Alaska News

Assembly requires reimbursement for fundraisers done on city trips

The Anchorage Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a measure that forces municipal officials to reimburse the city for any campaigning that they do on a publicly funded trip, and to disclose it in a travel report.

The measure, proposed by Assemblywoman Amy Demboski, came after Mayor Dan Sullivan held a fundraiser in December for his campaign for lieutenant governor while on an official city trip to Washington, D.C.

Initially, Sullivan did not reimburse the city for the time he spent at the fundraiser, though he later paid $214 to pay for pro-rated portions of the Washington trip, and another to the Kenai Peninsula.

Demboski's measure goes into effect on January 1, 2015, which she said would give the city enough time to develop relevant policies and procedures.

That date is after the primary and general elections for lieutenant governor, but Demboski said she would "rather not impact the current cycle."

Reach Nathaniel Herz at nherz@adn.com or 257-4311.

By NATHANIEL HERZ

nherz@adn.com

Nathaniel Herz

Anchorage-based independent journalist Nathaniel Herz has been a reporter in Alaska for nearly a decade, with stints at the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. Read his newsletter, Northern Journal, at natherz.substack.com

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