• Birthdays: Democrats are singing Happy Birthday today to their gubernatorial candidate Byron Mallott. He was born three score, one decade and a year ago. In other words, he’s a very young 71. Today is also the birthday of former legislator Jay Kerttula. He is the only Alaska legislator who has served as both the Speaker of the House and as President of the Senate. He’s celebrating his 86th birthday.
• Days until the general election: 212.
• Sen. Mark Begich had a fundraising brunch this morning at the home of Frank and Deena Mitchell on Westchester Circle in Anchorage. One of the co-hosts, former Begich staffer and now at BP, Julie Hasquet, appears to have skipped the event for the sun of LA. She was spotted yesterday at a Dodgers game eating ballpark Dodger dogs.
• Deputy Commissioner of Commerce, JoEllen Hanrahan, has announced her retirement effective May 1st. This will be the second time this position has been open in the past 6 months.
• Mary Streett joins BP as Vice President and Head of U.S. Government Affairs. In that role, Streett will oversee federal, state and local government relations, and will likely make a few trips to Alaska. Streett also worked in the Clinton Administration at the White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
• Last night was the annual legislative skits, the staffer-produced roast of all things worth roasting in the state capital. Number one victim? Rep. Lora Reinbold and her comment last session about students grinding on dance floors. Or something. Word is, however, she was a good sport. Best party treats? Fred Dyson condoms and Pete Kelly pee sticks, which were on every table. I’m told that all in all, it was a relatively mild skits, but that might have had to do with the fact that staffers for Senate leadership were told they couldn’t partake.
• The real drama supposedly happened after the skits, when the beer flowed and a certain legislator began crying over romance going wrong. Take your best guess.
• The Republican National Committee is opening a field office to help elect Republicans in the Mat-Su Valley. The office will be manned by political operative Paul Cason who will serve as the RNC Mat-Su Field Director. There will be an open house in the new offices located in the Regan Building in Wasilla on April 12th from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
• A political committee supporting Ballot Measure #1, Vote Yes! Repeal the Giveaway, was filed with APOC on April 2nd. Former senator Vic Fischer is the Chair and Roselyn Cacy will be the Treasurer. The filing also shows that Rep. Scott Kawasaki, Sean McGuire, David Matheny and Patrick Levin will serve as deputy treasurers.
• What I’m looking into this week: SB 211 – HB 317: A mouthful of a bill: “ An Act providing for the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to hold the surface estate of certain state land; relating to the transfer of certain state land and materials; relating to the lease, sale, or disposal by the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities of rights-of-way, property interests, or improvements; relating to the grant of certain easements over submerged state land to the federal government; relating to the conveyance of land for right-of-way purposes from the Alaska Railroad Corporation to the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities; and providing for an effective date.” What does it do? Lots. From a citizen’s letter: (The bill) creates a new and unprecedented approach for determining land ownership and management in Alaska.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com