APOC Files Its Own Complaint Against Rep. Bill Thomas (Update)
Many of you know about the APOC complaint I filed against Rep. William Thomas, Jr. (R-Haines) because he claimed ads like this were “thank you ads,” not “campaign ads”: The status of that complaint is basically where we left it in my last post on the subject. The APOC staff re-opened the investigation, as the Commissioners tasked them to do in the Adminstrative Order. I know because they contacted me for more information. The new staff report should be out any day now, as I believe the investigation ended the last week of December. However, THAT complaint really isn’t the topic…
Commissioners to APOC Staff: Try Again.
Some of you have been following the saga here on Mudflats about my APOC complaint against Alaska House District 5 Representative William Thomas, Jr. (R-Haines) and his re-election campaign. The complaint (plus amendment) deals with 17 ads placed and designed by campaign Deputy Treasurer James Studley and charged to various Haines businesses. My complaint asserts that they should be considered illegal campaign ads in total, either illegal in-kind contributions because some of them were paid for by corporations, or illegal independent expenditures because they were coordinated with Studley as well as others campaign staff. We left the story at the…
The APOC Hearing Has A Part Deux: The Deliberation
A week ago Friday, I testified at the hearing for my first APOC complaint–Kellen vs. Thomas et al. It seemed to go very well…better than I’d hoped. I wasn’t planning on writing another post about it until there was a decision (I didn’t want to irritate the Commission until after they decided) but I also expected there would be one by now. To my surprise, we are still awaiting the “verdict” from the Commission. This is amazing, as today was the end of their 10 days. I actually believe that this is a very good sign…they wouldn’t need this amount…
APOC Staff tries to (mostly) give Rep. Bill Thomas Campaign a pass–My testimony for today's hearing
UPDATE – For those who are interested in listening to the hearing, the information can be found HERE. Teleconference number 1-800-315-6338, Code 4176#1 ********* Everyone may remember a few weeks back when I filed an APOC complaint against Rep. William Thomas, Jr. (R–Haines). I posted about the APOC Complaint I had filed against the re-election campaign of Representative Bill Thomas, Jr. Here is the complaint as listed on the APOC website. The complaint is in response to a newspaper advertising campaign consisting of 17 ads which ran in the Chilkat Valley News during the weeks leading up to the election: …Upon…
APOC Complaint Against Rep. Bill Thomas Campaign (R-Haines)–The response(s).
Back on October 13th, I posted about the APOC Complaint I had filed against the re-election campaign of Representative Bill Thomas, Jr. (above, on the left, with Sen. Al Kookesh, who appears in several of the ads.) The complaint is in response to a newspaper advertising campaign consisting of 12 ads which ran in the Chilkat Valley News during the weeks leading up to the primary election: …Upon further research, it was impossible to determine exactly what category of legal contributions these ads were attempting to fit, if any: James Studley was the one who coordinated the entire ad buy….
Election 2010: There’s Only One Road to Transparency in Alaska…
In June of 2009 I embarked on an idealistic journey. Thanks to many Alaskans and folks across the country, I was able to raise enough money so that the State of Alaska would release the Records Request they had been sitting on for months. When the emails arrived and the only “good stuff” was redacted or witheld due to bogus-sounding claims of “privilege,” I was not worried. I was sure that as soon as the email lawsuits brought by Andree McLeod and Don Mitchell against Palin were resolved (in McLeod/Mitchell’s favor…no one thought otherwise), I would then be able…
Silence is Consent. (Updated)
It’s hard not to comment on today’s news. Killing in the name of pro-life. Last year I attended a candlelight vigil at the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in the memory of innocent people who were gunned down in their church at a Sunday morning children’s program. They died not because of who they were, but for what they believed. They were randomly targeted as symbols of liberalism in America. Adkisson, [the shooter] who had served in the military, said “that because he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement he would then target those that had voted them…
Hike Up the Hill (Non-Political!)
This is our first cold, windy, rainy weekend of spring. It reminds me of the entirety of last summer. And the summer before that. But I was able to go out and enjoy one of the warm sunny days earlier in the week. Things are really greening up, but the grasses and leaves are still not mature yet, so it’s easy to see all the little things that will become hidden under the green as summer progresses. Fungi and lichens seem to congregate on particular trees for some reason or another, and are easy to spot and photograph now. The…
Open Thread – Hope Truck Headed Home
Well, it’s been a busy couple of days for Hope, Mr. Hope and Caravan Guy. The truckload of supplies to help those rebuilding after the flood left the Lowe’s parking lot in South Anchorage, stopped off in Wasilla, and made it all the way to Eagle. Mudflatter Yukonbushgrma met up with the crew, and said they had a great time visiting. The details of the journey, and pictures are forthcoming once Hope makes it home and has the chance to send me her account of the trip. While we wait, enjoy the open thread.
I’ll Take Palin Fibs and Fables for $200, Alex.
“The feds.” It’s a slang term that most of us are used to seeing after the words “seized by” or before the words “raided the house.” It’s never said with respect or fondness. Rarely do you hear someone say “the feds are trying to give me money,” or “the feds want to weatherize my house.” And never have I heard a governor of one of the 50 states, that is actually part of the country, call the federal government “the feds.” I would no more expect that than I would expect to hear them talk about “the fuzz” or “the coppers.” But…