State paid $81,277 to move administration commissioner and family to Alaska

The state paid $81,277 to move Kelly and Niki Tshibaka and family to Alaska last year from Washington, D.C.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Kelly as administration commissioner, while her husband, Niki, was named assistant commissioner in the education department. Lodging for their relocation totaled $8,731, while meals and incidentals cost $1,005 and transportation was $71,541.

The figures on their moving expenses are included in the annual report that lists compensation and travel expenses for leading figures in the executive branch, as well as the University of Alaska and public corporations.

Here are some observations on the 2019 report:

*The cost of canceled trips adds up. The state spent about $30,500 on canceled trips for top state officials in the executive branch, presumably because non-refundable tickets were purchased. This is not a new issue. The most costly canceled trip was one that former Revenue Commissioner Bruce Tangeman didn’t take to Shanghai at a cost of $4,081.

Attorney General Kevin Clarkson spent about $1,000 on three cancelled trips to Juneau.

*The office of lieutenant governor is in Juneau, but Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer of Anchorage charges the state for transportation and meals on his trips to the capital. Meyer charged nearly $15,000 for more than two dozen trips to Juneau, a commuting plan that he didn’t talk up during his campaign. One of his trips was to attend the annual open house in December.

One way to shrink the government footprint would be to have the lieutenant governor move to Juneau for his term. He is provided a house in Juneau, so he doesn’t charge the state for lodging, but he does charge for meals.

Dunleavy charged a total of $41,186 in transportation expenses, not counting tens of thousands for the use of state aircraft that has yet to be accounted for. His trips were grouped together, which makes it impossible to identify costs on separate trips.

*The annual travel report reflects the way the capital, or at least a significant part of it, has moved to Anchorage. The leader of nearly every agency in the executive branch—with the exception of the transportation and education commissioners—is now in Anchorage. Somewhere, Bob Atwood is smiling.

The moving of the executive branch leadership has been a gradual process over the past few decades, with some governors being more flexible than others in accepting commissioners who want to work in Anchorage and fly to Juneau whenever they are needed. I think the last governor to demand that commissioners live in Juneau was Frank Murkowski.

Most of Dunleavy’s commissioners commute to Juneau, charging for about a dozen trips a year. Most collect for meals and lodging while in Juneau.

Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang, one of the few commissioners who lists his office as being in Juneau, charged $4,185 for a Juneau visit from Jan. 27-Feb. 8, with $2,224 for lodging.

The commissioners of administration, health, commerce, environmental conservation, labor, corrections, public safety, natural resources, military and veterans affairs, as well as the attorney general, are listed as having their main offices in Anchorage.

Tuckerman Babcock, the governor’s former chief of staff, made nine trips to Juneau from January to June, charging the state $4,059 for transportation and $6,332 for meals and incidentals. Ben Stevens, who replaced Babcock, made five trips to Juneau between August and December.

*One of the few state officials who commutes in the other direction is Tom Boutin, head of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority.

A crusader for small government, Boutin made 32 trips to Anchorage, charging about $21,000 for transportation, $8,000 for meals and incidentals and more than $14,000 for lodging.

*The biggest salaries for top executives are at some state corporations and the University of Alaska. Angela Rodell, head of the permanent fund, earned $371,385. Joe Dubler, head of the gas line corporation, earned $306,250. William O’Leary, head of the railroad, earned $318,086.

Jim Johnsen, University of Alaska president, earned $334,600, while UAA Chancellor Cathy Sandeen earned $315,019 and UAF Chancellor Dan White earned $318,984.

*One of the main limitations of this annual report, which stems from a deficiency in the law, is that the travel activities and compensation of many top officials in the governor’s office are not reported because they are not required to be mentioned. For instance, Mary Anne Pruitt, the wife of Rep. Lance Pruitt, who has been getting $15,417 a month for communicating the governor’s ideas, is not in the report.

*The single most expensive trip in the document was $6,123 for a six-day trip to Hong Kong made by John Binder, a deputy DOT commissioner.

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