SPECIAL GOODBYE TO THE GOVERNOR EDITION

Adieu, Sarah Palin, Adieu

I try not to pester people between legislative sessions. So I don’t send out an e-news every week in the expectation that you’ll spend your time reading it rather than, say, fishing. But when the governor ups and quits, I figure I ought to mark the occasion somehow.

There’s not actually any protocol for an Alaska governor quitting. It’s never happened before. Sure, Wally Hickel packed up in the middle of his first term to go be Richard Nixon’s secretary of the Interior, but that was widely seen as both a promotion for Hickel and a good thing for Alaska to have one of our own running the federal agency that has its finger in so many of our pies.

But just quitting? Pulling the pin? Dragging up? Singing “Take This Job and Shove It?” Never happened before.

It’s left a lot of people wondering why she did it. I don’t really know. But she doesn’t have a lot of political experience, and it may just be that she found she didn’t like the job very much. There’s plenty not to like. Toxic bloggers. Idiotic ethics complaints. Legislators. Citizens actually expecting you to make decisions. Set policies. You know, govern.  It’s no day at the beach.

Maybe she thought politics would be more fun. Or more ennobling. Or more something cool. I guess no one ever told her the one about making laws or sausages.

For Alaskans, this will become academic on July 26, the day she says she’s going to quit. She’ll go back to being a citizen and Sean Parnell will be governor. And if, as many predict, she runs for President in a couple of years, well, that’ll be the nation’s look-out, won’t it.

So all I can say is, so long, Sarah. Thanks for your efforts on the gas line and oil taxes. I hope whatever you do next makes you happier.

Another Special Session?

Looks like one result of the governor quitting is likely to be a special legislative session. Something about the guy who would become lieutenant governor when Parnell moves up not wanting the job. And the legislature having to confirm the new guy. And here I thought I might make it through a year in office without a special session. But it’s always something.

Nobody knows as yet when or where such a session would be. Or whether we would also vote on whether to override the current governor’s veto of $28 million in stimulus money. I’m all for doing that. But, then, they might bring up the question of the governor’s other vetoes and so on, until we could have a pretty full agenda. Mischief could result, so stay tuned.

Cleaning Up the Streets (and Sidewalks and Bike Trails)

A collection of politicians and citizens were out on Benson Boulevard a couple of weeks ago, inhaling volcanic ash and trying to make a point by sweeping the sidewalk. The point was simple: The state wasn’t doing a very good job cleaning the streets, sidewalks and bike trails that belong to it in Anchorage, and we wanted immediate improvement.

One result of that – besides the nagging cough I had for a few days – was that the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, which is charged with getting the streets cleaned, hired an extra contractor. A story on the event and its aftermath can be found here.

I’m planning to talk to the folks at DOT about this at budget time, when I hope I can get more of their attention than I can now.  I’m not sure why they aren’t just paying the city to do the job, which always seemed to work well in the past, but maybe there’s a reason. What there isn’t is an excuse for doing such a slow, shoddy job.

What’s Next? Who Knows?

My plan is to go back to not pestering you, unless we do get pulled into special session. Or the lieutenant governor becomes the governor and then decides he’s rather be a lute player and quits. Or … well, you know. It’s Alaska politics. Anything that can happen, will. I’ll get back to you when it does. Otherwise, enjoy your summer. I’m trying to enjoy mine.

Best wishes,