Local realtors, smarting over the fact that the National Realtors PAC is supporting Sen. Mark Begich, had a fundraiser for GOP Senate candidate Dan Sullivan on Thursday night that drew about 75 people. Sen. Lisa Murkowski showed and reportedly gave a rousing speech. The hosts included Michael Droege, Bob Baer, the recent named Realtor of the Year in Anchorage, and Buddy Bailey of Bailey’s Furniture fame, sans basketball. Others spotted: Dan Wolf, Mike Mosesian, Gabe Stephan, state Sen. Lesil McGuire, Kevin Sweeney, Frank McQueary and a gaggle of real estate agents.
With just a little over a week to go until Election Day, many candidates are at each other’s throats. Not so with Fairbanks candidates in Senate District C. The incumbent Republican candidate Sen. Click Bishop was seen having lunch on Friday at the Lucky Wishbone Restaurant in Anchorage with his Democratic opponent Dorothy Shockley who is also a cousin to Bishop’s wife. Others seen at The Bone during the same lunch hour: Barrow resident and former ASRC executive Oliver Leavitt and, DOA commissioner Curtis Thayer and his son Matthew.
From the grumbly and disgruntled: Did an APOC commissioner really move to North Carolina and is still serving on the Commission? Is the state going to have to pay for the travel?
Is peace in the Middle East at hand? Don’t count on it. Rev. Jerry Prevo and a group of about 50 Anchorage Baptist Temple parishioners are in Israel this week.
Sen. Mark Begich has been racking up the endorsements: The powerful Alaska Federation of Natives endorsed him on Saturday, and on Sunday, so did the Fairbanks News-Miner. Challenger Sullivan picked up one of his own this week. He got the endorsement from Democratic state Sen. Lyman Hoffman, from Bethel. Hoffman is well-liked and known as one of the shrewdest and most cunning politicians in the state. I’d love to know the back story to this cross-party endorsement .
Speaking of Democrats endorsing Republicans, word is that another significant Democratic endorsement is coming early this week to a statewide Republican candidate. Stay tuned.
Did anyone notice that the Lisa Murkowski ad endorsing Don Young disappeared this week? Word is that Lisa was aggravated with Don’s insensitive remarks before an assembly of students at Wasilla High School. Now there is an apology letter, a radio ad from his campaign explaining it and, yes, another kind of sort of incident.
Speaking of ads appearing and disappearing earlier this week, Begich’s controversial Hortonesque-style Jerry Active ad reappeared to everyone’s surprise on KTVA Channel 11. Both Sullivan’s and Begich’s campaign were outraged and pointing fingers. It wasn’t meant to air; simply put, it was a trafficking error by KTVA. An interesting and ironic note: The ad first was scheduled to play over the Labor Day weekend. However, KTVA made a trafficking error then as well, and played it early, allowing a brouhaha before the holiday started, which resulted in some negative press and an admonishment of the Begich campaign by the victim’s family lawyer before being removed from the air.
Ever since my story appeared about First Lady Sandy Parnell, people have been wanting to know who cuts her hair. The answer: When she’s in Juneau, she goes to Kathleen Donohoe at First Impressions Hair Salon. When she’s in Anchorage, she trusts Deanna Pruhs with the scissors. Who wouldn’t? Pruhs is considered one of the best stylists in the state and is said to be tough to get an appointment with.
On Saturday, AFN elected Tanana Chief Conference’s Jerry Issac, to join Ana Hoffman of the Bethel Native Corp., as co-chair of the statewide organization. Issac defeated incumbent Tara Sweeney with ASRC in a very close vote. AFN also voted to endorse Mark Begich for Senate, the Walker – Mallott gubernatorial ticket, and opposed the initiative to legalize pot. Some are wondering if Sweeney lost her co-chair position at AFN because of her public support for Dan Sullivan’s senate bid.
And while Alaska Native politics were in full force elsewhere on Saturday, Sen. Anna Fairclough and her (yes! she got married) husband, John McKinnon, celebrated their marriage with friends and family at a reception at the Hotel Captain Cook.
The annual AFN banquet was also held Saturday evening at the Dena’ina Center. As always, it was a sold-out function. Governor Parnell and his wife were the guests of NSB Mayor Charlotte Brower and her husband Eugene, Also at the table were Jake and Lucile Adams, Rep. Ben Nageak, Andy Baker and the governor’s rural affairs advisor John Moller. Sen. Mark Begich and wife Deborah sat with, and were the guests of, AFN president Julie Kitka. GOP senate hopeful Dan Sullivan and his wife Julie sat with ASRC chair Crawford Patkotak and his wife Laura, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and husband Vern, Oliver Leavitt and wife Annie. Unity ticket gubernatorial candidates Bill Walker and Byron Mallott sat with their wives, Donna and Toni, and family members, which took up two tables.
Don’t miss “Lame Ducks and Dark Horses” playing at the Triumvirate Theatre just north of Kenai. The community theater troupe is said to be really good at reality political theater, perhaps because they have so much to work with. Sen. Peter Micciche has a cameo role starring as a pizza delivery man, who delivers a pizza to the Palin family house just after one of their infamous brawls. Does Bristol punch him in the face? Does Track approach shirtless? Does Palin scream at him, “Do you know who I am?” Find out for yourself. The last two shows are Friday, October 31st and Saturday, November 1st.
This meow from House candidate Patti Higgins’ campaign manager:
Speaking of antics: Did anybody really believe that this incident wouldn’t pop up (or out) again? This ad recently seen on the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner’s website:
Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com
Forecast, what well documented abuses at DNR? The superior court issued a 100 plus page decision completely debunking all of Trustee’s claims.
Not so. The case is now before the Alaska Supreme Court.
It should also be noted that Parnell is trying to bankrupt Vic Fischer as well in this same case. Both Bella and Vic were public interest litigants trying to stand up to the well documented abuses by DNR. Both Bella and Vic have no financial interest in this case. They were just standing up for Alaskans. Now this dirty little governor wants them to lose their homes. How venal. And not surprising that Randy Ruedrich is now heading up the effort to prop up Parnell with a fortune in outside money. Ruedrich is a real piece of work. Biggest fine ever for doing party business on state time. Massive felony indictments and convictions for dumping toxic waste when he was connected to Doyon Drilling.
One can judge people by the company they keep.
Forecast, Trustees for Alaska sued the state over temporary water use and land use permits and put Belle Hammond as the lead plaintiff. The litigation took weeks and consumed a huge amount of state resources and people’s time defending against a meritless lawsuit, which Trustee’s lost. The state then moved for attorney’s fees — which is standard practice. If Trustee had not taken such an aggressive and wasteful approach to litigation, perhaps the plaintiffs wouldn’t owe anything.
Sweeney isn’t the only high profile Native to endorse Dan – add Senator Hoffman and many of the folks on the North Slope to the list.
“Some are wondering if Sweeney lost her co-chair position at AFN because of her public support for Dan Sullivan’s senate bid.”
You think? Not to mention her connection to Lisa Murkowski, who with her staff have been pulling out the stops to help anti-Native subsistence rights candidate Dan Sullivan. This- and Murkowski’s unnecessary attacks on her Democratic colleague – did not go unnoticed at AFN, and it will be interesting to see how that plays when the 2016 election cycle rolls around.
How about the picture of Parnell sticking out his tongue? The web site Parnellbreakdown caught him in the act. Look under the link, “governor goof off”.
There is also an article there that details- with sourced links- about how Parnell is such a jerk that he is trying to bankrupt Bella Hammond. It is shocking, and true. Venal little governor- using state resources to go after Alaskans he does not like.
@Grammar. Arggh. Worse yet, I thought I was being so clever, as one does when it’s late, you’re bleary-eyed, et at…
From the it’ll come back to haunt you file:
“Very conservative ideologies scare the hell out of us, because of our circumstance”
Byron Mallott
I see Randy Ruedrich is mounting an ad campaign against Walker /Mallott with outside money.
So now it’s a question of are you voting for the Palin Candidate or the Ruedrich shill?
Who is the APOC member that moved to North Carolina? When did this happen?
Funny at AFN how when they introduced all the elected officials they “forgot” to introduce the governor. Keeping it classy at AFN.
“Tongue-gate” aside, it’s time for Fairbanks to realize that Scott Kawasaki is an ineffective legislator. Scott’s campaign slogan may be, “works hard, gets things done,” however, the only time he “works hard” is when drafting his constituent newsletter, which typically take credit for capital projects he had nothing to do with, or boasts about his personal legislation that never receives a committee hearing. The latter half of Scott’s slogan is most ironic, because after his newsletters are printed, it’s the House pages that stuff them in envelopes and “get things done.”
It’s “Whose tongue,” not “Who’s tongue.” I know it’s late. You’re tired. We all do it. Just saying. 😉
Time to replace Scott Kawasaki, Don Young and any others that are diisplaying public acts of insensitivity or immaturity. I’m sure there are others. If we expect more, we’ll get more.
Thanks for the heads up about “Lame Ducks and Dark Horses.” I love political satire.