Dunleavy complains that he doesn't get credit he deserves

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, taking a cue from Trump’s Soviet-style cabinet meetings, gathered with his commissioners so they could praise his leadership and his vision, reciting what they consider Dunleavy’s accomplishments.

The state plans to print a booklet soon of his accomplishments.

Dunleavy turned a portion of a cabinet meeting into a show for the press and the Facebook audience Wednesday.

Dunleavy’s cabinet did not grovel like Trump’s underlings, who always seem on the verge of breaking into “How Great Thou Art,” but the Alaska commissioners did not distinguish themselves as thought leaders. In acting as if the last seven years have brought an unbroken record of achievement thanks to Dunleavy, they misrepresented the state of the state.

It would be better for Alaskans if the commissioners had the latitude to speak honestly and a boss who would allow them to do so.

Identifying the problems afflicting state government in their specific areas as Dunleavy prepares to leave office would be a worthwhile effort.

We don’t need a booklet listing Dunleavy accomplishments. It’s true that other governors have done the same thing. It’s always a waste of money and an ego-stroking exercise.

Dunleavy, like most governors in our history, claims that Alaska news organizations never give him the respect he deserves. The difference is that his Rodney Dangerfield impression is louder and more embarrassing than his predecessors.

“Do I have to pay to actually write an honest appraisal of what this administration has done for seven years?” he asked himself during the meeting.

What Dunleavy regards as an honest appraisal is what he basked in Wednesday—the flattery from employees who told him that life is better than it was in 2019.

When Labor Commissioner Cathy Munoz did her part by saying it was an honor to serve under Dunleavy, she recited selected statistics about the Alaska economy including a record forecast of 340,000 jobs.

She did not mention other statistics monitored by her department that are relevant to a real discussion about the last seven years and didn’t fit the script, including the decline in the number of working-age residents.

“Nonresidents have provided much of the labor that has allowed Alaska to grow in recent years. Out-of-state workers bring specialized expertise, working on variable-length projects, and filling gaps where local labor is scarce, and that reliance is likely to continue for the near future. Alaska imported 22.9 percent of its workers in 2024, the highest since tracking began in the 1990s,” the labor department reported this month in Alaska Economic Trends.

Munoz also did not mention that 12 years ago there were 337,000 jobs in Alaska—a number that dropped in the oil price crash and during the pandemic.

After Munoz finished her recitation of positive statistics, Dunleavy castigated unnamed critics who claim Alaska iis failing.

“But what I’ve heard was there’s more jobs being created. There’s more wages being created. The GDP is growing. Things appear to be getting economically better. The economy, I don’t know if you mentioned it, is also diversifying. There’s more private sector growth. But I appreciate you reporting it out because I’m sure it’s gonna be reflected in the stories tomorrow.”

“Thank you governor” said Munoz.

Dunleavy then mused about the headline he wanted to see.

“Under Dunleavy jobs grow, wages grow, GDP grows. I mean it’s just a beautiful headline, I’m sure it’ll happen. I’ll give a prize to the paper or the blog that puts that out first.”

The next five years of what Dunleavy claims is “The Golden Age of Alaska” will be tough, Dunleavy said, meaning a variety of new taxes will be needed.

That’s contrary to what he ran on in 2018 and 2022, when he claimed that no new taxes were needed.

The new taxes should be temporary, he said, because in five years everything will be great.

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