The minefield of Sunday – June 4, 2023

Despite the cooler-than-usual temperatures, it’s finally starting to feel like summer has arrived. And it couldn’t have gotten here sooner after that bloody winter. The budget, approved by the Legislature on May 18, has not yet been transmitted to the Governor mike dunleavy (R-Alaska). You have 20 days to act on the bans (excluding Sundays) once they are sent to you. The new fiscal year begins on July 1. dunleavy came to Germany to talk about Alaska at the SuperReturn International in Berlin this week. Some politicians are on the move. And something really weird happened this week that resulted in a three-way tie for this week’s Loose Unit!

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politicians on the move

greg smith He is leaving his role as Legislative Liaison at the Department of Commerce to become the new Director of Communications for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. Congratulations, greg! Before going to Trade, blacksmith He worked as a legislative staffer for Representative andi’s story (D–Juneau). blacksmith he is also a member of the Juneau Assembly.

brian fechter he recently started as director of equity funds for the Center for Small Business Development at UAA, a venture capital fund to invest in small businesses in Alaska. Congratulations, Brian! Previously, look for he served as deputy commissioner of the Department of Revenue. He left earlier this year after Adam Crum he was appointed commissioner.

Lisa Sauder is leaving her position as CEO of Bean’s Cafe after ten years to become CEO of Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska. Congratulations, smooth!

Governor dunleavy fixed Tuckerman Babcock to the Board of Regents. This came after the Legislature rejected Bethany Marcum on May 9. But Alaska law says dunleavy should have appointed someone within three days Marcum It was rejected. dunleavy I waited 22 days.

loose units this week

As the weeks go by, this one was really loose. In fact, it was so loose that I couldn’t pick just one. loose unit. so this week loose unit is a three-way tie between jeremy cubasTlingit and Haida President richard petersonand Commissioner of Environmental Conservation jason brune.

First, jeremy cubas. You’ve probably read about how the Governor by dunleavy pro-family advisor jeremy cubas resigned after excerpts from his podcast were published in an article by Nat Hertz. The article was headlined “Alaska Gov. Dunleavy’s Political Adviser Who Said ‘Divorce Is Worse Than Rape’ Resigns”. When I first saw the article, I thought maybe I just made a silly statement. Turns out it was much worse.

This guy embodies the term loose unit. In addition to saying divorce is worse than rape, he said you can’t rape your wife, spoke positively of Hitler, called MLK a loser and said people should “get violent” with transgender activists. It’s hard to imagine it getting any looser than that. But according to the article, before the article was published. vats he stood by everything he said.

The next day, he released a video statement on Twitter. She began by addressing “all the fags who are crying and taking shit over some of the things I said on the podcast.” He went on to tell people to “fuck off” and “fuck off.” He concludes by saying, “You can’t cancel me. you can stop me If you really want to stop me, you’re going to have to kill me. If you’re going to double down, I guess that’s the way to go. This is maximum loose behavior.

Second, richard peterson. On Thursday, I published an article detailing how the new owners of the Driftwood Hotel in Juneau, Tlingit and Haida, had failed to honor the reservations of several guests staying there for the session. One person, who has been there for 15 years, was kicked out. Many others were told their reservations were invalid but they could stay if they paid almost six times as much per night. At best, it was horrible management, and at worst, a shake-up. The situation itself was very loose. But then Peterson decided to go full loose unit and issue a statement about it. His statement read in part:

“The article is also full of misinformation and inaccurate accounts from a small number of guests who were dissatisfied with the outcome of their request to extend their stay at the Driftwood under the legislative rate and beyond the terms of the agreement they established and signed under the previous owner.”

but it is Peterson’s statement that includes misinformation and inaccurate statements. Nearly a dozen guests staying there for the shoot were confronted with the horrible management practices of the new owners. very loose

For decades, legislators and staff have stayed there with no problem. As soon as the Tlingit and Haida took over, they began to treat their guests horribly. Peterson he even admitted to me in a May 18 call, requested by Tlingit and Haida, that he was only aware of the problems of two guests who were there for the session. He clearly had no idea how serious the problems were. All the people who have experienced this and talked to me are good and honest people. They had no reason to invent these things. I myself experienced how bad the new owners are. I have been staying there since 2019.

I also find it laughable that several people have resorted to saying that this is somehow a matter of race. It’s about bad service, nothing more. For years I have advocated that the session be in Juneau. But after seeing how many Juneau residents hate the people who come to Juneau for the session, I’m really starting to think that the session should be moved to the highway system. I’m sure Mat-Su would appreciate the session. And the state already owns a lot of land in Willow that was acquired in the 1970s when people voted to move the capital.

And finally, jason brune. brune recently sent a lengthy letter to the administrator of the EPA michael regan. The letter was highly critical of the way the EPA treats Alaska. Which is fair. But brune he completely let go with some of his references. He said that Alaska is a “puppet” and a “servant” of the EPA. And after making references to whips and handcuffs he said: “In summary? We are the replacement for the EPA Dom.” Classic loose unit behavior. I guess brune got really excited about Pride Month. He also copied Senator Lisa Murkowski (R – Alaska), Senator dan sullivan (R – Alaska) and Congressman Mary Peltola (D-Alaska). Very loose!

If you have a nomination for this week loose unitor if you have political news, stories, or gossip (or old photos of politicians or public officials), email me at [email protected].