Alaska Politics Blog

This is the place to talk about Alaska politics, state, local, national. Public life in the Last Frontier has rarely been more interesting -- a full slate of federal and state elections, the influence of former Gov. Sarah Palin, the usual hardball Alaska politics. Come here for news, tidbits and information, and join the discussion. We encourage lively debate, but please keep it civil and stay on point. Don't use profanity, make crude comments or attack other posters. Posts that violate the Terms of Use will be deleted. Repeat offenders will lose their ability to post comments.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He's worked for the ADN in Anchorage and Juneau, covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and covered Washington state politics for the Tacoma News Tribune. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers rural affairs, general assignments and politics 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 wrote for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com and also find him on our rural Alaska blog, The Village.

David Hulen

David Hulen, the ADN's state and local news editor, is responsible for political coverage. He has been an editor and reporter at the ADN for more than 20 years. E-mail David at dhulen@adn.com

SECTION

Alaska political corruption

When the FBI raided state legislature offices in Aug. 2006, it publicly launched an investigation that ultimately reached the highest levels of Alaska politics, and continues to this day.

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Elections round-up: Taxes and bonds, plastic bags and politicians - 10/5/2011 10:49 am

Deadline coming for Palin to reimburse the state

From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --

Not all the ethics complaints against Gov. Sarah Palin have fizzled.

She did agree to settle a complaint about her children travelling at state expense.

You can read about that settlement by clicking here. Now the deadline is coming for payment.

By RACHEL D'ORO
Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has until June 23 to reimburse the state for an estimated $10,000 in costs associated with trips taken by her children, under an agreement resolving an ethics complaint against her.
Palin was given 120 days to repay the state after the late February agreement filed by an Alaska Personnel Board special investigator. The complaint alleged Palin abused her power by charging the state when her children traveled with her.
The investigator, attorney Timothy Petumenos, has said Palin will repay the state for 10 trips.
State administrative director Linda Perez is responsible for tallying the exact figure, according to Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow.
"The governor is in full compliance with the resolution of the travel matter," Leighow said Friday in an e-mail. "The governor will provide the reimbursement on or before the due date in the amount determined by Linda Perez."
Anchorage resident Frank Gwartney, a Democrat, filed the complaint in late October. Palin was the Republican vice presidential candidate at the time and after the February settlement called the complaint "an obvious political weapon."
The board found no wrongdoing on Palin's part and Petumenos said in his report there is little guidance under state rules to determine ethical standards for travel by the governor's immediate family. But he interpreted the law to require that the state pay only if the first family serves an important state interest.
Palin is paying for the trips that were found to be of questionable state interest among 72 travel authorizations studied.
Questionable trips included daughter Bristol Palin accompanying her mother to New York for Newsweek's Third Annual Women and Leadership Conference in October 2007. Another was a February 2007 trip from Juneau to Anchorage for Palin's three daughters. The family then went to Big Lake, about 50 miles north of Anchorage, for the start of the Tesoro Iron Dog snowmobile race in which the governor's husband, Todd Palin, participated.
As part of the settlement, Petumenos asked the Alaska Department of Law to develop specific rules outlining when the state should pay for the travel of a governor's family.
That effort is under way, said Judy Bockmon, an assistant attorney general, with the goal to have a final draft by the end of the year.

© Copyright 2011, The Anchorage Daily News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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