Is top Alaska Teamster Jerry Hood headed for the U.S. Senate? That's what columnist Robert Novak is reporting.
Novak, whose Chicago Sun-Times column is carried nationwide, wrote Sunday that Frank Murkowski is likely to select Hood as his Senate replacement if Murkowski is elected governor.
"I'm amused," said Hood, a former Democratic national committee member.
But he said Monday that Murkowski has not discussed it with him, and he called the possibility far-fetched.
Citing unnamed "labor sources," Novak said Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young have signed off on the appointment.
Murkowski and the rest of Alaska's delegation to Congress have been purposely mum on a possible appointment. When asked about it again Monday in Anchorage, Murkowski said he wouldn't make a decision until after the election.
Stevens said he learned a lesson back when postmasters were politically appointed. If 20 people wanted the job, he said, a senator could make only one constituent happy in return for 19 new enemies.
He wants all who think they are in the running to work for Murkowski's election as if their futures depend on it.
Hood switched his party registration to Republican this spring. He said it was out of disgust that the Democratic-led Senate refused to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, a cause he worked with Murkowski on. Hood has now been a Republican for more than six months, one of the criteria specified in Alaska law.
"I've got to say, it's flattering to have your name mentioned by a nationally syndicated columnist," Hood said. But he said he had no idea where Novak got his information.
"They must be still using lead pipes for their water in Chicago," Hood said.
WARD FLAP CONTINUES
The flap over Sen. Jerry Ward's failure to attend a candidates debate continued this week with an indignant press release from the Disabled American Veterans demanding an apology from the Daily News.
Asked Monday about his specific complaints, however, disabled vets chapter commander William Bartlett conceded that an earlier story accurately reflected the nature of Ward's visit to their group on the night of the debate.
The Daily News reported Saturday that Ward had called the Kenai chapter of the veterans group the day before the long-planned Oct. 17 debate and asked if he could attend their meeting that night. Bartlett said last week he told Ward he would be welcome to come and speak.
Ward then sent a staffer to the debate, which was organized by the League of Women Voters, saying he had a conflict and couldn't attend. Every other local candidate for state office, except a Green candidate not actively campaigning, attended the event.
The story quoted a member of the veterans group saying it looked like Ward had constructed a last-minute excuse to dodge the public forum.
After the story appeared, a press release titled "Nothing Could Be Further From the Truth" was issued under Bartlett's name.
The press release began:
"I the Commanding Officer of a proud Veteran service organization on the Kenai Peninsula who represent those who have fought for our country so people could have the freedoms of America, resent being used and lied about by the Anchorage Daily News to attack our Senator Jerry Ward."
Specifically, the release said Bartlett had told the Daily News that his conversation with Ward before the meeting concerned whether Ward should bring campaign materials. Ward, it said, had been "previously invited" to the veterans meeting.
Asked Monday about the two different versions, Bartlett returned to his original statement. He said the invitation and the discussion of campaigning occurred in the same phone call, a day or two before the meeting.
He said the phrase "previously invited" could be cut from the press release. He dropped the demand for a correction.
"I'm not going to fight it anymore," Bartlett said Monday. "I've been getting so many phone calls, I'm tired of it."
Bartlett said he had written some of the press release and Ward had written some.
Meanwhile, the League of Women Voters corrected its story.
League officials originally said that Ward had agreed to come to their debate and that they were shocked when he didn't.
On Monday, they said Ward had never actually confirmed that he would show up. They said they left messages with his office staff and on his home voice recorder and expected him to come.
"He never said he wasn't coming. That's the way we've always done it," said league president Marge Hayes.
Ward did not return calls Monday requesting comment.
Candidate's military history challenged
With just a week before the election, the state Senate race between Republican incumbent Dave Donley and Democrat Hollis French became a battle between veterans.
Republican Party of Alaska chairman Randy Ruedrich and a retired Air Force Colonel named Floyd Gori co-hosted a Monday noon press conference at the veterans memorial downtown. Attended by a smattering of veterans, it was called to attack French's claim of military service.
Under "military service" in the state election pamphlet, French lists "USMC (ROTC), 1977-1978, Private."
"Hollis French is not and never has been a U.S. Marine," said the elderly Gori as attendees huddled in the cold. "That is a disservice to the millions of Americans . . . who have served."
Ruedrich handed out a government document that says, in accordance with the provisions of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act, "the records of the Marine Corps Headquarters do not show that Hollis S. French II is presently or has ever been on active duty in the United States Marine Corps or the Marine Corps Reserve."
His side claims ROTC , a training program for aspiring officers, is not military service.
French then held a rebuttal press conference at his Northern Lights campaign headquarters, featuring veterans who spoke out in support. He handed out his own document.
"This is to certify that Private Hollis Stratton French II was honorably discharged from the United State Marine Corps on the 20th day of April, 1978," reads the paper, signed by Marine 1st Lt. Bruce A. Marshall.
French said that in spring 1977, as an 18-year-old student at the University of Colorado, he volunteered for the Marine Corps officer training program. In August of that year, he said, he was sent to the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Virginia, for six weeks of military training.
After the fall semester of college, French said, he decided to move to Alaska for oil work. He said his Marine Corps contact told him that leaving school would result in the discharge, which was issued the following April.
French said that the election pamphlet question asked about military service and because he had the honorable discharge document, he felt it would be incorrect to just say he had none.
"How could I have been discharged from something I never belonged to?" he said.
But, French added, he made sure to include "ROTC" in his answer so that everyone would be well aware that his military record "was not exactly monumental."
Campaign notebook is a periodic feature about politics, elections and campaigns. This installment was compiled by Daily News reporters Liz Ruskin, Tom Kizzia and Sean Cockerham. They can be reached at lruskin@adn.com or 1-202-383-0007; tkizzia.@adn.com, 235-4244; scockerham@adn.com, 257-4343.
