Alaska Politics Blog : Palin asks for Arctic Cat disclosure exemption (updated)

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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'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.

Don Hunter

Don Hunter covers Anchorage city government and politics. He is a longtime ADN reporter and editor and wrote for the Anchorage Times. E-mail Don at dhunter@adn.com

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

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Palin asks for Arctic Cat disclosure exemption (updated)

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: June 17, 2009 - 3:28 pm

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From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage --

Gov. Sarah Palin is telling the Alaska Public Offices Commission she doesn’t want to disclose the discount her husband, Todd, receives on purchases of Arctic Cat snowmachines.

“Todd Palin is entitled to discounts on purchases (as he has received the last 16 years as an Iron Dog racer.) However, according to the terms of his sponsorship agreement, the exact amount of the discount is confidential as a proprietary trade secret,” the governor wrote to APOC officials on Monday.

Palin’s letter said her husband is allowed to buy a snowmachine at manufacturer cost, without retail markup, and “the manufacturer cost is proprietary information.”

“Public disclosure of this information is expressly prohibited by the sponsorship agreement. This would also apply to any discounts offered on wear.”

Palin is requesting APOC allow an exemption from the disclosure. (UPDATE -- The APOC commissioners just directed agency staff to research Palin's response and report back to them so they can decide what to do.)

APOC asked Palin about the discount in an April 29 letter prompted by questions from Anchorage activist Andree McLeod.

APOC also asked the governor if she has any other gifts she hasn’t reported.

The response signed by Palin said she receives boxes of cards and letters, as well some gifts.

“Some people direct their mail to me or my family in our personal capacities and others appear to direct their mail to me as the Governor es qualite’. Mail continues to arrive. There are boxes of unopened mail at this point, even mail that was delivered in 2008. Thus, as initially disclosed, ‘we continue to open boxes’ and we consider any parcel ‘received’ at the time it is opened. I have reported those gifts received thus far that are required to be disclosed,” the response said.

Read the governor's full response and argument for an exemption by clicking here.

The state personnel board recently dismissed an ethics complaint against the governor for wearing Arctic Cat logo wear at the Iron Dog snowmachine race. Read about that here.