Local woman files fifth ethics complaint against Palin

The latest complaint -- the third since she announced July 3 that she was stepping down -- alleges she abused her office by accepting a salary and using state staff while campaigning outside of Alaska for the vice presidency last year.

In her resignation speech, Palin said that the barrage of ethics complaints was taking a personal toll and crippling her ability to govern. She leaves office July 26 and will be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell.

In her complaint, Andree McLeod of Anchorage said that two days before Palin was named John McCain's running mate, she signed travel documents that stated "conclusion of state business." A similar document in late November stated "return to duty status."

McLeod said that given that temporary absence, Palin should have turned over the governor's responsibilities to Parnell as required by the state Constitution.

"The reason this is so serious is because the transfer of power should have taken place but did not," McLeod said Tuesday.

Palin's attorney, Thomas Van Flein, called McLeod's filing "another meritless complaint."

The state Personnel Board, which considers ethics complaints, "already ruled that the Ethics Act was not violated when the governor was on the campaign trail last fall," Van Flein said. The campaign of Palin and her presidential running mate, Sen. John McCain, paid Palin's travel and per diem expenses during the campaign "to avoid overlap."

"Contrary to the complaint, it is not an ethics violation to save the state money and avoid overlap between campaign costs and state costs. Rather, this was the more ethical and better approach, using campaign money even when the state business was being accomplished remotely," he said.

On Tuesday, Palin renewed her criticism of the complaints by indirectly targeting McLeod, whom Palin has said once sought an appointment from her.

"Are these constant, wasteful thumped-up ethics charges result of not caving when the filer begged for job?" Palin said on the social networking Web site Twitter. "More frivolous chargs filed today."

The complaint is the fifth by McLeod. Three of the cases have been dismissed and another remains active.