Alaska Gov. Walker names new revenue commissioner

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker announced Thursday that he's picked Sheldon Fisher, current Department of Administration commissioner, to replace the outgoing chief of the Department of Revenue.

Fisher is taking over the department from Randy Hoffbeck, the former commissioner who retired last month.

Leslie Ridle, deputy commissioner of the administration department, will manage that department until Walker names a permanent replacement, the governor's office said Thursday morning.

Fisher has been administration commissioner since Walker began his four-year term in late 2014. Before that, Fisher was chief operating officer at McKinley Capital Management, an Anchorage investment firm.

Administration is a kind of catch-all department that manages such state functions as computer systems, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the state's online checkbook and labor relations. It also manages agencies like the Alaska Public Offices Commission, the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and attorneys with the Public Defender Agency and the Office of Public Advocacy.

Revenue's biggest function is managing the state's oil tax system and the Permanent Fund dividend program. It also collects corporate taxes and oversees the state's office of unclaimed property.