Organizationally, things may be a bit chaotic in the Executive Branch, as they are bound to be in a new administration which is pushing out an old administration that isn’t ready to leave yet. Things are  much calmer on the legislative side, which is to be expected. The faces, in leadership at least, are relatively familiar. However, there will be eight new faces in the House in the 29th Legislature this year: five men and three women. Five are Republicans and two are Democrats and one is an Independent who will caucusing with the minority. Here’s a look at who they are:

Adam Wool (D – Fairbanks) – House District 5

Rep.-elect Adam Wool was a late comer to the race gaining his position on the ballot after the Democratic primary nominee dropped out. He is the only Democratic House candidate that beat a Republican incumbent. He will be replacing Rep. Pete Higgins. Wool moved to Fairbanks in 1983 to attend UAF where he obtained a degree in physics. Three years later, he co-founded Hot Licks Ice Cream with his brother. He purchased what is now known as the Blue Loon in 1996 and continues to operate the business as Fairbanks’ top entertainment venue.  His wife, Kate, and he have two young children. He’s said to be a pro-business, pro-hunting Democrat. One insider described him as “More Chris Tuck than Les Gara.” He’s also reputed to be charismatic, and an all-around fun guy to be around, which is going to help to buoy the spirits of the minority.

Dave Talerico (R – Healy) – House District 6 Continue reading →

After a phone call to Sen.-elect Dan Sullivan, which I heard was “short,” Sen. Mark Begich officially conceded on Monday evening. (Read my take on why Begich lost here.) The ballots are still trickling in, but as of Monday, Sullivan has 6,211 more votes than does Begich. Here’s Begich’s concession statement in full, which people are saying is a little short of gracious, followed by Sullivan’s statement:

Alaska is a place unmatched by any other, and the opportunity to represent Alaskans and all of Alaska’s communities in the U.S. Senate has been a tremendous honor for which I am eternally grateful. Alaska deserves a bright future with expanded economic opportunity, equality for all Alaskans under the law, and a strong and prosperous rural Alaska. As a born and raised Alaskan, I will always be involved in my community, and the results of an election have never diminished my desire or passion to achieve these goals.

I’m proud of the work my team and I accomplished to open the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska to development, to move forward Arctic oil exploration, and to protect Alaska’s postal service. Saving the F-16’s in Fairbanks, protecting missile defense at Fort Greely, and securing two new squadrons of F-35’s for Eielson Air Force Base will spur the largest economic investment in Interior Alaska since the construction of TAPS. Continue reading →

• Lisa Murkowski’s 2013 request for an investigation regarding misconduct with the Alaska National Guard resulted in the inspector general determining in May that the allegations could not be substantiated and later released a report that was substantially redacted. APRN reports that Friday, Sen. Murkowski politely asked the IG to reexamine the rigor of its investigation since their conclusions differed so greatly than the National Guard Bureau’s Office of Complex Investigations and asked for an unredacted version of the report to be released. She might have asked in her typically elegant style, but the rest of us were more like, WTF?

• Keystone XL oil pipeline is green for voting in the House, but it could be all for naught due to an obscure Nebraska commission that regulates telephones, taxi cabs and grain bins according to the AP.

• Wishbone Hill coal permits have caught the attention of the Federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM). KSKA reports that last month the state gave the Palmer area mine permission to begin mining, but that caused ire with OSM due to the fact that the state never officially terminated the permits due to inaction by the mine’s earlier owner.

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Gov. elect Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. elect Byron Mallott released a joint statement, following a touching statement by Gov. Sean Parnell conceding the race. Neither Walker nor Mallott spent any time praising Parnell for his six years in office, but the tone of the response isn’t a divisive one. Other politicos and those working for them should take note: 

“I met with Governor Parnell this morning. The tone of the meeting was very cordial and focused on ensuring that Alaskans’ interests are protected and served first in the weeks and months that lie ahead. We also recognized the dedicated effort of our respective campaigns and expressed tremendous gratitude for our families and volunteers. This evening, Governor Parnell graciously conceded the race in order to facilitate a smooth and efficient transition process.”

Lt. Governor-elect, Byron Mallott added: “I am grateful to Governor Parnell and Mayor Sullivan for allowing the transition process to proceed. Bill and I have a lot of work ahead of us. The graceful gesture of the Parnell Sullivan team signals to all Alaskans that it is time to rise together and work as one toward a vibrant and productive future for our state.”

On Friday night, the AP called the governor’s race for Bill Walker. Sitting Gov. Sean Parnell has yet to concede, though he’s down about 4,600 votes, which he won’t be able to make up with the ballots remaining.

Parnell was the lieutenant governor under Sarah Palin. She left her seat to him when she resigned in 2009, and he immediately brought calm to an office that under Palin, was a mess. He won in his own right in 2010, handily beating both Bill Walker and Ralph Samuels in the primary, and Democrat Ethan Berkowitz in the general.

Those who knew him and worked closely with him knew him to be an honest, ethical governor and a good man. And although he didn’t always find a way to adequately trumpet them, Parnell had some major successes. He was able to pass oil tax reform, which, as the price of oil has continued to fall, looks increasingly wise. Say what you want about the compromises he had to make for it, we’re closer to getting a natural gas pipeline built than we’ve ever been. The North Slope is full of new activity and there’s a natural gas renaissance happening in the Cook Inlet. Fisheries groups seem fairly well satisfied. Things have been relatively quiet on the hunting front, which is a near-miracle. But probably his greatest achievement Continue reading →

The election tally isn’t complete, and already people are speculating on 2016, when Sen. Lisa Murkowski will be up for re-election. The National Journal quoted Jim Lottsfeldt, long-time friend of Mark Begich and the person who headed up the pro-Begich super-PAC, as saying that Begich is already considering running against Murkowski, who will likely see a challenger on her right in the 2016 primary. Here’s Lottsfeldt:

“He is already plotting. I’ve spoken with him and he hasn’t made up his mind, but if he doesn’t prevail he’s certainly considering his options in 2016.” (Begich’s campaign declined to comment on the senator’s future plans.)

Perhaps not coincidentally, Murkowski is making some changes to her staff. Althea St. Martin, from Murkowski’s Fairbanks office, is retiring. Former Murkowski and Ted Stevens staffer Jimmy Parrish will be taking her place. Also, staffer Sonia Henrick is moving from Ketchikan to Anchorage, to “enhance my work in the entire Southcentral region,” Murkowski said in a press release. The release indicates that more changes might be in the works.

Clarification: The piece originally said that according to Lottsfeldt, Begich was plotting against Murkowski. Lottsfeldt said that wasn’t true to what he said, which was that Begich is generally plotting his future in 2016, which could include a run against Murkowski or Rep. Don Young. It might seem a small distinction, but it’s a distinction and an important one.

• Keystone is all the buzz, and President Obama’s actions on the pipeline will set the direction and tone of future Executive/Congressional relationships. If he signs onto the bill at the behest of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and other red state Dems, he’ll get flack from his base. If he doesn’t, the 2015 Senate will have enough votes to override a presidential veto, per The Hill. As for Keystone’s meaning to Alaska, Senator-elect Dan Sullivan’s answer on this issue while on the Greta Van Susteren was interesting. Sullivan might want to read this article from the Fiscal Times that also explains how current oil prices could spell death for Keystone.

• If the Unity Ticket does prevail in the Alaska gubernatorial race, Sabato’s Crystal Ball reminds everyone that our state will be the only one this election cycle that kicked out both an incumbent governor and senator.

• Taxes got Capone and it looks like Campaign Disclosures is going to get Charlo (F*%k it! I quit) Greene. The Dispatch has the lowdown on what fines APOC has smacked Greene with relating to her fundraising activities for the Alaska Cannabis Club. Here’s a little advice to those that work in the gray area of the law: hire an accountant.

• Mark Begich hasn’t done it himself, nor does it appear that the Alaska Democratic Party will do it, so it appears that others in the Senate will admit that he lost. Here’s Sen. Mary Landrieu conceding on his behalf. It’s certainly not the way Uncle Ted did it. But there is still time left for beautiful speeches before Christmas break.

• It seems that Vice President Joe Biden has once again saved President Obama. This time, from just the idea of impeachment because as Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) told The Hill when asked about impeaching the president: “Have you met Joe Biden?”

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Here’s GOP Senator-elect Dan Sullivan on Greta Van Susteren, who asks an interesting question about whether or not Keystone Pipeline will lower the price of oil and cut into Alaska’s coffers:

Either this is a new idea for Sullivan, or he wasn’t prepared for the question. I remember asking Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s spokesperson a while back about how Keystone would affect Alaska, and the answer was along the lines of what’s good for the country is good for Alaska, which is a pretty good answer. But still, it might sting if and when that oil comes down Keystone. Even pre-Keystone, the price of oil is tumbling. On Thursday, crude oil traded for less than $75 a barrel for the first time in more than four years. And it looks like the tumble will continue given that Saudi Arabia, increasingly nervous about the shale oil boom in the U.S, is refusing to cut production. In other words, things aren’t looking good for Alaska.

This is from a comment by Lynn Willis on the subject: Continue reading →

We hear a lot about and learn a lot about candidates during an election cycle. Frankly, it can be argued that we can sometimes know too much, particularly now that partisan trackers are running around with video cameras capturing a candidate’s every move. We hear and know less about the people behind the candidates and the campaigns, the number crunchers, the people who formulate strategy, who communicate with the public, who organize the volunteers, people who are doing the hard work to make a candidate and a campaign work. They tend to want to stay out of the limelight, but sometimes they play a bigger role than the candidate does.

In almost every political campaign there is a campaign manager or coordinator. Additionally, statewide campaigns usually have several political operatives filling a variety of positions such as press secretary, scheduler, volunteer coordinator, field directors and more. While statewide campaigns may have large staffs, most of the smaller races have only one or two campaign staffers who do everything and are often hardly paid or are volunteers.

It’s stressful work, often made more stressful because candidates can be control freaks with big egos. And then there’s the spouses. One of the biggest challenges for campaign staffers is often to get the candidate out of the way.

Here are just a few of the more visible operatives who worked in Alaska this election cycle, who fought to get the candidate out of the way. Continue reading →

• CH2M Hill announced that they would be considering selling their oil, gas and chemicals assets in Alaska. KTVA reports this would impact more than 2,000 of its employees.  CH2M Hill is Alaska’s 6th largest employer.

• The “Worst Ad of the Campaign” award goes to Sen. Mark Begich’s Jerry Active ad, so says the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza. On the face of it, there were worse ads, but none did as much harm to a candidate as did the Active ad, so says Cillizza, a fact that continues to be repeated and one that I’m not sure I buy.

• Politico has the inside dirt on how Loretta Lynch came to be President Obama’s Attorney General pick (hint: She was far from his first choice).

• Human Rights Campaign issued a report yesterday detailing a marked improvement for LGBTQ equality in Fairbanks from the previous year. Fairbanks Mayor John Eberhart told the Fairbanks News Miner that; “his administration has undertaken several tasks in an attempt to improve the city’s openness to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.” If that doesn’t deserve two snaps, I don’t know what does.

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