Anchorage lines up for LaFrance
The pendulum swings as Alaska's largest city makes a hard pivot to the left. Also, this is the last day of session (unless there's a 10-day extension).
Good morning from Somewhere in Alaska!
City blue: Looks like LaFrance will win as mayor of Anchorage
Don’t expect her 10-point lead to be eroded enough for Mayor Dave Bronson to remain in office for a second term. Anchorage once again will be ruled by a Democrat (technically, she is an N, but is clearly a D), and she will have the Assembly majority on her side.
LaFrance chaired the contrary Assembly for the first two years of Bronson’s tough three years as mayor. She says she will bring back competence … Look for LaFrance to bring on termed-limited Assemblyman Felix Rivera on board as homeless coordinator and bring back former Assemblywoman Austin Quinn-Davidson as city attorney. She will also find a place for Assemblywoman Meg Zaletel, who is in her last term, and expect to see Bill Falsey and Bill Popp come back to plum jobs at the city. It’s all the spoils of war.
Mighty Mat-Su? You folks may want to start planning for another school or three. And get your housing permitting process tuned up as conservatives pick up and move their kids out of Anchorage.
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Chugach Electric Association election
Chugach Electric’s annual meeting and election is Friday, May 17, 2024, 6 – 7:30 p.m. at ChangePoint Alaska. The annual meeting will be held the same day as Chugach's Member Appreciation Event. Will CEA continue its path toward brownouts?
Last day of session
The House and Senate gavel in at 11 a.m. and it will be another marathon day. It takes a two-thirds vote to extend the session by 10 days. Here is the day’s schedule.
Who wore it better?
Rep. Genevieve Mina and Rep. Jennie Armstrong may be sharing a Stitch Fix (or Rent the Runway) account. Same earrings, different day. The two are the core of the fashion caucus in the House.
Who wore it better II?
Democrats Sen. Loki Tobin of Anchorage chose a prison-orange kuspuk, while Rep. Maxine Dibert of Fairbanks chose a raven-and-rainbow one. Democrats are breaking the rules by wearing kuspuks on days other than Fridays more and more this year; no one calls them out on it.
Who wore it better III?
Anchorage Democrats Rep. Zack Fields and Rep. Cliff Groh with their respective anti-fashionista statements on the House floor.
Stuff it: Sen. Giessel shoves 52-page pension plan into governor’s one-page bill addressing teacher shortage, Senate passes it
Then Giessel pulls back the amendment after getting yelled at in caucus … and was that a veiled threat against Senate President Gary Stevens that she made about his house would be broken into if her amendment didn’t pass?
Video: House passes bill to protect girl athletes, after Democrats drone on about false ‘genital exam’ strategy
Rep. Zack Fields put in his latest newsletter that the new bill requires genital inspections.
Taking his Ls like a man-child
Pages quit House
We don’t have all the details but it appears that the generation of pages working in the Alaska House are not made of the same stock as previous generations. Three walked out, along with the assistant sergeant of arms, saying they are just tired of the marathon sessions.
One of them wrote on social media that “Unfortunately, marathon floor sessions and working staff until they collapse are the key reasons myself and the other floor staff conducted a respectful, silent walkout.” Expect a pages’ union to be organized soon.
PFD agreed to by House, Senate negotiators: $1,655
This is the PFD plus the energy aid for Alaskans combined. It must pass the House and Senate before midnight.
Video shocker: Sen. Kiehl aligns with George Soros, Arabella
Kiehl says some crazy things on a normal day but now he says if you say “Soros,” that’s a dog whistle. And nobody wants to be accused of a dog whistle, right? Because that would be anti-semitic. Turns out, there’s one huge irony here…
Seward dock funding moves ahead but Port Mac rail is stripped
Port Mac is in a red district, while Seward is in a district of one of the members of the Senate majority, run by Democrats.
Hunters and states snubbed: Peltola sides with wolves and feds
What would Don Young have done? Not this crazy vote against states and against hunters and ranchers.
Alabama governor signs law banning ranked-choice voting
Gov. Ivey and the Legislature stopped this monster in its tracks.
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Interest payments on fed borrowing exceed budget of Defense, Medicare
Oh America, you’ve got a $35 trillion national debt that is not slowing down. Warning lights are flashing.
On the move
Longtime Juneau City Attorney Robert Palmer is resigning this summer to join an Anchorage-based law firm.
Who has filed
Sheldon Prout of Kodiak has filed against Rep. Louise Stutes. Both are Republican. Sheldon worked as an intern for Sen. Murkowski in 2018.
Without comment
Senate proposal strips Hamas-sympathizing students of federal aid
The U.S. Senate is controlled by Democrats. This won’t go anywhere until after there’s a new majority.
Question of the week
This day in history
May 15, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act establishing the Department of Agriculture.
Columns
Scott Walter: The rise of left-wing nonprofit journalism
In Alaska’s capital and in 49 other states, States Newsroom is shaping the news now more than AP. Who is behind it?
Michael Tavoliero: Power of the governor to enforce Alaska’s Constitution
The NEA controls far too much in Alaska, and it’s unconstitutional.
Hilcorp Alaska: Powering Southcentral Alaska’s past, present, and future
A team of more than 1,500 Alaska employees has worked to stabilize the natural gas supply for the Railbelt, drilled more than 155 new wells, implemented new technologies, and repaired aging infrastructure.
Mead Treadwell: America’s Arctic focus must also turn to Antarctica
More intensive U.S. security “deliberation” might best be directed now toward Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
Tim Murtaugh: News media that botched huge stories appoint themselves arbiters of truth again
We’re six months away from the November General Election. What tricks will the media play this time?
Mary Ann Pease: All options should be on the table for Southcentral and Interior energy crisis
An alarm bell sounded in April 2022, when Hilcorp stated that they were not going to contract for gas supplies beyond their current commitments.
Win Gruening: Juneau Assembly ignores voters, ramps up spending
Over the years, the city has developed a bad habit of over-collecting property taxes and underestimating sales tax receipts
Harold Hollis: Don’t be fooled by the incumbents in Chugach Electric Association’s election
The two incumbents up for election on the Chugach Electric Board don’t deserve to continue. Voting in the annual election began on April 17 and ends May 17.
Pam Bondi on the STAND podcast with Tshibaka
This is a case that the Justice Department years ago declined to prosecute. The Southern District of New York also declined to prosecute. The statute of limitations expired years ago.
Alaska oil: $85.97
Henry Hub gas: $2.38
Alaska North Slope Production: 457,504
Permanent Fund (principal and earnings reserve): $80,259,800,000
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