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Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He spent three years based in Juneau for the ADN before joining the Tacoma News-Tribune to write about Washington state politics. He went to Iraq twice for the News Tribune, and previously wrote about Alaska government and politics for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers politics and other stories for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously was a reporter at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com

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Legislative Council to meet; Monegan on agenda?

Posted by Wesley Loy

Posted: July 24, 2008 - 2:40 pm

From Wesley Loy in Juneau –

Just received word the Legislative Council has called a meeting for 1 p.m. Monday.

On the agenda: nomination of a new chairman and “other business.”

The presumptive new chairman is Juneau Democratic Sen. Kim Elton, whom Senate President Lyda Green named to replace the outgoing Sen. John Cowdery.

The “other business” part is more intriguing. This could concern the hiring of an independent investigator to look into Gov. Sarah Palin’s controversial firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.

I just ran up to Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom’s office to try to find out more about Monday’s agenda, but her door was locked.

Dahlstrom is the Legislative Council’s vice chair.

For more background on the council’s function and the Monegan issue, check out our story in today’s Daily News.

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3 July 24, 2008 - 4:28pm | yours_truly

Dear Legislature:

Please read Halcro's latest post about Todd Palin called "Shadow Governor" and look into that while you're doing business. The corruption in the Governor's office and family needs to stop!

http://www.andrewhalcro.com/shadow_governor

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July 24, 2008 - 11:59pm | ak_mba

I'll Second That

I am sure an independent investigator will be called to look in to this entire mess. I agree that Todd Palin's actions should also be investigated.

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July 25, 2008 - 1:02am | Sheridan_Sheraton

He's a North Slope BP Union Guy.

Works for a Big Oil company. How could he be bad enough to be investigated?

Maybe for the new moniker, find a new one besides Brittish Petrol. Broken Pipeline,etc.

How about Bought Palin?

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2 July 24, 2008 - 3:03pm | Stags_Leap

Cyr speaks out

http://thesewardphoenixlog.com/news/show/2840

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July 24, 2008 - 3:06pm | rfn

Didn't he

once work as a trooper. Back before............

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1 July 24, 2008 - 2:53pm | black33

Kos: Palin scandal shakes up House race

Here's was a democratic-leaning blog is saying

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/7/22/185110/659

Sarah Palin is the governor of Alaska, and a hugely popular one, with approval ratings hovering in the 90 percent range. She was even discussed as a potential VP pick for McCain.

Or, that used to be the case, as her administration is rocked by revelations that she and her family used the governor's office to carry out a vendetta against a policeman who was a former brother in-law, up to firing the public safety commissioner because he wouldn't fire the trooper. The top wingnut radio host in the state, a huge fan, has turned on the governor big-time, declaring her a one-term governor. The Republican-dominated state legislature is talking investigations. For a state party rocked by scandal, who had seen Palin as a savior -- clean and new, this abuse of power scandal has to be crushing.

Palin doesn't face the voters for another two years, but this scandal has more immediate aftershocks.

We all want Rep. Don Young in the general, as his years of corruption have caught up to him. Polls are showing that Alaskans want change, and Democrats are poised to pick up the seat. Threatening those plans are a competitive Republican primary, as the GOP desperately tries to oust Young and replace him with a less tarnished name.

Lucky for us, two Republicans entered the fray, splitting the anti-Young vote. But one of those two was a top contender -- Lt. Governor Sean Parnell. Can you see where this is going?

Parnell has tied his entire campaign thus far to Sarah Palin, using her popularity to boost his efforts. Today, word is that Parnell has pulled all ads with references to Palin. Her brand is mud.

Yet without her, Parnell isn't s**t either. He's dead in the water. Young will win his primary in several weeks, and prove easy pickings for the Democratic nominee.

Meanwhile, Palin was considered the fallback candidate in case Stevens got indicted. She no longer looks so hot. Nor can she be an asset for Stevens, Young, or any other Republican up and down the ballot in her state. Alaska's most popular Republican has essentially been neutralized. The "popular Republican" is now extinct in Alaska.

This is an incredible turnaround. Maybe not as dramatic as Spitzer, but still shocking given her overwhelming popularity.

That must have been one hell of a bitter divorce.

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July 24, 2008 - 11:02pm | jacekones

Parnell

The most telling part of this article is that Parnell pulled ads with Palin references. If true, this is highly indicative of the seriousness of the allegations and decline of her popularity. Et tu, Sean?

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July 24, 2008 - 2:56pm | rfn

Thanks for the information!

Up to now I thought those talking points memos were originating from moveon.org. Now we know the truth!

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July 24, 2008 - 3:22pm | black33

Wrong as always

Just like Cyr wasn't a trooper.

The talking points memos actually come from disaffected members of the administration who have formed a cabal to "bring her down."

Check it out.

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July 24, 2008 - 4:02pm | rfn

I only

questioned whether Cyr had once been a trooper.

Interesting about the alleged "cabal". The rumors, up to now, said it was composed of people who had not been retained from the Murkowski administration, some who had been outright fired and some who sought jobs but were not qualified. But kust rumors..... Of course we each get to believe which rumors we choose to believe and those we choose not to believe.

I still rather believe some of the particular talking points originated at dailykos.com as referenced. After all, why reference it otherwise?

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July 25, 2008 - 6:12am | ArtChance

Cyr was with the

National Education Association (NEA) and retired from them. His son is a Trooper. When PSEA's Business Manager slot came open, Cyr applied and they hired him.

He's a bit of a departure for PSEA which, like many law enforcement unions, has historically stood a bit apart from the other unions both in bargaining practice and in politics; by public employee standards, Troopers are a pretty conservative lot. There's been little love between PSEA and Jim Duncan's ASEA since PSEA attempted with some success to carve out various groups of employees from ASEA, e.g., correctional officers, probation officers, etc. I don't know if there is a formal non-raiding agreement between them now, but there is a truce of sorts and they have some sort of joint venture and some shared staff these days. Certainly Cyr's alliance with Duncan places PSEA much more firmly under the Democrat wing than it has traditionally been.

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July 24, 2008 - 6:53pm | black33

And I only thought

1. to present what some of your "lefty friends" are saying in their blogs, since I would venture a guess that you don't read them. I read the entire spectrum.

2. to present a joke about a "cabal." If there is one, you might know more about it than I do.

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July 24, 2008 - 10:42pm | rfn

Now I can't remember

who used to ask the question and of whom it was asked....

"Are you still..........."

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