From Sean Cockerham in Juneau –

Tim Grussendorf’s out. Gov. Sarah Palin just ended the standoff and submitted the name of Joe Nelson as her new appointee for the open seat representing Juneau in the state Senate.

Here's the governor's letter to Senate President Gary Stevens.

Nelson is a board member of Sealaska, the Southeast Alaska Native Corp., and is a director of admissions at the University of Alaska Southeast. He is married to Mary Nelson, who used to represent Bethel as a Democrat in the state House. Here's his resume.

Palin had been sticking with legislative aide Grussendorf, saying the Senate Democrats’ vote to reject him last week wasn’t valid because it was done behind closed doors. But seven of the nine Senate Democrats sent Palin a letter today saying they were standing behind their actions, and Palin dropped the fight for Grussendorf.

“I think that effort’s been exhausted,” said Palin’s spokeswoman, Sharon Leighow.

It’s far from a sure thing the Senate Democrats will now agree to give Nelson the job that opened when Juneau Democratic Sen. Kim Elton resigned to join the Obama administration. The Senate Democrats wanted Palin to work with Juneau Democratic Party officials, and Nelson’s wasn’t among the four names that the Juneau Democrats submitted to Palin last week.

Rich Listowski, a state Democratic Party central committee member from Juneau, said Nelson hasn't been active in the party. "As a member of the central committee I would urge the senators to vote this nomination down in favor of the more experienced candidates who have run areawide in Juneau and have won elections," Listowski said after hearing of the pick.