One of the big pieces of news to come out of Thursday’s gubernatorial debate in Kodiak:
Parnell re: 2016 “If I wanted to run for Senate, I would have done it this time when I was recruited to.” #akgov #aksen — Alexandra Gutierrez (@alexgutierrez) August 29, 2014
And:
Parnell: I’m not running against Lisa Murkowski. I called and told her so. #akgov — Amanda Coyne (@Amanda_Coyne) August 29, 2014
Speaking of the governor’s race: Remember that ill-fated W²-dream ticket, where Bill Walker and state Sen. Bill Wielechowski would somehow team up and save the state, or the day, or at least the news cycle? Like all ideas that are too cute for their own good, that one dissipated. But one thing remains firm: People who love such things love their Bills. Walker, is, as we know, still running for governor. And you don’t have to put your ear to close to the ground to hear that there are people encouraging Wielechowski to run for mayor in Anchorage’s April 2015 election and that he may be considering it. Those W² chatterers have gone silent about that dream ticket. Now they’re all about pairing Bill Walker and Byron Mallott, the B² team. How that’s going to work is anyone’s guess. But that doesn’t stop people from guessing, on and on. Some, are just saying that everyone should just shut up and let the men run. And I do refer to men for a reason: This is the first election cycle since 2000 when there hasn’t been a woman running in one of the two major parties in any statewide race. Hint to the two Senate candidates who were asked to name all the candidates for governor: one of them is a she, and her name is Carolyn Clift and she’s smart and capable and she’s a Libertarian. Last week, the AFL-CIO had their convention in Fairbanks. Vince Beltrami was elected to serve as the organization’s president for the third time. Jim Duncan, a former state senator and now business manager for ASEA/AFSCME Local 52, was elected secretary – treasurer. On Tuesday evening, Kenai Borough Mayor Mike Navarre was in Anchorage at former Gov. Bill Sheffield’s Turnagain home for a fundraiser to boost his non-partisan bid for re-election. There were about 40 people there on Tuesday. Democrats. Republicans. Big Oil. Little Oil and oil in between. Navarre is one of the rare Dems who appeal to both oilies and non-oilies alike, which, when you think of the most successful Democrats in the state, is something that they all have in common. Spotted: Cam Toohey from Shell and his wife Michelle who until recently was the COS in the Lt. Governor’s office; Perry Green; Michael Hurley and Marie Evans from ConocoPhillips; Anchorage mayoral candidate Dan Coffey; MSI’s Laurie Fagnani; Lisa Parker from Apache Corp.; the wicked-smart Tim Fitzpatrick; Ryan Tunseth who is the candidate’s nephew, and Emily Snooks from Exxon XTO; ACS executive Linda Leary; leg staffer James Armstrong; and AOGA’s Kara Moriarty. Meanwhile on Tuesday evening, the Midnight Sun Republican Women’s Club was hosting their annual summer picnic at the hillside home of Cathie Straub. Close to 70 people showed. Special guests at the event included: GOP senate nominee Dan Sullivan, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Frank and Nancy Murkowski. Also spotted: Angelina Burney, state Reps. Lance Pruitt and Mia Costello, T.W. Patch, Tim and Kristina Woolston, and Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and his daughter Natalie. Also Tuesday evening, the Democrats had a fundraising event at the Snow Goose with U.S. Sens. Mark Begich and Cory Booker (D – New Jersey). Shortly after I got there, I was told that it was a private event and that media wasn’t invited, which was kind of ironic, considering all the fuss that was made just the week before about media being barred from an event. It was a different animal and they were in their rights, but still. Anyway, before I left, I spotted Kay Brown, chair of the Democratic Party Mike Wenstrup, former party head Deb Williams, Barbara Karl, sate Senate District F candidate Pat Chesbro, Hollis French, Byron Mallott, and Matt Claman’s campaign manager Zoë Gorman, among others. A tracker from the Republican group American Rising was filming from the sidewalk, and was told to “shoo,” but didn’t. Later, Begich and Booker went to the Boys and Girls Club where Booker spoke to a crowd of about 150 about the importance of voting. I’m told that he rocked the house, and the vote. On Wednesday evening, lots of folks in Juneau were focused on the governor’s race. About 150 people to be precise. That’s how many people packed into Salt, formerly Zephyr’s, downtown in the capitol city to support Gov. Sean Parnell’s re-election. The event was sponsored by tourism, but it had GOP grand dame Paulette Simpson’s fingerprints all over it. Carl “Appleseed” Brady, insurance big-wig and long-time board member of the Alaska Permanent Fund, has for several years been growing apples at his office complex in Anchorage. Who would have thought it? Brady entered four different categories of apples in the Alaska State Fair competition and against formidable opposition, walked away with four (!) blue ribbons. It gets better: because he won in all of the categories, and because of his extraordinary horticultural management skills, he was also awarded a purple ribbon. Among those spotted in the audience at United for Liberty’s Senate debate at Anchorage’s Wendy Williamson auditorium on Wednesday night: Sen. Begich’s mom, Peggy, who once ran against Rep. Don Young herself and drove all the way to Alaska from Nevada for the first debate of the general election; GOP chair Peter Goldberg; former NHLer turned political activist Justin Johnson; Mary Mystrom, Will Vandergrift, Dan Fagan, Jeff Landfield, blogger extraordinaire John Aronno, and trackers from both political parties. One of the rules of the debate was that they wouldn’t show. Trackers aren’t paid to follow the rules, however. Mark Begich is having a private meeting with United for Liberty — which is an umbrella for about 15 other libertarian/tea party/conservative groups — on Sept. 1 to try to get the endorsements of their groups. UFL is meeting with Dan Sullivan the next day. And independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker shortly after that. Evidently, Parnell and Mallott haven’t requested a meeting. Here’s the results of the straw poll taken after the debate: 
Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com
LMAO. The people of Alaska are definitely NOT less safe because the state militia — a bunch of over-the-hill soldier wannabes — can’t play army anymore.
Almost as funny is your assertion that an unnamed group of “Treadwell people” know the governor’s plans better than the governor does. How can you be so quick to call the governor a liar because of this without considering the possibility that you were lied to by the anonymous “people” you allegedly quote?
That is a valid summation of the last five years of Sean Parnell. You could add the Sulfolane contamination in North Pole from the now closed refinery that was not mitigated, the failure to end the AGIA agreement after the failed open seasons and after shale gas killed the project to Canada, the current funding two gas parallel gas pipelines (AKLNG and AGDC/ASAP), continued funding of jobs and bonuses for state executives like director of the Kodiak Space Port at $256,000 per year and a $360,000 “performance bonus” to the University President, no intervention to return those KABATA properties to the tax roles until the bridge is actually under construction, continuance of the dysfunctional RCA system to control utility costs to Alaskans, absence of a comprehensive state energy plan and absence of identified transportation corridors crossing state and federal lands to link the regions of Alaska. I agree we can do better…….
,,,good question.. and will he be “recruited” again (hmmm by who???) to replace Lisa because she`s not bought enough? certainly he will, if he`s “recruited” again. That is very likely, with Parnell being in big oil`s pocket. You don`t turn down a Senate seat presented to you by the oil companies money. Another oil lobbyist representing us in DC. Nice move Alaska.
My vote is Bill Walker. His motto is “it`s time”,..and he`s right. It`s time for a good Alaskan who respects the state constitution and what it stands for.. for ALL Alaskans. It`ll end this corporate takeover of our state government right now.
We have a chance to fix this now before we are owned fiscally and politically, and lock-stock-and barrel, by a single controlling industry in this state that doesn`t give an empty beer can about Alaskans when it comes to their bottom lines to report back to headquarters in Houston Texas. I hope Bill and Byron can compromise and do what we know will change the equation. If they cannot, it will make it more difficult to unseat a well-monied incumbent who hides his personal agenda behind oil company “black room” doors, and obfuscating with propaganda (17 million?) because he knows if Alaskans knew the truth (audits) he would be gone. Just saying. If you pad your expenses with claims that are spurious or even non-existent,..how are we to know they are actual expenses when the state has not allowed that office to even “keep up” with modern computers, let alone changes in taxes. Guess who runs THAT department. If you said Parnell your right. Bill Walker won`t be “played” by oil money. He doesn`t want to be Senator. He just wants to fix Alaska and make it the best it can be. That demands we retain our fiscal sovereignty. We won`t do that with Parnell and these birds.
http://juneauempire.com/stories/102807/let_20071028011.shtml
http://www.adn.com/article/20140731/conocophillips-profits-alaska-production-down
http://www.adn.com/article/20130411/oil-tax-cut-may-cost-alaska-billions-more-parnell-contends
Funny, he couldn’t outdo the Walker Campaign during the parades this summer and the Saturday State Fair Parade in Palmer.
What has Parnell done as governor:
1. He appointed Nancy Dahlstrom while a sitting legislator to the governor’s office as his military ‘czar’ in violation of Art. II Sec. 5 of the Alaska Constitution. She not only voted on the creation of the position, she voted on its wages, as well. Therefore, our governor does not obey his oath or the law.
2. Like Murkowski, Sean is not a conservative anything–increases the size of gov’t, biggest budgets, $7M per day spending problem.
3. Like Murkowski, study, study, study, study everything! No decisions, no course of action, no natural gas pipeline after how many years playing governor?
4. AGDC appointment of an out of state oil type. Parnell had to go the Legislature for exception to the law so that he could appoint an Outsider after the howling became too loud against the appointment.
5. He ignored the Japanese who came to make a deal on natural gas. Now, Qatar LNG–Conoco and Exxon’s deal–supply 60% of the Japanese LNG market. He also let walk $3B in investment by Japanese companies after his DNR Commissioner met with them, those companies then went to Kitimat and LA and invested in Shell’s LNG terminal and Chenier’s LNG terminal, respectively.
6. His paradox with this respect campaign. Gov. Sean Parnell ignored 29 allegations of sexual abuse of female Army National Guard soldiers by allowing MG Tom Katkus, his TAG, to push the allegations under the carpet. Allegations which included RAPE of two female soldiers, one multiple times. This is a serious failure of command at every level. The fact that the governor allowed the criminal investigations into the two rapes be suspended in 2011 without cause or justification or notification to the victims is incredible and criminal. Then, the investigation went to a retired general, a retired U.S. marshal and another individual hired by the Pentagon is laughable. Since when does the governor of Alaska have to go OUT OF STATE for an investigating team that has no authority whatsoever when he simply needed to pick up the phone and task the Alaska State Troopers with the job? AS 26.05.300 requires any crime involving NG personnel whether on active duty or not to be dealt with by the state’s criminal justice system. Instead, Parnell allowed Katkus to railroad the entire affair. How is that LEADERSHIP? It is not.
7. Then, there is the virtual erasure of the Alaska State Defense Force as a viable state disaster response asset. Granted, the diminishment started under Sarah Palin, but most of the damage was done under Parnell. Imagine, in a time of war, the Republican Governor of the State of Alaska works to eliminate an all-volunteer segment of the organized militia established under state statute without justification to appease his TAG’s (Katus) personal prejudices and contempt for volunteer assets. Nothing like making the people of the State less safe.
8. Then, there is ELF 13 in the State’s Emergency Plan of Operation that demonstrates a plan to allow for the federal DHS and other federal alphabet agencies to be used in Alaska to keep the peace. This guy want a FEDERAL response to any disaster, knowing full well that when the feds come in, they take over. No leadership, no attempt to preserver our sovereignty, no Alaska left when the feds finish.
9. The EPA raid. Gov. Sean Parnell ARMED the DEC–a state regulatory agency, the State’s EPA if you will–and sent them with the EPA in body armor marked POLICE. Does this governor understand the issue of sovereignty?
10. Izembek Wildlife Refuge road. The state and the native corp negotiated a settlement over that road 2 years ago through Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office. The State put up 44,000 acres to be added to Izembek and the native corp another 12,000 acres to be added to Izembek totaling 56,000 acres for less than 200 ACRES impact. Again, a failure to protect Alaska’s sovereignty and to negotiate a fair settlement. Lives are at stake. Yet, our gov might file a lawsuit? How about enforcing our rights and our sovereignty and building the road–screw the feds. They are in the wrong in this. No leadership.
11. Parnell is weak, a RINO and a failed leader.
12. Parnell intends to run against Murkowski in 2016, Treadwell’s people stated this to me, as I asked, with certainty. Parnell lied at the debate in Kodiak.
To read the supporter’s of Parnell, it appears that we must vote for him because he is a RINO, he violates his oath of office, he failed to produce a pipeline, he ignores market forces, he failed his female NG troops, his record of leadership is not, and he spends money like a drunken sailor–the state is worse off financially than at any time in the recent past. And, he promises more of the same, all the while lying that he intends to serve out his full term if reelected when his LT GOV’s former Senate Campaign staff were certain that the gov intends to run against Sen. Lisa Murkowski in 2016.
ENOUGH!
Time for a change.
Bill Walker won the Kodiak debate, just as he will win the rest. Walker is a Republican running as an Independent, because that was the only way to get into the general election and to force Parnell to debate.
Walker is the right and ONLY person to lead our state. We simply cannot afford Parnell any longer. He’s been too passive on the gas line issue. We are at a critical stage when the money we’ve always relied on will no longer be there. Bill is the only one with the expertise and knowledge to get our gas to market. Bill is BOLD. Parnell is PASSIVE.
Wow. Get em Parnell! You owned the debate last night. I have always been a fan of yours and after last night I know you got the support from all my friends and family as well. Keep up the good work! You are definitely the best choice for Governor.
If you’re going to blog about Anchorage gossip, you best get your characters right. Kristina* Woolston attended the Midnight Sun Republican Women’s Club summer picnic.
Parnell (if he wins) needs to stick around to see what he has wrought. After five years at this time record state spending that is absolutely not sustainable and decreasing state revenues are his legacy. For the good of all of us and our children he had better make good on his promises.
As to; “If I wanted to run for Senate, I would have done it this time when I was recruited to.” We need the Palin translator to decipher that one and who recruited him?
Mallott is a joke. He just needs to go away. French would be a much better candidate to match with Walker. Beating Parnell requires a fighter. French fits that mold.
Both Malloy and Walker are in bed with the unions. That is why the afl-cio and ibew want them to join together. I can’t vote for either.
Now by stating that, I’m afraid of getting my car keyed.
Parnell’s support appears to be steadily growing. 150 people at a fundraiser is unheard of. He might not be the greateset but compared to Walker or Mallott, who aint A LOT, he’s a preety good choice.