BREAKING: Document Reveals Sullivan Misrepresented Escalating Port Cost
The Mudflats has obtained documents showing that Mayor Dan Sullivan is grossly misrepresenting the costs of completing the first phase of the controversial Port of Anchorage Expansion Project. Anyone who has been following the costs associated with the project can hardly help but liken it to that old tongue-in-cheek definition of a boat – a hole in the water into which you pour money. The cost of the increasingly controversial project has more than tripled since 2005 estimates. A draft of the Budgetary Cost Estimate Report for the Port of Anchorage Intermodal Expansion Project, jointly prepared by the U.S. Department of…
School Board Candidate Wants to Outsource Orchestra Program? **UPDATE**
By Linda Kellen Biegel Observant earwigs noticed a little story in last Sunday’s Alaska Ear talking about a rather big boo boo perpetrated by the Municipal Clerk’s Office. That office works with the Anchorage Assembly and directly for the Chair, Debbie Ossiander. (She’s one of the Mayor’s “yes” men/women on the Assembly…the group I’ve nicknamed “Team Sully.”) WHAT’S IN A NAME … The muni clerk’s office is apparently confused about which of Starr Marsett’s names is her first name. Looks like it guessed, and got it wrong — at least on the ballot Ear got: Marsett is a candidate for School Board….
Don’t Bend Over Alaska II – Hilarious! (Video)
Coming on the heels of the $40/plate White Linen Tablecloth Oil Executive “Rally” yesterday, is another video from Bob Lester – Don’t Bend Over Alaska II. It’s hilariously funny, and right on target. Remember to tell your legislators that Alaskans aren’t buying the governor’s BS. It’s our oil, and we’d rather not give it away. And to the oil companies who made a trillion dollars in profit in the last five years, and who don’t think that’s enough? Enjoy!
MudMole Reports: How Oil Execs “Rally” (Updated)
Get out the Dawn dishwashing liquid, because you’re going to need its ability to disperse oily residue after today’s “rally” to give the oil companies billions in no-strings-attached money. Starting in just a few minutes, you’ll hear from former Conoco oil lobbyist and Exxon oil spill apologist Governor Sean Parnell. But right now, we’ve got our first shot from inside. Yes, we have a MudMole. Shhhhh. This is how the other side holds a “rally.” Note the fresh-faced leaders of the future, the homemade signs, the air bristling with righteous indignation and the desire to benefit mankind. These protesters began…
“Don’t Bend Over, Alaska” Soon-to-be-Viral Video
Remember the $40 Rubber Chicken lunch I told you about yesterday – the one in which the Governor and his oil cronies are actually charging for a lunch to tell oil executives how great it will be for Alaskans to pay them billions in no-strings-attached money? Here’s an awesome video called “Don’t Bend Over, Alaska” from radio host Bob Lester, calling out their oily BS. Let’s make this video go viral before tomorrow’s “rally.” You know what to do – watch it, and share it. And here’s a little fun fact about ConocoPhillips. In 2010 they spent $89,169 on lobbyists…
It’s Time. Tell Lawmakers, “Don’t Give Away Alaska’s Oil!”
In the last weeks of the legislative session, the oil companies and their pet legislators have pulled out all the stops. Their bloggers are blogging, their mouthpieces are bloviating, their legislators are lying, and their money is cranking out ad after ad, and all of them are hoping to make you so afraid, you’ll ask lawmakers to give away our oil. Don’t fall for it. And, get this! This week the opposition is actually charging Alaskans $40 for a chicken lunch so they can have the privilege of listening to the oil company shills ask for billions more… They are…
The Hoodie of the North…
A friend of mine recently passed through the Anchorage International airport and was asked to remove his hoodie. The thuggish and menacing hoodie, which has been the subject of tragedy and controversy, is apparently also all the rage with terrorists in the air. This particular hoodie had no zippers or grommets, and the pockets were empty. “What if I hadn’t had anything on underneath?” he grumbled. And I thought, what if it was me, and I didn’t have anything on underneath? This was distinctly possible. If you were to place a bet, at any given moment in time, I’m more likely…
Early Voting Starts Today, as Juneau Gets ‘Sullied.’
In Anchorage, home to more than half of Alaska’s sparse population, it’s a big deal when legislators come to town. No matter how much an Anchorageite loves Juneau, there is still a little peevishness that our capital city isn’t accessible by road, and takes a $500 plane ticket to reach. We cherish those opportunities (like the special session that happened in Anchorage a couple years ago) when we can pull our boots on, and get involved in the public process right in our own back yard. And so, hundreds packed the Assembly chambers at the Loussac Library a couple…
Lisa Murkowski’s Chemical Attraction
Has anyone else noticed the glut of TV ads for Lisa Murkowski? “But she’s not running in 2012,” you say. And, after noting that you are an astute observer of Alaska’s political landscape, I tell you that they are not actually campaign ads. “But they sure look and sound like campaign ads,” you say. “True,” I say. But in this case, if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s an independent expenditure issue ad. Check it out. Coincidentally, the ad space was bought on the very day an interview was printed…
Minnery Misrepresents One Anchorage Fundraising
by Mel Green (Originally posted at Bent Alaska) Nearly 1,100 Alaskans — about 75% of contributors — have so far donated to One Anchorage, a March 7 press release announced. But it didn’t take long for anti-LGBT leader Jim Minnery to claim that “Outside Gay Rights Funds Bankroll Prop. 5 Supporters,” completely ignoring One Anchorage’s numerous in-state contributors. Minnery, president of the antigay/antitrans Alaska Family Council and chair of its associated 501(c)(4) advocacy organization Alaska Family Action, is also chair of the anti-Proposition 5 group “Protect Your Rights — Vote No on 5.” Proposition 5, the Anchorage Equal Rights Initiative,…