UAA, then the Alaska Aces along with a couple other ECHL teams, followed by a couple of different jerseys in the AHL and finally in April 2014, at the age of 32, suited up as a New York Islander for his first NHL game. Now, he’s back home and is volunteering with Parnell’s campaign.
• State senators NOT up for election this cycle include: John Coghill, Charlie Huggins, Johnny Ellis, Lesil McGuire, Bill Wielechowski, and Bert Stedman.
• I couldn’t find any on Friday, but on Thursday night at least, nestled in the news on KTUU’s website, were sponsored-content stories about cell phone service, paid for by Verizon. It’s a controversial editorial practice, though lots of other websites are doing it and the stories were labeled.
• Did you see Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s cute new haircut?
• Six couples filed a legal challenge in South Dakota on Thursday to the state’s ban on gay marriage, making it state number 30 with pending legal challenges to gay marriage bans. That leaves North Dakota as the only state in the country with an unchallenged ban on same-sex marriage.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

• Gov. Sean Parnell, with the help of the Midnight Sun Republican Women’s Club, hosted a big campaign headquarters open house on Saturday afternoon. It was, in a word, wholesome: kids, balloons, Miss Alaska, ice cream and a vanilla almond cake with cream cheese butter cream lovingly baked by Robin Phillips. All told, about 200 showed.
• Gov. Sean Parnell filed for re-election at the Division of Elections in Anchorage on Monday at 12:00 p.m.
• New RNC Alaska team: Last fall, I reported that Michael Shirley was on the ground in Alaska as the RNC’s state operative. His focus in the last months was on the East Anchorage Assembly race, which didn’t really work out well for Adam Trombley, the Republican in the race. Now Shirley’s gone and a new team of RNC operatives is on the ground, headed, people say, by Greg Bailor, who was most recently the RNC state director for Nevada.

Upcoming events:

1. May 19th, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Women for Mallott Kick-off at Mallott for Governor campaign headquarters located at 505 West Northern Lights Blvd., Anchorage. (This one is interesting enough to draw me out of my cave.)
2. May 19th, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell for Senate fundraiser at Turkey Red in Palmer. Co-hosted by former Rep. Lynn Gattis staffer Erick Cordero, and state Sen. Lesil McGuire’s campaign manager Harmony Shields, among others.
3. May 21st, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Dan Sullivan for Lt. Governor Fundraiser at the home of Larry and Wendi Partusch, 900 Botanical Heights Circle, Anchorage.
4. June 5th, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Fundraiser for Reps Gabrielle LeDoux and Mia Costello at Le Mex off Diamond Blvd., Anchorage.

• In some places they golf. In Wasilla, they shoot things. All in all a perfect place for Saturday’s Outdoor Heritage Foundation’s charity shoot. Who knew that Rep. Lynn Gattis has such aim? She hit 75 out of 100 birds, beating former special ops Senate President Charlie Huggins. Rep. Don Young was there and was reported to be impressed with Gattis’ shooting, too. Sen. Cathy Giessel hit the fewest birds, but she got an “A” for effort. Other legislators that participated in the event included Reps. Craig Johnson, Eric Feige and Dan Sadler. Kevin Sweeney showed representing Sen. Lisa Murkowski. And where there’s guns, the Safari Club president and lobbyist Eddie Grasser will follow.
• The anti-pot folks got their first big donation from Chenega Corp, which is giving $25,000 to fight against the pot legalization initiative. The group that’s getting the dough is calling itself Big Marijuana. Big Mistake. Vote No on 2 Campaign. Wait for it… BM² for short? “Rural Alaska will be disproportionately harmed if the initiative passes, and we have a duty to protect our communities,” Chenega said.
• As a reminder of a lost friend, U.S. Sen. Mark Begich’s campaign is putting Stephen Gingrich’s initials on 4 x 8 signs. Gingrich was a dedicated volunteer who always put up the “big signs” in Anchorage for races large and small, and then he took them down when races were over.  He passed away in a tragic accident last year and he is sorely missed.
• Deborah Bitney, the administrative services director for Alaska Gasline Development Corp. is leaving to pursue other professional interests. Deborah is wife of lobbyist and former Palin staffer John Bitney.
• Former KFQD talk show host, Dan Fagan, who has been spending his time talking in front of a mic in the lesser state of California, is heading back to Alaska and is looking to get back into radio. He’s supposedly picked up some bad habits in the land of milk and honey. He eats better, for one, and has shed some pounds. And even more disturbing: he’s supposedly kinder. As we all know, there’ a fix for that. It’s called Alaska. Anyway, word has already gotten around and on Monday, he got a call from Sen. Mark Begich, congratulating him on his imminent return. This even though there were few in Alaska that were harder on Begich during his time as mayor of Anchorage and in his run for Senate. There’s a lesson in there…

 

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com 

• Mat-Su musings: Wasilla mayor Vern Rupright, who people say is looking young and spry, is said to be considering an independent bid for the House District 7 seat currently held by Rep. Lynn Gattis. Reports are that he’s talking to folks about signing a petition to get his name on the ballot.
• Rep. Bill Stoltze’s bid for the Senate has opened up his District 12 House seat. Now, lots of people want that seat. The first person to announce was Mat-Su Borough assemblyman Ron Arvin, a Republican. The next candidate was Stoltze’s sister in law, Gretchen Wehmhoff, who is running as a Democrat. Now, two of Rep. Mark Neuman’s legislative staffers, Cathy Tilton and Rex Shattuck, are said to be interested and entering the race.
• On the move: Revenue Deputy Commissioner Bruce Tangeman’s last day with the department is Monday, May 12th. He has accepted a position with the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation. It’s likely just as well. It’s said Commissioner Angela Rodell and Tangeman were never the best of friends.
• On Saturday, Ethan Berkowitz hosted a fundraiser for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Byron Mallott. The turnout was rumored to be light, then again it was a beautiful Saturday evening. Upcoming fundraisers:

Gov. Sean Parnell – May 13th luncheon at the Aladin’s Restaurant, Anchorage from 11:45 am – 1:00 pm

GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan – May 13th reception at the home of Dan and Elaine Fauske, 7241 Setter Drive, Anchorage from 5:30 – 7:00 pm.

Gov. Sean Parnell – May 14th reception sponsored by the Alaska Tourism Industry at the Millennium Hotel, Anchorage from 5:00 – 6:30 pm.

Gov. Sean Parnell – May 14th reception sponsored by the Anchorage Women’s Republican Club at the home of John and Julie Papasavasi. 5922 Big Bend Loop, Anchorage from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. (Bring your sweet tooth to this one for desserts galore and Judy Eledge).

DeLena Johnson for state Senate Campaign Kick-off – May 17th from 3:00 – 6:00 pm at the Palmer City Ale House.

Bill Stoltze for state Senate – May 22nd campaign BBQ and reception hosted by Senate President Charlie Huggins at the Pavilion behind the Regan Building located at 3161 E. Palmer-Wasilla Hwy from 5:00 – 7:30 pm.

Hollis French for lite governor – May 29th reception at Nancy Groszek’s house in Turnagain from 4:30 to 7:00 pm at 2512 St. Elias Drive.

• Days until the general election: 177
• The latest buzz of the LA food truck scene is Cousins’ Maine Lobsters out of West Hollywood and like most good things, there is an Alaskan connection. Former Anchorage resident, Clark Bickford, just joined their culinary team. Clark worked in Juneau at the legislative lounge on the second floor of the Capitol during the 2013 legislative session. His parents are lobbyist Frank and Annie Bickford. His brother, Taylor, served as Bill Walker’s campaign manager in 2000, then as the reapportionment director for the state and now runs Strategies 360’s, a public relations/public affairs consulting firm, Anchorage office.
• The Alaska Democratic Party’s Biennial State Convention will be held later this week from May 15 – 18th in Nome.
• Given all the discussion this past legislative session about education funding and teacher’s salaries, I couldn’t help but to share this data point I came across earlier in the week: The earnings of the top 4 hedge fund managers made a combined total salary of $10.4 billion which dwarfs the combined salaries of the 157,800 kindergarten teachers in the United States, earning an average $52,840 per year, which adds up to be about $8.34 billion. Not sure what it means but I thought it was an interesting data poont worth pondering.
• Sarah Palin made a surprise call-in to the Bob and Mark show, earlier this week, long enough to kind of sort of urge Alaskans to support the oil tax repeal on the August ballot and to say some kind words about independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker. Who the heck knows how much impact she’ll have? Nobody. But a respected lower-48 pollster, who gave me the numbers on the promise that I wouldn’t out him or her, said that a poll conducted earlier this year showed that Palin’s favorability rating is only 34 percent. 53 percent of Alaskans view her unfavorably. However, those numbers are among all Alaskan voters Among GOP primary voters, 53 percent have a positive view of her. And remember: because there’s a hot, contested GOP Senate primary race, the election is likely to bring out more GOP voters than Dems. For what it’s worth.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

• As expected, Anand Dubey has filed to run for the House seat soon to be vacated by Democrat turned Republican Lindsey Holmes. Dubey ran against Holmes in 2012 when she was a Democrat. He lost by 10 points. Holmes was popular in her district, and she attracted moderate Republicans .This time around, Dubey will be facing former Assemblyman Matt Claman, who was acting mayor for a brief time in 2009. It’ll still be tough. The district skews Democratic. Obama carried it by 8 points in the last election. Dubey, however, is a hard campaigner and Republicans aren’t going to cede the district without a fight.
• Speaking of Matt Claman: I spoke with him Tuesday night following a joint fundraiser for him and Clare Ross at the home of Penny Zobel and Doug Hall. Claman said about 50 people showed. He said he’s going to run on: support for public education, fiscal discipline and women’s rights. More interestingly, however, is that he said he will not be running on the oil tax repeal. He said that although he signed the petition to repeal the taxes, the report by respected UAA economist Scott Goldsmith that said that the new oil tax regime might be good for the state, has caused Claman to “pause and reflect.” This probably makes him one of the first Democrats outside of Rural Alaska to signal that he might break ranks with the party on this issue.
• From the Conservative Patriots group: “Anchorage CPG meeting will be held this Thursday (May 8th) at 6:30pm at the Alaska Policy Forum conference room (201 Barrow Street, next to Ramada Inn). We will have Ray Metcalfe who will present to us why we should vote to repeal SB21… CPG is currently neutral on this issue.”
• Lisa Murkowski’s campaign thought that it would be a good idea to poll Alaskans during a busy campaign season, when people whose phone numbers are readily available to pollsters have already received dozens of calls, and before we know what her role is going to be after the mid-term elections. Reportedly, at least some of the questions are about how voters feel about her being relatively pro-choice, and about her vote on gay marriage. Her campaign manager Kevin Sweeney said the poll was standard and so were the questions.
• Juneau Water and Sewer fees poised to increase 31 percent over the next three years.
• Anchorage’s East High was named the most ethnically diverse High School in America by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, who is a Wasilla city council member and sister to Anchorage mayor Dan Sullivan, has announced that she’s dropping out of the mayor’s race and will be seeking reelection to her city council seat.
• If a group armed with NGP Van products knock at your door, you might want to open it and ask them some questions about yourself, your voting habits, or the voting habits of your friends. They’ll likely know it. NGP Van specializes in helping progressive campaigns and organizations leverage technology to meet their voter identification, contact and get out the vote goals. Obama swept the elections using the company’s tools. Republicans like to refer to it with awe in their voices as “data driven” campaigns. What it entails, however, is pretty simple. People knock on doors. They ask you questions. They then type the answers into a computer program. Wala! Alaska Democrats have been using the company’s products for years, even before the national Dems caught on. They helped get U.S. Sen. Mark Begich elected last time, and they plan to help again with new expanded products.
• There will be a fundraiser for state Senate candidate Harry Crawford on Saturday May 10 at the home of Joanna Hubbard: 4221 Southpark Bluff Drive. More info here. 

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Wholesale rewrite and correction: The entry on NGP Van was changed significantly from its orginal. 

I wasn’t there, but from what I’ve been told, things weren’t nearly as exciting this year at the Republican Party’s convention as they have been in the past. This is good for the party faithful but not necessarily for writers. Nonetheless, here are few highlights:

• Judy Eledge, pictured, was resplendent.
• With the exception of the vice chair, all of the party officials were elected by unanimous consent. Peter Goldberg was reelected as chair. Frank McQueary got a birthday present in the form of being elected vice chair over Christina Hill. The secretary is Deborah Klebs and the assistant secretary is the Anchorage Daily News columnist Lynn Curry.
• Probably the most buzz-worthy moment at the convention was when Joe Miller said that he refused to commit to support the Republican nominee if it weren’t him. The crowd gasped.
• Convention delegates found an executive summary of a poll on their chairs Friday morning when they arrived for the GOP U.S. Senate candidates’ forum. The poll results showed Senate candidate Dan Sullivan with a 16 percent lead over Mead Treadwell and a 26 percentage point lead over Joe Miller. The idea, of course, was to deflate the other candidates before the start of the forum and let the party faithful know who the clear GOP leader appeared to be. However, 38 percent of primary voters were still undecided. The poll also showed Sullivan within the margin of error but down against U.S. Sen. Mark Begich by 2 percentage points.
• The guy who works for the Democratic group American Bridge 21st Century was asked to leave the convention. The guy, who declined to give me his name last time I saw him, follows Dan Sullivan around like a pilot fish, camcorder in hand, just waiting for him to say something that will go viral and make the Rachel Maddow show. And we wonder why political discourse had been reduced to sound bites.
• All but seven of the GOP conventioneers voted yes to the following question: “Do you want to take back OUR seat from Mark ‘Baggage’ Begich?” This led Alaska Public Media reporter Alexandra Gutierrez to wonder on twitter: Who are those seven people?
• There goes the youth vote: About 70 percent of the GOP delegates voted against an amendment to strike anti-gay language from the party’s platform. Likewise, a resolution to come out against the marijuana ballot initiative passed with 75 percent of the delegates supporting it.
• Opposition to repealing SB 21 and support for school choice were also rallying cries. They were mum on minimum wage and on the Pebble initiative.
• In the wake of Art Hackney’s Super pac’s mention of erectile dysfunction, the Republican Party convention’s auction Friday evening netted $1,400 for Don Young’s calcified walrus penis. A pair of Ted Steven’s 1972 cuff links went for $2,500.
• Lite gov candiates Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan and state Sen. Lesil McGuire both were reported to have done very well at their forum. Mayor Dan was funny and McGuire smart.
• As Republicans were getting along in Juneau, Begich’s campaign had a party for the opening of his Anchorage office. About 100 people came and went. Many, presumably, were volunteers and supporters, but some were likely there for the free hotdogs and burgers, which were served up by Begich himself. Begich volunteers also gathered in five other communities across the state, and were video-conferenced in.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

• A rather limited survey was released on Monday by The Liberty Foundation, a small organization whose plan is to work through the states to promote free markets and “competitive federalism.” The poll found that in a general election matchup, U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan beat Sen. Mark Begich by 5 points. The survey didn’t ask about the other GOP primary candidates Mead Treadwell and Joe Miller. President of Liberty Foundation, Matt Mayer, said that the other names were omitted because they only had a limited number of questions, and it assumed, given the amount of money raised, that Dan Sullivan was the leading candidate. That, however, is a big assumption. The only other public poll recently released was by Rasmussen Reports, which found in March that Mead Treadwell was the only candidate who beat Begich in the general. None of the candidates, including most tellingly Begich, have released poll numbers.
• If laughter and applause was any indication, independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker was the winner in the Anchorage Chamber’s forum on Monday, where all three major candidates answered questions about oil, the economy, and education. Although he’s not necessarily the smoothest talker, and he always has more to say than time allows, Walker’s passion and humor made up his faults. The best of the forum was when he was talking about the federal government’s decision to take into account the animals when it decided not to allow for a potentially life-saving road between King Cove and Cold Bay in rural Alaska. “I like animals,” he said. “My favorite is a caterpillar,” he said referring to the yellow tractors. He also said he liked deer, as in John Deere.
• The GOP’s state convention is this weekend, and the convention program has been released. It features a montage of Republican political pins on the front, including a Bill Walker for Governor pin. Oops! The program also lists every Alaska Republican Party chair since forever, except for the two very colorful and short-lived chairs between Randy Ruedrich and Peter Goldberg. You remember, the chairs who were drummed out of the party, one of whom locked the doors to the party headquarters behind her before skipping town.
• Sources say that the inimitable Judy Eledge will be putting her name in for party chair.
• Senate Bill 21: Sense and Nonsense — ISER’s Dr. Scott Goldsmith will present his recent findings on the controversial oil tax overhaul that will be on the primary ballot this Thursday at the Resource Development Council meeting held at the Dena’ina Center at 7:30 am.
• Two Super PACs have filed with APOC to get involved in the Alaska governor’s race by boosting the candidacy of Democratic candidate Byron Mallott (Mallott-One Alaska PAC) and independent candidate Bill Walker (Walker for Alaska’s Future). To date, no one has yet created one to support Gov. Parnell’s campaign.
• Democrat Clare Ross, who was running against Rep. Lindsey Holmes in West Anchorage, has decided to run for state Senate in that district leaving Matt Claman to take on Holmes. Ross will now be running against Rep. Mia Costello for the seat being vacated by Hollis French. I don’t have anything to go by but a gut, and mine tells me that running against Costello is going to be more difficult than running against Holmes. In 2012, the very flawed candidate Bob Bell nearly beat French. Costello is a much better candidate than Bell.
• For those keeping track of Rep. Lora Reinbold’s birthday trip, the weather in Dubrovnik has been a bit rainy and in the upper 50s to mid-60s.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

The original story said that there wasn’t a McCain-Palin pin on the GOP convention program. That’s wrong. Don’t you worry. She’s there. 

• Rep. Sam Kito III, the newest member of the Legislature who was appointed to serve the remainder of Beth Kerttula’s term, got something special for his birthday: adjournment sine die.
• Republicans will be gathering this upcoming weekend in Juneau for their state convention. The meetings will be held at Centennial Hall, and unlike the convention of 2012, the Ron Paul/Joe Miller factions aren’t expected to make a scene. This is because it’s expensive to get to Juneau. This, by the way, isn’t a coincidence. I’ve been told that one of the main reasons that it was held in Juneau was to keep them away.
• Miller is expected to show, however. He, along with fellow GOP candidates Mead Treadwell and Dan Sullivan, will participate in a candidate forum. But I’ve heard that   the choice of moderator, Ben Brown, isn’t making Miller very happy. Not sure what the problem is. From what I’ve heard he’s polite and well spoken. In fact, maybe that’s the problem.
• There’s a kind of sort of new political consultant in town. Former legislator Tom Anderson has hung out a shingle offering political consulting services. You can expect that he’ll likely be involved in at least one statewide campaign and several legislative races in Alaska this cycle.
• Rep. Peggy Wilson announced her retirement as the legislative session shut down. She has served in the Legislature since January 2001. Already Republican Patti Mackey has announced her candidacy. Mackey is the president and CEO of the Ketchikan Visitors Board. She also serves as a board member on the Alaska Travel Industry Council. She ran in the primary against Wilson two years ago.
• With the legislative session behind us, politicians are wasting no time swinging into full-throttle fundraising mode. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Byron Mallott hosted an event on Saturday at his Juneau campaign headquarters from 3 to 5 p.m. And Gov. Sean Parnell, who is leading in the grab for campaign cash among the three gubernatorial candidates, will be having a fundraiser this Tuesday evening at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Anchorage.
• The Anchorage Chamber will be hosting a gubernatorial forum on Monday. All three candidates—Gov. Sean Parnell, independent Bill Walker, and Democrat Byron Mallott—will be there. (Bonus drinking game: take a slug of water each time Parnell says “fiscal discipline,” Mallott says “communication” and Walker says “gasline.”)
• The buzz from local broadcasting outlets is that California-based Target Enterprises is making inquiries and starting to place media for Gov. Sean Parnell’s campaign. The likely connection between this firm and Parnell is Nick Ayers, who is a partner at Target Enterprises and served as campaign manager for former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s 2012 presidential campaign, as well as executive director of the Republican Governors Association.
• Speaking of fiscal discipline, Parnell’s campaign has so far been pretty good at it, employing only a campaign manager full time. Now he’ll be gearing up. Luke Miller, a member of the governor’s press office, is expected to resign his position and become the chief spokesman for the Parnell campaign. Prior to becoming a state worker and part of the governor office’s press operation over a year ago, Miller worked for Rep. Don Young in D. C., where he actively reached out to reporters and tried his best to avoid the bunker mentality that seems to beset political spokespeople. It’s a mentality that, if put into dialogue, would go something like this:

Spokesperson “Most of the press don’t like us, so we’ll try to only talk to those who do.”

Media: “They won’t talk to the press so they must be doing something wrong.”

Spokesperson: “We can’t get a break because they constantly are suspicious of us.”

Media: “They’re hiding something and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”

• This, in dialogue, is the mentality of a good spokesperson:

Spokesperson: “Most of the press don’t like us, but we’ll continue to try to work on them, mostly through their egos because, aside from legislators and lobbyists, they’re the most egotistical bunch of people alive.”

Media: “They must be doing something wrong, but at least they’re trying!”

Spokesperson: “These poor, penniless people are such tools.”

Media: “I’m such a good reporter that the spokesperson talks to me!”

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

• The big news on Wednesday night, the 93rd day of the session, was the House’s failure to concur with the Senate’s version of the Knik Arm bridge. The House needed 21 for concurrence. It was shy one vote. Both Reps. Bob Lynn and Lora Reinbold were excused. Lynn’s wife was sick and he needed to be with her. Reinbold has been absent from Juneau since Monday, when she left town to head to Dubrovnik to celebrate her 50th birthday. It’s a trip that she had been planning for a year and is more important, apparently, then education or KABATA. This is is only her second session of her first term, so perhaps she, unlike others in her position, doesn’t know yet to not plan anything for a few weeks after session is supposed to be over. Eight majority members voted against the bill, including surprisingly Eric Feige, who is a member of the Mat-Su delegation, and Mia Costello, who is close to bridge booster Bill Stoltze, who is also House Finance co-chair.
• A Jeopardy question worth $800 asked on Wednesday:

• My money is that the Legislature will wrap up and finish on Thursday, the 94th day.
• The state Senate today, passed an amendment to HB 306 keeping the state’s film tax credit alive until 2018. The legislation originally had the tax credit expiring in 2016. Only three senators — Sens. Charlie Huggins, Anna Fairclough and Fred Dyson, voted against the amendment.
• Alaska Department of Administration hosted a town hall meeting Monday evening for state workers and retirees to discuss their problems and concerns with their health care program that is now being managed by Aetna. Approximately 300 people showed up to complain, causing the state to be even more unhappy than they already are with Aetna. A similar scenario played out on Tuesday in Fairbanks, where about 250 people came out.
• Sarah Palin hits the campaign trail this week: On Thursday, April 24, she’ll be in Tulsa, Okla., joining Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee to support constitutional conservative candidate T.W. Shannon’s senatorial bid.  On Friday, April 25, she’ll be in North Platte, Neb., joining Sen. Mike Lee and Governor Kay Orr to support conservative U.S. Senate candidate Ben Sasse.  And on Sunday, April 27, she’ll be in my little sister’s town of Des Moines, Iowa. (Hi Charity!) She’ll be joining Sen. Deb Fischer, Governor Kay Orr, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, and U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst for the “Heels On, Gloves Off” Rally hosted by ShePAC.
• GOP Senate candidates Dan Sullivan, Mead Treadwell and Joe Miller gathered today for the first time together at a KTUU Channel 2 news forum, moderated by Steve MacDonald. It’ll be aired on Friday at 7 p.m. Early word has it that it was relatively tame. No knock out punches. Not even any heated debates, which doesn’t bode well for ratings. But for me at least, it’s either that or Gavel to Gavel, wondering if Reinbold is having fun in Dubrovnik.
• Word is that the tourism lobbyists left Juneau before the Legislature passed a bill that would create the Alaska Tourism Marketing Board, which is important to the tourism industry. Perhaps they’re taking a tour of Dubrovnik?
• Report cards are usually given after work is done. Right? Well, Rep. Scott Kawasaki thought that he might get a jump on things, apparently. On Wednesday, before the Legislature gaveled out and before the education bill passed, he gave the leadership an “F.” For fail.
• Days before the general election: 195.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com