It’s the Monday Minefield again this week! I flew to Juneau yesterday and had a ton of work getting settled in. By the time I was done I was exhausted. The first session of the 34th Alaska Legislature begins tomorrow. There are many legislators and staff in the Capitol today getting ready. While the Senate will remain a bipartisan coalition, the House will flip back from Republican control to a bipartisan coalition. Several Alaska politicos, including Governor Mike Dunleavy (R – Alaska), are in Washington D.C. for the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson was named the new director of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. And several politicos are on the move.

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Session Starts Tomorrow

The first session of the 34th Alaska Legislature begins tomorrow. It seems almost everyone is already in Juneau. The flight I took yesterday morning had several senators and staff on board. Many of the new staff and legislators are undergoing training and orientation. Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom (R – Alaska) will kick off the action in each chamber. Then a pro tempore in each body will be elected that will facilitate the election of the Senate president and House speaker. 

Both the House and Senate will be controlled by bipartisan majorities. While the 14-member Senate majority is split nine Democrats to five Republicans, the 21-member House majority is split 19 Democrats/independents to two Republicans.

Combined, both majorities have 35 members – five short of the 40 needed for a veto override. So the only way a bill vetoed by Governor Dunleavy gets overridden (assuming all majority members vote to override) is if five Republicans out of the 25 in both minorities flip. That is no easy task. Don’t forget Dunleavy’s veto of Senate Bill 140 (omnibus education bill) last year failed by one vote to be overridden. 

The 19 Republicans (minus Eagle River Representative Jamie Allard) in the House minority met today in the Lieutenant Governor’s house across from the Capitol. There has been some consternation in their caucus about Representative-elect Mia Costello beating Speaker Cathy Tilton (R – Wasilla) for minority leader. Apparently Tilton thought she had the votes but lost to Costello. Because it was a secret ballot they don’t know who flipped. Representatives Laddie Shaw (R – Anchorage) and Tom McKay (R – Anchorage) were the counters at the December meeting.

Some of the Valley members are really upset that Tilton was passed over. There was some talk of doing a revote by hand so they can either see who flipped, or possibly change the result. But the meeting ended today with no changes. Either way, it seems like a lot of fuss for the minority. Usually the majority – the ones in charge – has these kind of fights. If the infighting in the minority remains, there is a chance of some kind of split. The minimum number for a minority in the House to be recognized is ten. So with 19, if a split did occur there would be one real minority and then one rogue minority. It could get really loose!

The House majority is loving all of this. A strong 19-member minority can wreak all sorts of havoc. If just one member of the majority is sick, out of town, or dies, the majority won’t have enough members for quorum – meaning they would need the minority for quorum to do business on the floor. A large minority also blocks the 3/4 Constitutional Budget Reserve (30 votes) vote and a lot of 2/3 procedural votes (27 votes). And with 19 members, the House minority gets five seats on the powerful 11-member finance committee. The majority would love to see a fractured minority. 

Once Representative Bryce Edgmon (I – Dillingham) is elected speaker tomorrow, he has one day to appoint a committee on committees, which decides all House positions and membership of committees. The five-member committee will be controlled by the majority, but if the Republicans stay at 19, they will get two seats. Tilton and Costello should be the two minority members. That could get interesting. 

Politicos on the Move

With a New Year and new Legislature, lots of politicos are on the move. Here are some recent ones:

• Joe Byrnes is leaving his role as legislative liaison for the Department of Natural Resources to become a policy advisor for Senator Dan Sullivan (R – Alaska) in Washington D.C. 
• Anna Latham left her role as Governor Dunleavy’s deputy legislative director and is now the deputy commissioner for the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development.
• Crystal Koeneman left her role as legislative liaison for the Department of Environmental Conservation and is now Governor Dunleavy’s deputy legislative director. 
• KTUU reporter Steve Kirch left his job at KTUU to become the new public information office for the Division of Elections. 

Other Happenings

Two of Alaska’s three federal judge positions are still vacant. With President Trump back in office, this could get interesting. Traditionally, the two senators send recommendations to the president. But Senator Lisa Murkowski (R – Alaska) and Senator Sullivan seem to have different ideas. Maybe they will each get one!   

Former Mayor Dave Bronson is the new director of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. As a former military pilot and commercial pilot, he should be able to hit the ground running. 

This is lit! I tried to find President Javier Milei when I was in Argentina but had no luck. 

Because Governor Dunleavy is in D.C. for the inauguration, Scott Habberstad with Alaska Airlines dropped the puck at the Governor’s Cup between UAA and UAF. 

This Week’s Loose Unit 

A late development made this week’s designee super easy. This week’s Loose Unit is Native Village of Eklutna President Aaron Leggett. Leggett went full Loose Unit when on Friday night, the Village of Eklutna started hastily constructing some shitty trailers into a casino!

They seemed to have waited until Friday night to prevent anyone from filing for an injunction as the courts are closed on the weekend and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For more than 30 years, the Department of Interior’s interpretation of the law did not allow Indian gaming in Alaska. That changed last year when Interior Solicitor Robert Anderson reversed the longstanding interpretation. This Landmine article provides more information.  

I was onsite Friday night and it was LOOSE! 

It’s clear Leggett, and his financer Marnell Gaming, think they are on shaky legal ground and wanted to make this move to get the casino operating (in a bunch of trailers with probably no running water or septic) before Trump became president. Maximum loose. What is even looser is that Leggett has said many times the casino was not going to open until the end of 2025. Leggett also has an interest in the land allotment they are using for the casino. So homie is double dipping! Classic Loose Unit behavior. 

And here is where it gets super loose. Because the casino is on a federal Native allotment (questionable if tribes in Alaska really exist) they won’t be required to pay any municipal property taxes. That road in Birchwood will definitely need to be upgraded if this charade is allowed to happen. Not to mention the need for more police and emergency services. I guess because Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance gave Leggett a green light to do whatever he wants, Anchorage taxpayers will be footing the bill!

For the record, I support gaming and think the state should legalize all of it. I just don’t think any group of people should get special treatment. 

If you have a nomination for this week’s Loose Unit, or if you have any political news, stories or gossip (or any old pics of politicians or public officials) please email me at jeff@alaskalandmine.com.