The ham-handed attempt to silence the group that supported Proposition A is dirty politics, an attack on freedom of speech and not something to be tolerated.

It also appears to be a laughable attempt to co-opt the name of Golden Heart Strong and use it for a campaign to con voters in the municipal election this fall when the tax cap is up for its regular renewal.

The people who led the opposition to Proposition A—state employee and assembly candidate Tammie Wilson and assembly member Barbara Haney—need to make it clear that Golden Heart Strong has a right to exist.

Golden Heart Strong is the group that formed months ago to back the proposition rejected by the voters Tuesday. I think that the attempt to silence and bully its volunteers will backfire.

On Monday May 6, the day before the election, the intimidation campaign began against Golden Heart Strong. Matthew Lebeau, a man in Tolleson, Arizona, filed an Alaska business license in the name of Golden Heart Strong, triggering a successful effort to have Facebook remove the Golden Heart Strong Facebook page.

Matthew Lebeau claimed to own the alleged Golden Heart Strong business. Lebeau is the son of Ginger McKee of Two Rivers, a right-wing activist and opponent of Proposition A.

Lebeau also owns Polaris LIVE, a marketing business in Arizona.

On Tuesday May 7, Ginger Mckee took to Facebook to claim that the volunteers in Golden Heart Strong had committed fraud, had taken money under false pretenses and had lied.

Mckee is a close political ally of Tammie Wilson and Barbara Haney.

Without mentioning Lebeau or revealing that he is her son and that the alleged business had been “created” the previous day, Mckee made a serious of false claims about Golden Heart Strong on Election Day.

“These people have been lying to you! Every dime they collected from you was done so fraudulently! Golden Heart Strong belongs to Polaris Live, LLC! The name IS registered with the State of Alaska! You have been deceived!” Mckee said.

McKee did not mention that her son owns Polaris LIVE LLC in Arizona.

The money for the Fairbanks political campaign was not collected fraudulently and the name did not “belong” to Mckee’s son or his one-day-old business in Arizona. McKee’s false claims are still on Facebook, comments as a reply to a post from a Golden Heart Strong volunteer.

After another person challenged her claim and said Golden Heart Strong was made up of parents and volunteers, Mckee repeated her false claims. Again, she did not mention that it was her son who filed the business name one day earlier. She did not mention that her son owns Polaris LIVE LLC in Arizona and seems to think the business name gives him exclusive rights of some kind.

Meanwhile, Lebeau sent an alleged cease and desist letter on May 7 to the Fairbanks political group, threatening all sorts of bad things if it didn’t stop using the “trade name and marks” that he had claimed on May 6.

In this pompous piece of puffery, he said that Golden Heart Strong was violating his trademark and said it should stop using the name because it is his.

He included screenshots from the Golden Heart Strong Facebook page and website, including many images taken long before he claimed to own the name.

He concluded with a boilerplate claim, the language of which can be found on the internet, claiming that his letter was confidential and any publication of any portion of his letter would be illegal.

Here is his letter. It is not a confidential document.

Lebeau certainly has family connections in Fairbanks.

Lebeau received $12,091 as a Crimestoppers Award in 2023 for helping provide information that led to the arrest of the Two Rivers arsonist.

“Lebeau wore a ‘Two Rivers Strong’ shirt and wiped tears from his face at (Troopers Capt. Eric) Spitzer presented him with the reward,” the Daily News-Miner reported at the time.

“Lebeau travelled to Two Rivers from his Phoenix, Arizona home. One of the homes (Jamison) Gallion burned down belonged to Lebeau’s mother, Ginger McKee, and her husband Don,” the News-Miner said.

“He tried to kill my mom and burned down my childhood home,” Lebeau said.

Lebeau incorporated a nonprofit called Two Rivers Strong on March 23, 2022. It was involuntarily dissolved by the state on December 1, 2023. He also took out a business license for Two Rivers Strong on August 28, 2021.

Two Rivers Strong says it is now a 501 (c) (3), a charitable organization with a goal of raising $1 million. It says it is still in operation and accepting donations. On Facebook, Lebeau said the group distributed $17,000 to the Two Rivers fire victims in 2022.

Lebeau is the president. But the articles of incorporation on its website are for the entity that was dissolved by the state last December, Entity No. 10191021.

The certificate of incorporation on the Two Rivers Strong website is also for the entity that was dissolved, No. 10191021. The website does not explain this discrepancy or its legal status.

This document filed with the IRS says it raised less than $50,000 in 2022.

I don’t know who thought up this cheap-shot stunt about Golden Heart Strong or why anyone would think it would work, but it’s a terrible idea.

The focus should be on how best to govern our community.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE VIOLATIONS: Meanwhile, the Alaska Public Offices Commission says Tammie Wilson’s group, Citizens for Transparent Government, did not follow campaign disclosure laws and may face a fine of up to $900. Here is that letter.

The APOC also said that Interior Republicans failed to disclose a series of campaign expenditures opposing the school proposition starting February 21. The potential penalty for those violations is $7,450. Here is that letter.

The APOC also said the Interior Republicans group was late with its 30-day report and could face a $900 fine. Here is that letter.

PERMANENT FUND CRISIS: The unconfirmed report that emerged from the executive session of the Permanent Fund board of trustees is worrisome.

It turned out that by accident one or more members of the public were able to listen in electronically to what happened in the executive session called to discuss a response to the leak about trustee Gabrielle’s Rubenstein’s behavior.

The Alaska Landmine obtained notes taken by someone who listened to the executive session. We have no way of knowing if those notes are accurate.

If they are accurate, the trustees of the fund continue to be focused on the wrong thing, which is the source of the leak. The behavior and actions of the trustees, including Rubenstein, are what is really important.

“Oddly, the notes do not indicate any substantive discussion about the content of the leaked emails. Instead, the meeting was intensely focused on identifying the source of the leak,” Jeff Landfield of the Alaska Landmine wrote Thursday.

The Alaska Landmine has this account based on those notes.

This situation is a crisis for the Alaska Permanent Fund, which is run by a six-member board controlled by the governor with no legislative oversight. The management structure needs to be overhauled, but there is no leadership from Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who picks trustees from a small circle of political loyalists.

Nothing in the executive session notes, as reported by Landfield, should have been concealed from the public.

The main job of the trustees is to preserve and build public trust in the fund. The opposite is happening.

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