Assembly Delays Independent Investigation – Election Commission Begins Investigation of Self (UPDATED)
More Questions Than Answers As we march ahead, trying to make sense of the Anchorage Municipal election of April 3, and as more citizens step forward to testify, we find that the questions and concerns have multiplied. Any one of several factors is cause for concern: Polling places running out of ballots, voters being turned away from their polling places, disenfranchisement of unknown numbers of voters, deliberate misinformation from a conservative group to cause chaos at the polls, naive confidence by the Election Commissioner regarding equipment widely known to be problematic, instructions to ignore or replace broken security seals on…
End of Session, Pre “Unspecial Session” Update – The Good, Bad and Ugly.
As the bulk of the blogging community continues our meditative practice of biting off pieces of the election debacle, chewing thoroughly, swallowing, digesting and then regurgitating, we thank Rep. Les Gara for pinch hitting with a great wrap-up of the legislative session. The “special” session marches ahead, but we must ask ourselves how many times you can have a special session before it just isn’t “special” any more. On a personal note, Rep. Gara is facing some health challenges (which you’ll read about below), and all of us here at the Mudflats wish him a quick and complete recovery. He…
Baked Alaska: Yet Another Election Crashes and Burns on the Last Frontier
By Brad Friedman [Read the entire excellent article at BradBlog.com. Extensive excerpts below] …And then there are the election officials of Anchorage, Alaska, where, on April 3rd, there was another disastrous election, held on Diebold op-scan systems, in a state becoming known for its disastrous elections. “Those are amazing machines – utterly amazing,” Anchorage Election Commissioner Gwen Matthews told members of the Anchorage Assembly last Friday night during a working session as they tried to unravel the latest disaster. “It is impossible for them to go haywire,” she misinformed the law makers. “They are highly accurate. I think that I could…
Open Thread – Mudpups for Scannell!
You may have noticed we have a new advertiser over yonder in the sidebar. (applause) Michelle Scannell is running as a Democrat against Republican Mia Costello! This is great news, and I’ll tell you why. Mia Costello is one of those “uh oh” candidates who reminds me of those earrings that they sell in the tourist shops. You look at them and think – ooo, what a pretty shiny gold earring that is! And then you read the label and discover that under the micron thin layer of gold electroplate is a gen-yoo-wine Alaska moose nugget. You’ve got to figure…
In My Cottage Garden: Dohnn Wood at the Anchorage Garden Club
Well, it is truly spring in Anchorage and even the flowers are undaunted by the snow. This was a picture taken at UAA yesterday. As the melt continues, the flowers have already pushed their way to the surface under the snow and even have blooms! As promised, today’s post is all Dohnn Wood and container vegetables. I apologize for the video. The meeting is at Pioneer Schoolhouse, which is as old as the name suggests. They turned the lights off to better see the slide show so I had to decide which to focus on, the speaker or the show….
Dick Puts Foot in Mouth
It’s been at least a couple weeks since Rep. Alan Dick has made headlines for jaw-dropping comments that offend large numbers of people. But now, he’s back. Last time it was suggesting that women should have permission slips signed by their impregnators before they have an abortion. Stunned at public outcry, he then issued a statement saying that what he really meant was not so much the consent that he’d previously espoused, but rather simply notification of the other party. Oh, and he was super sorry IF you were offended by what he said. He promised to choose his words…
Anchorage’s Election Disaster Goes to the Assembly
~Lennie Moren and Jane Darden speak volumes at the Assembly meeting By Jeanne Devon and Linda Kellen Biegel First things first. If you have not yet signed the online petition asking the Anchorage Assembly to call for a fair and independent audit of the Anchorage election of April 3, 2012, then please do so HERE. It will give you the option to share it on Facebook, to your email list, and on Twitter. You are encouraged to do so. Tuesday Night at the Fights (aka the Anchorage Assembly meeting) was important this week. This was one of only two meetings…
Parnell Nominee to Board of Game Rejected by Legislature
Nominee to Alaska’s Board of Game, Lynn Keogh, was rejected Tuesday by the Legislature. He had the support of Governor Sean Parnell, and of the powerful Alaska Outdoor Council hunting lobby. He needed 31 votes to retain his appointment. He got 29. As reported earlier in the week, an email obtained by The Mudflats showed Republican Party Chair Randy Ruedrich forwarding an email from Rod Arno of the Alaska Outdoor Council threatening legislators with strong-arm tactics if they didn’t approve Keogh’s appointment to the Board of Game. From: Randy Ruedrich <[email protected]> Date: March 30, 2012 8:09:07 AM AKDT To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]> Subject: Anti’s go…
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…