Wendy Wednesday – March 13, 2019

Landmine readers, by popular demand I am now featuring Wendy Wednesday on the Landmine website. The last two were on the Landmine Facebook page. After several requests, mostly from people who don’t use social media, I have heard you loud and clear. In addition to this week’s Wendy Wednesday, I will include the previous two below.

It’s Wendy Wednesday! A weekly feature about lobbyist Wendy Chamberlain from the Rainbow Swamp. In addition to being one of the highest earning lobbyists in Alaska, she also provides free rent at the Rainbow Swamp to Alaska Republican Party and Dunleavy administration propagandist Suzanne Downing. Today we are going to talk about another epic conflict between some of Wendy’s clients.

One of Wendy’s clients is Anheuser-Busch, who pay Wendy $50,000 a year. Damn! According to the description in her lobbyist disclosure form, she works on:

All issues relating to the alcohol industry, brewery and franchise law, alcohol taxes, licensing, advertising etc.

I hear there is plenty of drinking happening at the Rainbow Swamp, so this one seems to make sense. Imagine the kegger they could hold there!

However, Wendy has another client, 24/7 Sobriety Systems LLC, who pay Wendy a mere $19,000 a year (well below Wendy’s average). This is about to get real good. For 24/7 Sobriety Systems, she works on:

All issues relating to alcohol testing, monitoring, data management, substance abuse, wellness and treatment, sobriety and program funding.

Check out what’s on the home page of their website:

Taking money to lobby for literally the largest alcohol company in the world, while at the same time taking money to lobby for a company whose main focus is getting people sober. Fucking epic!

But it doesn’t end there. Wendy has another client, the Municipality of Anchorage. They pay Wendy $70,000 a year. Wooo! For them she works on:

All issues relating to municipal governments.

You may recall Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, with the support of the majority of the Anchorage Assembly, proposed an alcohol tax back in December. It will appear on the ballot for voters to decide. The tax is designed to deal with substance abuse, homelessness, and other public safety issues associated with alcoholism.

I wonder what the Anheuser-Busch folks think about Wendy’s lobbying contract with a city whose mayor is trying to tax them. Especially considering part of her lobbying for them includes, “alcohol taxes.” And I wonder what Mayor Berkowitz, and other city officials, think about Wendy lobbying for Anheuser-Busch. Maybe if the tax passes she can convince the Municipality of Anchorage to use the 24/7 Sobriety Systems people to help with substance abuse in Anchorage. That would be a trifecta! Maybe they could throw a rager at the Rainbow Swamp to kick off their new contract in Alaska. Anheuser-Busch can supply the booze.

Wendy Wednesday – March 6, 2019

It’s Wendy Wednesday! A weekly feature about lobbyist Wendy Chamberlain from the Rainbow Swamp. Today we are going to look at all of Wendy’s income from municipalities, boroughs, and school districts in Alaska:

Northwest Arctic Borough – $90,000/year

North Slope Borough – $60,000/year (through fellow Rainbow Swamp cabal member Heather Brakes. Wonder why Wendy lost that one?)

City of Nome – $75,000/year

Municipality of Anchorage – $70,000/year

Anchorage School District – $50,000/year

Northwest Arctic Borough School District – $45,000/year

WOOO! $330,000/year (not including the $60k that Brakes is getting from the North Slope Borough). Damn, Wendy! I guess the term conflict of interest doesn’t apply to all lobbyists. The Northwest Arctic Borough seems to be sitting real pretty with that $90k to Wendy, plus the $45k from their school district. Come on Anchorage, you need to step up your game to get the full Wendy lobbying experience.

Stay tuned for the next Wendy Wednesday.

Wendy Wednesday – February 27, 2019

‪Hey, folks. It’s Wendy Wednesday! A new weekly feature about lobbyist Wendy Chamberlain from the Rainbow Swamp.

Wendy, have you ever considered reaching out to Michelin or Bridgestone to see if they need a lobbyist in Alaska? If anyone knows tires, it’s you!

And just in case you are confused, here is a little background.

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I Art Laughing
5 years ago

Maybe that’s why Downing had an article complaining about proposed Anchorage alcohol taxes?

FromtheCheapSeats
5 years ago
Reply to  I Art Laughing

Bingo. Dots connected.

Sandy Warthwick
5 years ago

Citizens need to start demanding accountability for this money IMMEDIATELY. Why the @#$# is the Anchorage School District, which claims to be broke, giving Wendy $50,000 a year? Any senior leader at ASD or on the school board should be able to write an e-mail or pick up the phone and speak with any representative in state gov. ASD should stop engaging in this petty political backroom handshaking, do their jobs themselves, and save the $50,000 to hire a new teacher instead. Outrageous.

Anti Wendy, Anti Everyone
5 years ago

Start looking into all the lobbyists after you’re done with Wendy. They might all be coming up to you telling you to keep going with Wendy, but they’re just as much of fucking crooks as she is. Be real about that, Jeff, because you know that and should talk about that as well.