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More on the jet
Gov's so mad at me I heard a sonic boom
Last newsletter I published a synopsis of the flights taken by the jet the governor purchased over the objections of most other policy makers.
Part of my synopsis noted the jet flew from Dallas to Las Vegas and back to Dallas to pick up an unnamed  state employee at an airtime-only cost of $7, 338 (the Department of Public Safety says the average flight-time cost is $1,358.97 and the roundtrip flight took 5.4 hours). Here's what the governor told members of the capitol press corps Monday:
"I was okay until I read the Ear [an Anchorage Daily News weekly column that picked up part of my jet synopsis] about our friend Kim Elton. I thought it was a cheap shot so I'm going to aim for his head the first chance I get. I flew in with my wife from Hawaii over Thanksgiving. The only flight we could get was INA, a charter outfit, and the only flight they had was to Las Vegas. And I had a meeting in Dallas. So Jim [Clark] and [Mike] Menge and several flew down in the jet to Dallas, Then the plane came over and got me at a quarter to seven and we flew down to Dallas for a meeting. The way it was reported was 'a junket to Las Vegas', which I thought was a pretty cheap shot. If that is a junket to Las Vegas, I missed the boat."
As my mother would say: Uffda! I'd be ashamed of myself if any of what the governor said actually reflected what I did say.
I really am glad, upon reflection, the governor expressed instead of repressed his anger. It gives me a chance to clear up the great pile of misinformation he was given. All readers of my newsletter probably remember that this is what I actually, in total, said about the Las Vegas jet trip:
"The state spent $7,338 on the jet's roundtrip between Dallas and Las Vegas but if the passengers had flown commercially the most expensive coach passenger tickets would have totaled just $1,468 while the least expensive tickets would have cost $398 (Expedia)."
The commercial ticket prices I reported then reflected a roundtrip ticket price between Dallas and Las Vegas--I didn't know, until the governor 'clarified' on Monday, that the sole purpose of the jet trip was to fly from Dallas to Las Vegas to pick up the governor and bring him back to Dallas. The DPS didn't give the purpose of the trip.
It doesn't matter how you parse the words I used in my last newsletter--you can't get the governor's name from it or find the word "junket". In fact, I didn't report it as anything but the jet's roundtrip between Dallas and Las Vegas and then only gave some roundtrip commercial ticket prices. I would hope the governor takes the time to actually read what I reported and maybe, if he's still angry and feels the need to vent, he can aim for the head of whoever misreported to him what I reported.
No need to apologize, governor, every once in a while I get some bad information, too. I understand how it happens.
And I really do appreciate that the governor 'outed' himself Monday as the passenger who needed to get from Las Vegas to Dallas after his Hawaii break. (I'm not repeating his Hawaii Thanksgiving break here to be coy. My wife and I cashed in Alaska Airline miles and we had Thanksgiving on an island off the coast of South Carolina and I'm sure the governor and his wife needed a vacation even more than Marylou and I.)
But I think it is important for Alaskans to know who's using the jet and why. DPS didn't give me names or purpose of flights. They reported either 'prisoner', 'state employee', 'crew' or 'other'. Now that we know the who and why about Las Vegas, though, I think it is fair for any Alaskan to now ask the governor why he needed to have the state jet pick him up in Las Vegas and get him to Dallas.
- Especially when it ended up costing the state over $7,300 (in airtime costs only) to fly to Las Vegas November 27 and back on November 28.
- Especially when one Internet travel company reports there are 97 commercial flights a day from Las Vegas to Dallas (averaging one every 15 minutes) that he could have caught after getting off his Hawaii flight.
- Especially when he could have bought the most expensive commercial one-way first class ticket between Las Vegas and Dallas for $6,500 less than it cost for his jet to pick him up.
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There, I hope the governor now takes his target off my head. And I'm glad the governor did call me friend in his Monday press remarks. He and I may disagree about the jet and other public policy issues but I do think both of us can disagree on policies in a way that keeps us friends.
(I've asked the DPS for another jet flight update and they've agreed to provide an update monthly. The monthly DPS update is necessary because internet sites that provide, sometimes for a fee, flight information by plane ID number, have been asked by the "owner" of the state's jet to keep the flight history confidential.)
Phone: (907) 465-4947
Fax: (907) 465-2108
Mail: Sen. Elton, State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
 Got a scoop? Call or email your tips and suggestions to any of the email addresses below:
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Capitol Undercurrents
Honesty--The Second Session of the 24th Legislature convened Monday. Part of the opening day ritual includes sending a delegation from the Senate to the House and from the House to the Senate to  announce that each body is in session and ready to do business. This year, the House sent over Reps. Bill Stoltze and Eric Croft to make the appropriate announcement to the senior body. Bill used some unusually flowery and, perhaps, optimistic language to express the desire that peace and goodwill may flourish in the capitol throughout the session. In the course of his peace and flowers speech, he did not say whether the House was in order, which prompted Senate President Ben Stevens to ask if the House had met and was in order. Bill's response was they were "as orderly as can be expected, sir."
Succinctness--The House Transportation Committee held a hearing this week on transportation spending, including spending on the governor's big projects--bridges to Gravina and across Knik Arm, and a road north out of Juneau. Jeff Otteson, a planner from DOTPF, carried the water for the governor's spending proposals. One member of the public, when asked to summarize his testimony, said he's "pretty much against everything Otteson is for."
 Clarity--Juneau Assembly member Bob Doll was called forth to testify at the same transportation hearing. When the chair summoned him, the chair mispronounced Bob's last name, calling him 'Dole'. Bob clarified. "It's actually Doll--I'm not a former senator, not running for president, and I don't sell Viagra."
 Committee chairs really aren't gods--House State Affairs took testimony Thursday on a proposal to allow retirement system bonds. Chair Paul Seaton was in mid-sentence when a recorded voice came over the teleconference network saying "This meeting will end in two minutes." Rep. Seaton responded "I don't think so." But exactly two minutes later a bond expert from Merrill Lynch was walking the committee through bond minutia when the same voice came back saying "This meeting is now over." Moments later the committee decided to take a short break.
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