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…
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…
Open Thread – Important Things
1) Take a look at the sidebar. Have you seen that guy? He was acting in a threatening manner to Mudflats editor Shannyn Moore in Anchorage Thursday night. Please help us identify him. 2) If you are an Anchorage resident, please sign this online petition which will be forwarded to the Anchorage Assembly. It demands the retention of independent counsel to investigate our disastrous election. 3) If you are able, attend the Assembly’s work session Friday from noon to 2:00, or however long you can. It will be held in the Assembly chambers downstairs at the Loussac Library, and the…
Romney Courts the Bazillionaire Dog-Hater Vote
Looks like the Romneys are having a big fancy fundraiser at the home of the only person that could make Mitt look like the poster child for the ASPCA. Romney, who is loathed by dog-lovers everywhere for his treatment of Seamus, the family dog whom he strapped in a crate to the top of the car for 12 hours, has even inspired a website called Dogs Against Romney. Although Romney’s treatment of man’s best friend has been less than stellar, at least he has never barbecued one. You may remember back in May of 2009, Sarah Palin was invited to…
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…
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….
Yes, House Majority, There is an Internet
By Michelle Scannell After giving their southwest Anchorage constituents less than a single day’s notice , some members of the House Majority abandoned their posts in Juneau for a weekend in Anchorage, calling a last-second town hall meeting Saturday afternoon with constituents as their excuse. I called around to some of my supporters, and about ten of us and my entire family went over to hear what Reps Johnson and Costello had to say for themselves. The answer? Not much. There were no presentations or slide shows for constituents. There were brief discussions about roads, the moose relocation project, and HB 110. And then…