Dunleavy cabinet members serve as 'hosts' for campaign fundraiser

Gov. Mike Dunleavy didn’t have to go far to get hosts for his Anchorage campaign fundraiser—he gave state jobs or influential positions on boards to almost half of them.

With the exception of administration, public safety and military, the entire cabinet is represented.

It’s a sign that Dunleavy had trouble packing the list with a cross-section of the populace, which is what campaigns hope for, not a collection of people who owe their paychecks to him.

The list also includes people who have benefited from doing business with the state, such as Dr. Wade Erickson of Capstone Clinic and Joey Crum of Northern Industrial Training. And Ben Stevens, who used to work for Dunleavy, but is now representing ConocoPhillips.

Here are the people hired or promoted by Dunleavy, directly or otherwise, who are campaigning for him:

Eddie Grasser, division director, Fish and Game.

Dana Pruhs, chair of Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority

Craig Richards, Permanent Fund board of trustees

Tamika Ledbetter, labor commissioner

Curtis Thayer, executive director Alaska Energy Authority

Dan Sullivan, commissioner, Regulatory Commission of Alaska

Julie Anderson, commerce commissioner

Jason Brune, environmental conservation commissioner

Kevin Meyer, lieutenant governor

Rick Green, special assistant to fish and game commissioner

Treg Taylor, attorney general

Lucinda Mahoney, revenue commissioner

Adam Crum, health commissioner

Michael Johnson, education commissioner

Ryan Anderson, transportation commissioner

Doug Vincent Lang, fish and game commissioner

Corri Feige, natural resources commissioner

Nancy Dahlstrom, corrections commissioner

At a similar event in Kenai Monday, half of the hosts came from the Dunleavy cabinet. The Dunleavy cabinet met in Soldotna Tuesday at state expense, so the commmissioner hosts had no problem attending.

Whatever state expenses the governor, lieutenant governor and commissioners plan to charge should be paid by the campaign.

“According to the office of the governor, this is believed to have been the first time the governor of Alaska held a cabinet meeting here locally, “ KSRM reported. “The governor’s office viewed this as an opportunity to convene business and explore other parts of the state outside of Juneau and Anchorage.”

Actually, it may have been seen as an opportunity to campaign on the state dime. The Dunleavy campaign should cover all expenses related to the cabinet meeting to reinforce the idea that governing is not campaigning.

Dunleavy and the 18 state employees and board members helping host the fundraiser event Thursday in Anchorage, while most of them live in or near Anchorage, should not be charging for travel to that affair either.

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