State elections division needs to correct misleading flyers

The state Division of Elections should correct political flyers that falsely suggest that voters will be able to vote for more than one candidate in state legislative races in the Aug. 16 primary.

Dermot ColeAugust 5, 2022 Comments

State primary election ballot isn't complicated, but it requires some education

I am scheduled to give a presentation Wednesday at 7 p.m. on “Ranked Choice Voting: Will it Work for Alaska?” at 7 p.m. in the BP Design Theater, Room 401. The theater is in the new Joe Usibelli Engineering Building.

There are a lot of names on the Aug. 16 ballot, but there is no need for moaning and groaning.

Dermot ColeAugust 2, 2022 Comments

Kinross greenlights Interior Alaska mine trucking plan, while state slow rolls transportation analysis

It’s also no surprise that the companies say the project is a go even though the state transportation analysis—which Gov. Mike Dunleavy agreed to under public presssure—hasn’t started. The state hasn’t even selected a consultant to perform the transportation analysis.

Dermot ColeAugust 1, 2022 Comments

Dunleavy campaign reverses course, now plans to open Fairbanks campground

If the past is any guide, the Fairbanks news coverage of this debacle will be based on the press release from the state, which is pure campaign propaganda for Dunleavy and Fairbanks Mayor Jim Matherly.

Dermot ColeJuly 29, 2022 Comments

Former Tshibaka deputy now working for company that landed $722,000 no-bid state contract

Amanda Holland, who held key positions in the Dunleavy administration on a temporary basis, is now one of the movers and shakers in a company called OrgShakers, a firm that received a no-bid contract from the Dunleavy administration worth $722,000.

Dermot ColeJuly 28, 2022 Comments

Dunleavy refuses to answer written questions from news organizations

Gov. Mike Dunleavy refuses to answer written questionnaires from Alaska news organizations, claiming he has such a long public record that news organizations can look up the answers on line. If you do that, you’ll find a long public record of evasion, deflection and political dodgeball.

Dermot ColeJuly 26, 2022 Comments

Dunleavy continues to misuse state resources to boost his reelection campaign

By relying on state-paid “volunteers” for campaign work and claiming that campaign tasks are state business, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has run his campaign for nearly a year and paid next to nothing for campaign staff.

Dermot ColeJuly 25, 2022 Comments

"Reconsideration' of Palin by Washington Post masks the ‘walking middle finger’

Vanity Fair writer T.A. Frank calls for a “reconsideration” of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in a long piece in the Washington Post Magazine. He tries to elevate her decision to abandon the governor’s office in 2009 into a noble action. It’s nonsense.

Dermot ColeJuly 22, 2022 Comments

Dunleavy administration fails to take responsibility for closing key Fairbanks campground

The fault for abandoning the Chena River State Recreation Site in Fairbanks rests with Gov. Mike Dunleavy, legislators who didn’t question the budget plan and city and borough officials who have failed to call out this mismanagement.

Dermot ColeJuly 21, 2022 Comments

As Bob Penney gives Dunleavy $100K, don't forget that governor never came clean on no-bid sweetheart contract with Penney's grandson

Dunleavy has never answered the simple question of who in the governor’s office decided to reward Clark Penney with a no-bid contract. Dunleavy claimed he had no idea. Alaskans deserve an answer, especially now that Bob Penney has emerged again as a Dunleavy megadonor, giving $100,000 so far to the Dunleavy reelection campaign. Dunleavy’s brother in Texas, Francis Dunleavy, has given him $200,000 so far.

Dermot ColeJuly 19, 2022 Comments