Alaska News

Alaska Ear: Unclaimed (12/29/2013)

UNCLAIMED . . . Jockeying is underway for that empty state Senate seat created by reapportionment out in the Butte. (OK, it includes Palmer and Chugiak too.) Anyhow, the lack of an incumbent has stirred hungry hearts:

Blast-from-the-Past Edna DeVries has filed to run and, according to her Facebook confidings, spent the peace-on-Earth season "praying about a campaign manager." Edna did two years in the Senate back in the mid-1980s and, more recently, tried to take out Randy Ruedrich as head of the state Republican Party -- part of a failed 2010 righter-wing coup.

Palmer Mayor Johnson has also filed. No word about her prayers so far but she wins for the longest name on a ballot: DeLena Mae Goodwin Johnson.

More hopefuls will probably surface before filing closes. Ear suggests those employing prayer as a campaign tactic spend some time praying that Rep. Bill Stoltze doesn't want to be a senator.

HOLIDAY DREAMS . . . While cruising the Letters of Intent section of the public offices commission's website -- yes, The Divine Appendage has no life -- Ear discovered former Rep. Bill Thomas wants back in the Legislature; he doesn't specify House or Senate.

After three terms in the House, Bill, a Haines Republican, lost a squeaker in 2012 to newcomer Jonathan Kreiss- Tomkins of Sitka. So Ear figures trying again makes sense.

But wait.

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Haven't district lines changed? Isn't Haines packed in with Juneau now? Wonder who Bill will run against this time.

If he's going for a House seat, he'll have to beat Beth Kerttula. (Like that's going to happen.)

If he wants to move up to the Senate, he'll have to take out Dennis Egan. There are the usual rumors that Egan might not run again, even though he has filed a Letter of Intent. In that case, Bill faces an uphill climb there too.

Ear hears former Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho is standing by.

BTW . . . Ear took a certain amount of grief for not passing along the "news" that the state Republican Party endorsed Sean Parnell for governor in next year's elections.

Republicans endorse incumbent Republican governor. Stop the presses!

Ear is told the party never endorses before the primary. If true, the only question is: why now?

ON THE MOVE . . . Word is long-time teachers union lobbyist John Alcantra is parting company with NEA. No details, but given the issues on deck next legislative session, people who know about this stuff say it's a bad time to be breaking in someone new.

LIFE GOES ON . . . Reading Your Favorite Good Morning Newspaper is always so informative, darlings. For example, this morning readers found out what happened to yet another of the Veco guys who did not get indicted. (We all remember the one who spent some of his millions on a horse that won the Kentucky Derby. They made a movie about him.)

Now look who has surfaced, all public-spirited and worried that his floatplane might spread invasive weeds to a pristine lake: former Veco finance chief Roger Chan.

It's in Devin Kelly's story on elodea. Check it out.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK . . . "I don't worry about gifts -- I love that part of the tradition! When people wring their hands about the presents, I get it, though. It costs money and sometimes people aren't as thankful as you think they should be when you spend your time and money on them."

Sarah Palin, from an online interview about keeping religion in Christmas.

Wonder who she has in mind.

Compiled by Sheila Toomey Message Sheila at 257-4341 or ear@adn.com.

By Sheila Toomey

ear@adn.com

Sheila Toomey

Sheila Toomey was a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News.

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