Dunleavy pays $300 an hour to Judicial Council nominee, contrary to Alaska Constitution

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is paying political ally John W. Wood $300 an hour as a consultant, violating a provision in the Alaska Constitution that says a nominee to the Alaska Judicial Council may not be on the state dime.

Since 2019, Dunleavy has given Wood no-bid contracts with a total face value of up to $900,000, according to documents released by the state under a public records request.

Dunleavy should withdraw Wood’s illegal nomination to the judicial council immediately.

The Constitution bans judicial council members from holding a “position of profit” with the state or federal government.

Under his latest contract—signed July 2 by Attorney General Tregarrick Taylor—Wood is in line to collect $300,000 over the next two years from the Dunleavy administration.

Dunleavy appointed Wood, 79, to a six-year term on May 29.

I would like to see Dunleavy and AG Taylor, (expected to soon be a candidate for governor) claim that this $300,000 deal is somehow not a position of profit.

Arcticle IV, Section 8 of the Constitution says in part: “No member of the judicial council, except the chief justice, may hold any other office or position of profit under the United States or the State.”

Wood should withdraw from the council if Dunleavy doesn’t do it for him. He told Alaska Public Media that his $300-an-hour deal with the state is not “either a position or a office as the Constitution envisions.”

His position of profit is that of state contractor. It pays more than most state positions. And Dunleavy has given him a steady paycheck.

Wood has occupied the equivalent of a fulltime state position of profit for the entire administration.

When it comes to entrusting people to select judges, we need council members who understand the spirit and letter of the Constitution, not individuals who try to skirt the rules.

The Alaska Judicial Council is one of the most important commissions in state government and one of the few entities created within the Alaska Constitution.

As another option, Dunleavy could add Wood’s name to the agenda for the special session he has called that no one wants in August. That would give the Legislature the chance to decide if $300,000 is a position of profit.

One of the other constitutional problems with Wood’s nomination is that Dunleavy named him to a seat reserved for people who are not attorneys. He is an attorney, listed as suspended with the Alaska Bar Association.

In this document from 2019, before Dunleavy named him to the fish board, he gave every indication of being a lawyer.

Wood worked for Dunleavy in the Legislature and is a friend of the governor. He has been a regular recipient of no-bid contracts from Dunleavy since 2019, performing duties often performed by lawyers. He is to provide “counsel and expertise” on labor negotiations and advise the governor.

Wood is a suspended attorney who formerly had his own private practice. He closed that law office after the Alaska Supreme Court censured him in 1995 for not paying federal taxes.

He has had a regular position of profit with no-bid deals from Dunleavy.

The Dunleavy administration gave him this $100,000 no-bid contract in April 2019 for labor negotiations and “consultation and support on policy issues before the governor.” He was getting $200 an hour at that time.

The Dunleavy administration gave him this $100,000 no-bid contract in June 2020 for the same services, also at $200 an hour.

The Dunleavy administration gave him this $100,000 no-bid contract in August 2021 for the same services, still at $200 an hour.

The Dunleavy administration gave Wood this $100,000 no-bid contract extension in March 2002, for the same services, still at $200 an hour.

The Dunleavy administration gave Wood this $100,000 no-bid contract in August 2023 for one year plus a renewal, for the same services, bumping his pay to $250 an hour.

On August 7, 2023 Wood wrote that he wanted $250 an hour. “Perhaps it would be easiest to simply renew at $200 and if the request is submitted and approved, we can change the contract to reflect the compensation.”

The Dunleavy administration gave him this $100,000 no-bid contract extension in June 2024.

The Dunleavy administration gave him this $150,000 no-bid contract in July 2025 with the same duties and a pay increase to $300 per hour. For reasons that are not clear, the contract has now been transferred to be under AG Tregarrick Taylor.

The contract includes an option for a renewal for a total of $300,000, which is a position of profit, despite Wood’s claim to the contrary.

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