Parnell Smacks Down Treadwell… Battered Lt. Governor Syndrome?

It’s time for another episode of “Elephant on Elephant Violence.” Grab the popcorn Alaska progressives. In our daily slog through the muck of the state’s politics, and to take a much needed mental hiatus from frustration, let’s take our joy where we can.

We hear all the time about the cycle of violence – abused children become abusers; freshman who are the victims of hazing become the senior bullies… So perhaps this syndrome extends as well to the position of Alaska Lieutenant Governor.

Remember when Sarah Palin was gnashing her teeth over having to run on the ticket with Sean Parnell? She wasn’t his biggest fan, and would much rather have had ne’er-do-well Jerry Ward as her partner for half a term. But Sean won the day, and joined the Palin-Parnell ticket with tens of thousands of dollars of campaign debt that the future ex-half-governor didn’t like. Her staff was assigned the task of credit counselor, bugging Sean to settle up. She even refused to have his name added to her campaign signs until he paid his debt.

And when she ran for VP, she refused to turn over the reins to Parnell, preferring instead to try to run a campaign and a state from dual Blackberries. How’d that work out Alaska and the nation?

Of course, by the time she quit, she’d be telling us all in what capable hands she was leaving the state.  Because she’d never desert Alaska to a guy she didn’t like and didn’t trust. Nope, she’d never dream of doing that.

Now that Sean Parnell (SP 2.0) has ascended the throne due to abdication, he’s getting to take out his frustrations from his last relationship by kicking the dog – his Lieutenant Governor, Mead Treadwell.

The Alaska Ear reports this week on an email that Parnell sent to all his commissioners. (Translation: Parnell was begging for a leak to the media and got one) It’s quite a read. Apparently the gossip for months has been that Parnell thinks Treadwell has grown a bit too big for his britches. If Parnell had to spend his time getting scolded, and sitting in a corner, then by golly so should Treadwell.

Now we have proof in the form of a July 28 letter from Parnell to Treadwell, warning him to stop using “my name (or) the office entrusted to me” to bypass the governor’s staff and commissioners in attempts “to direct agency, boards or commission personnel.”

The nastygram reminds the lite gov that “Alaska’s constitution provides that the lieutenant governor shall ‘perform such duties as may be prescribed by law and as may be delegated to him by the governor.’ ” It goes on to criticize Treadwell for alleged over-reaching regarding federal programs on Arctic research and sea floor mapping. “This delegation of authority related to these organizations is not meant as a broad delegation of authority in every Arctic policy area,” the letter says.

“Commissioners have expressed concern over not knowing something is being requested of their lower level staff by you and your office staff. Additionally, you and I have discussed the concern and confusion generated by you attempting to direct agency work,” Parnell scolds.

When asked for a comment Friday, Parnell spokeswoman Sharon Leighow replied: “Just read the letter. I think it speaks for itself.”

Oooooooooooo. Somebody’s in TROUble….

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