Twenty-five-year-old Ryan Sheldon is new to the Capitol. He’s been working for Representative Julie Coulombe (R – Anchorage) for the last few months. His inexperience was revealed in an email exchange with Nate Graham, who works for Representative Andrew Gray (D – Anchorage).
Gray chairs the House Judiciary Committee. Coulombe has a bill, House Bill 77, that was in Gray’s committee. The bill, introduced on January 31, aims to make mail theft a felony. The bill had hearings on February 21 and March 5.Â
Yesterday, Nate Graham sent Ryan Sheldon an email informing him that HB 77 was going to be rolled into House Bill 97 – a bill from Representative Zack Fields (D – Anchorage) that aims to make lower dollar theft a felony. The emails were posted in the documents section of HB 77 on the Legislature’s website
It’s not uncommon for bills to be put into other bills. And Coulombe’s bill has a much better chance of passing if its rolled in Fields’ bill as Coulombe is in the minority and Fields is in the majority.Â
Sheldon was not happy about Graham’s email. He responded a few hours later, but copied every representative who co-sponsored HB 77! This was a rookie move. All the members copied are in the Republican minority except Representatives Ted Eischeid (D – Anchorage) and Chuck Kopp (R – Anchorage), who are both in the majority.
Sheldon asked if Gray was unwilling to make mail theft a Class C felony and if he was unwilling to pass HB 77 out of the committee. Â
Graham responded a few hours later, but just to Sheldon and did not include the 13 people Sheldon copied. Graham explained the amendment to include HB 77 into HB 97 was discussed between Gray, Fields, Coulombe and the Governor’s Office. He also said Gray does not support making mail theft a Class C felony, instead preferring to make it a Class A misdemeanor – the most serious type of misdemeanor. He also said if Coulombe preferred, they could not put HB 77 into HB 97, and added there is no need for “performative emails.” The best part is the end. Graham wrote:
You’ve been in this building for about two months, I have been here nearly ten years, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that collaboration and honest-straightforward discussions go a lot further than theatrics. If Rep. Coulombe would like to talk through this further, I’m happy to set up a conversation.Â
Sheldon responded 14 minutes later. He started the email with a very passive aggressive “Super-duper, thanks for this email.” He went on to express frustration that he and Coulombe were unaware of Gray’s stance on the classification of mail theft, and what he said was the lack of communication on moving the bill. Sheldon then said, “You are certainly correct; collaboration is a must; and we do not feel heard.” How Gen Z!
Sheldon also asked Graham to tell Gray “Thank You” for telling him where he stands on the bill. He then told Graham the he had “no intention of theatrics” and that he was just trying to understand the status of the bill. He ended by telling Graham “Lovely outing yesterday, looking forward to the next one and thanks for helping me while at-bat.” At least Sheldon is willing to take Graham’s advice on the softball field.
The result of all of this was HB 77 was moved out of the judiciary committee and not rolled into HB 97. While Sheldon and Coulombe may see this as a win, the odds of the bill passing are now much lower than if the bill had been rolled into HB 97. It’s clear Graham was trying to help Sheldon and Coulombe advance the bill. Instead, Sheldon decided to blow the whole thing up. Â
It’s not uncommon for legislators and staff to get obsessed with their bills and do whatever they can to ensure they get credit. Harry Truman said, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” It seems Sheldon and Coulombe have not familiarized themselves with that concept.
Sheldon is probably used to getting his way. His family owns the luxurious Sheldon Chalet in Denali National Park, which starts at $32,000 per night with a three-night minimum. But it does include helicopter transport, a private concierge, and gourmet dining!
Cockiness? The pot calling the kettle black.
Good for Nate!
If there’s an internal force in alaska that will “hobble” a gasline, it ain’t the alaska legislature. It will be the inability of Jeff LandField arranging $100 billion dollars of financing!
Landmine rocks. He calls it like he sees it and probably provides more public service than a lot of state employees.
There’s an old saying about legislation: Don’t fall in love with your legislation, in fact don’t even date it!
Had a completely different read than ole-Jeffie when perusing these emails. We think Sheldon handled this masterfully. It’s clear he and his boss were on the same page; good for them for holding their ground.
Seems ok to me.
The fact you kicked in his parents gif and the cost of the chalet speaks volumes about this “article”.
What do we REALLY want to read? Id like you to do an investigation and article about the inner workings of Meg Zelatel in Anchorage. That is likely FBI lever merde there.
Ummmm…..Isn’t mail theft a federal offense? Why is the Legislature even fooling with it? Is this about porch piracy? Has the USPS dumped this problem on the state?
It’s kind of sad that this is what passes for journalism today.
Nate Graham is the epitome of a pompous, self-absorbed narcissist. This guy struts around like the self-declared king of Alaska, constantly flaunting his “I’ve been here nearly 10 years” badge like it grants him divine authority. He reeks of smug superiority, convinced beyond doubt that his every word is gospel truth. He treats people like clueless peasants in desperate need of his unsolicited wisdom, relentlessly shoving his bloated ego down everyone’s throat. Nate doesn’t just think he’s God’s gift to Alaska — he acts like the entire state should drop to its knees in gratitude for the mere privilege of… Read more »
Interesting opinion. In mine, Nate’s one of the smartest staffers, and finest examples of a public servant I’ve had the opportunity to work with.
He left for Seattle for several years but got fired there and had to come back with his tail between his legs. He also verbally assaults people when he is drunk and is a horrible misogynist . Which is why he and Nate get along.
^*Jeff
The ten years thing doesn’t add up, either. Nate started–as a House page–in 2017.
lol he’s only been out of the legislature for one session, not 3 years.
It certainly causes one to wonder why the press has any of these emails, beyond the first one? One presumes they came from Gray’s office. So much for “collaboration and honest straight-forward discussion.”
If they came from Couloube’s office, that’s even looser.
My conclusion is that I would be frustrated working with any of these people.
According to the article “The emails were posted in the documents section of HB 77 on the Legislature’s website” so the question then becomes who attached them to the documents for the bill.
First of all, this Asshat has not been working there for 10 years, so that’s just a lie.
Second of all, why don’t you try to tech a newbie something instead of putting them on blast and feeding your private emails to a blogger.
Grow up.
The title public servant is over used. For most legislators and all staffers, this is their job. This is what they do for money. Their work is supposed to be for the benefit of the people but first and foremost it is for their paychecks. Public servants run into burning buildings or run toward gunfire ( cops & soldiers).
I think you’re thinking of first responders. I also don’t think you have a good understanding of the impact a good staffer can have on the lives of people in the district they serve. Legislators and staffers sacrifice a lot (time away from family, the chance to do a job where you don’t have to regularly deal with angry and unreasonable people, the opportunity to have a stable career where you don’t have to figure out where to land every election cycle, etc). As someone who grew weary of those sacrifices and chose to move on, I can tell you… Read more »
The term “public servant” should seldom be used as praise. It is a reminder that one isn’t being paid by their supervisor – rather pay is coming from their neighbor. Loyalty should, therefore, be to the public, not the agency.
Variations of the quote “No limit to what a man can do if he doesn’t care who gets credit” predate Truman by a long time.
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/12/21/doing-good-selfless/
$32,000 a night: fake news
Edit: I thought the quoted price was for the 200 sqr foot mountain house: I see the Sheldon’s have expanded. My apologies.
Coulombe’s staffer clearly acted in the wrong, but no need to smear him. If Gray’s staffer made a similar mistake, I doubt we would hear about it with the same level of contempt. That’s the way Jeff operates. That’s the difference between journalism and this blog.