People in the Sun
New Gigs -.- Respected Johnny Ellis staffer Amory LeLake is jumping ship before the very special session gets underway. She is moving over to be the Public Information Officer for the Muni’s Director of Health and Human Services. LeLake and Matt Moser, who recently departed to work for NEA-ALaska, will be replaced by former Bill Wielechowski intern Sarah Evans and former Bettye Davis staffer Richard Benavides.
The Recruiter -.- Word is out former Owner of Motznik Information Services Lori Davey has been hired by the Alaska Republican Party to recruit better candidates and perhaps even a new party chairman. It will be interesting to see not only the quality, but the brand of Republican candidate Davey is able to come up with. She is well known within party circles for being a far more moderate “Lisa” person than a staunch conservative “Joe” person…and she has a penchant for saying so.
Stayin Put -.- It seems that while the recently fired Kip Knudson had spent a few years in D.C. reppin the Alaskans as our chief lobbyist to the fed, his reputation in Alaska is rock solid. Sources tell me the Alaska Chamber of Commerce was pushing hard to get him to take their top position that Rachel Petro recently announced she was vacating. Unfortunately for the Chamber, Knudson appears to be staying in D.C. since his kid likes school there and his wife Paula Conru works for Rep. Don Young.
Midnight Sun on the Air!!!!
Master of Morning Radio Rick Rydell (AM 650 KENI) has asked us to come on every week and share Friday in the Sun with his audience. So listen for our inside scoop every Friday morning at 7:35.
Fun in the Sun
Political Death Panels -.- It might be worth your time to drop by the Alaska Policy Forum conference room today around 4 PM. That is when a few local candidates have been invited to come sit before a board of Assemblywoman Amy Demboski, Tom McGrath, and a few others to have their conservative credentials judged. I’m thinking Luke 6:37 is appropriate here.
Here it Comes -.- Word is the Rasmuson Foundation, who has been paying for polling on Alaska’s budget problems and championing the message the state needs to embrace new revenue streams from the Permanent Fund and taxes, now has a slate of TV ads set to hit the air. One has to wonder if this will put Rasmuson Foundation board member and South Anchorage State Senate candidate Natasha Von Imhof in an awkward position. She’ll either have to defend Rasmuson’s politically unpopular position or distance herself from a board made up largely of members of her family.
He’s baaaaack -.-. It is a little shocking the mainstream media has missed the fact that Jim Clark, former Chief of Staff to Governor Frank Murkowski, is back in the same job for Gov. Bill Walker… And I have that from a rock-solid source, Alaska’s Senior Senator Lisa Murkowski. At least that’s according to her July 2015 Federal Elections Commission filing which includes this entry:
You don’t think there is any chance that is a clerical error, do you?
Fly Into The Sun
If you have morsels you’d like shared in this column please email me at mnsunak@gmail.com. If it is interesting and true-ish, I’ll put it out there.
Friday Facebook Fun
Old School Awesomeness -.- For those who think politics has gotten nastier in the last 20 years, check out this clip of a TV debate between Uncle Ted and Theresa Obermeyer
Full Of Good Ideas -.- Executive Director of the Alaska Policy Forum posted this ditty of a policy idea the other day:
Forecast
The Very, Super Special Legislative Session Starts Tomorrow…YAY!!!!!
Tis the Season (Part 1) -.- Legislators are barred from campaign fundraising during legislative sessions, even special sessions, so there won’t be nearly as many fundraisers over the next few weeks. That doesn’t mean there isn’t political activity, however. It is after all Presidential Debate Season so maybe you can check one of these out:
Tis the Season (Part 2 -.-) It is apparently also the season for conservative campaign training as all of these are going on in the near future. If you are a conservative but aren’t fully campaign trained by early November it’s pretty much your fault. By “fully campaign trained” I mean it in the truest Alaska campaign sense, that you know how to wave a sign, find the proper places to wave signs, and how to recruit others to wave signs, because that is what wins elections.
Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership
Fairbanks
SATURDAY, OCT 24, 2015 – 10:00 AM
Faith Baptist Church
Anchorage
SUNDAY, NOV 08, 2015 – 1:00 PM
Anchorage Lofts Hotel
Americans for Prosperity – Alaska
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Twitter.
