Dunleavy plans to boost re-election with $250,000 in state funds for publicity tour

Gov. Mike Dunleavy. who is clearly running for re-election, is planning to use $250,000 in state money for the latest chapter in his Standing Tall publicity tour.

It’s a clear misuse of public funds and a violation of the state ethics act, which prohibits using state money for partisan purposes.

The central issues of Dunleavy’s re-election campaign will be his pledge for big dividends and his proposed constitutional amendments. The ad campaign will say his ideas about big dividends and his constitutional amendments are exactly what Alaskans need and want.

A “partisan political purpose” means having the intent to harm or benefit a candidate or potential candidate.

The purpose of the $250,00 is to benefit potential candidate Dunleavy.

Dunleavy did something similar two years ago with a $35,000 state-funded campaign aimed at supporting and attacking legislators, but the state personnel board let him off the hook following an ethics complaint. He paid $2,800 to make the issue go away.

Dunleavy has called the Legislature into special session again this month, but he hasn’t presented a coherent plan about state finances.

He just wants to talk about giving cash to people. On an Anchorage right-wing talk show last week, Dunleavy’s state-paid comedian, Dave Stieren, expressed the depth of the Dunleavy philosophy: “How ‘bout we discuss Benjamins?”

Rather than do his job and work with the Legislature to get a state fiscal plan sorted out, Dunleavy wants to use state money to tell Alaskans that he wants bigger dividend checks, the same pablum he’s been serving since his days in the Senate. He wants to be the guy who wins the popularity contest.

By now, everyone knows he is the candidate of big promises.

Dunleavy’s office says a poll shows that 67 percent of Alaskans don’t know the details of his big promises, which he sees as a big problem.

Perhaps 67 percent of Alaskans are tired of his dividend schtick and his refusal to say how he will balance the budget and deal with a $1 billion deficit.

The proposed contract will be exempt from the requirements of the state procurement law that requires competitive bids under a loophole in state law.

“The contract(s) are exempt from the requirements of the Alaska State Procurement Code under AS 36.30.850(b)(34),” Dunleavy’s office says.

What does AS 36.30.850(b)(34) say? It allows any contracts for media advertising to be awarded without bothering with competitive bids, which opens the door to giving contracts to friends and political supporters.

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