Sarah Palin:
In June 2007, Palin signed a record $6.6 billion operating budget into la
w.[89] At the same time, she used her veto power to make the second-largest cuts of the construction budget in state history. The $237 million in cuts represented over 300 local projects, and reduced the construction budget to $1.6 billion.[90] In 2008, Palin vetoed $286 million, cutting or reducing funding for 350 projects from the FY09 capital budget.[91]
Palin followed through on a campaign promise to sell the Westwind II jet, a purchase made by the Murkowski administration for $2.7 million in 2005 against the wishes of the legislature.[92] In August 2007, the jet was listed on eBay, but the sale fell through, and the plane was later sold for $2.1 million through a private brokerage firm.[93]
Gubernatorial expenditures
Palin lived in Juneau during the legislative session and lived in Wasilla and worked out of offices in Anchorage the rest of the year. Since the office in Anchorage is far from Juneau, while she worked there, state officials said she was permitted to claim a $58 per diem travel allowance, which she took (a total of $16,951), and to reimbursement for hotels, which she did not, choosing instead to drive about 50 miles to her home in Wasilla.[94] She also chose not to use the former governor's private chef.[95] Republicans and Democrats have criticized Palin for taking the per diem and $43,490 in travel expenses for the times her family accompanied her on state business.[96][97] In response, the governor's staffers said that these practices were in line with state policy, that Palin's gubernatorial expenses are 80% below those of her predecessor, Frank Murkowski,[96] and that "many of the hundreds of invitations Palin receives include requests for her to bring her family, placing the definition of 'state business' with the party extending the invitation."[94] In February 2009, the State of Alaska, reversing a policy that had treated the payments as legitimate business expenses under the Internal Revenue Code, decided that per diems paid to state employees for stays in their own homes will be treated as taxable income and will be included in employees' gross income on their W-2 forms.[98] Palin herself had ordered the review of the tax policy.[99]
In December 2008, an Alaska state commission recommended increasing the Governor's annual salary from $125,000 to $150,000. Palin stated that she would not accept the pay raise.[100] In response, the commission dropped the recommendation.[101]
Federal funding
In her State of the State Address on January 17, 2008, Palin declared that the people of Alaska "can and must continue to develop our economy, because we cannot and must not rely so heavily on federal government [funding]."[102] Alaska's federal congressional representatives cut back on pork-barrel project requests during Palin's time as governor; despite this, in 2008 Alaska was still the largest per-capita recipient of federal earmarks, requesting nearly $750 million in special federal spending over a period of two years.[103]
While there is no sales tax or income tax in Alaska, state revenues doubled to $10 billion in 2008. For the 2009 budget, Palin gave a list of 31 proposed federal earmarks or requests for funding, totaling $197 million, to Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.[104] Palin’s decreasing support for federal funding has been a leading source of friction between herself and the state's congressional delegation; Palin has requested less in federal funding each year than her predecessor Frank Murkowski requested in his last year.[105]
Bridge to Nowhere
Main article: Gravina Island Bridge
In 2005, before Palin was elected governor, Congress passed a $442-million earmark for constructing two Alaska bridges as part of an omnibus spending bill. The Gravina Island Bridge received nationwide attention as a symbol of pork-barrel spending, following news reports that the bridge would cost $233 million in Federal funds. Because Gravina Island, the site of the Ketchikan airport, has a population of 50, the bridge became known nationally as the "Bridge to Nowhere". Following an outcry by the public and some members of the US Senate, Congress eliminated the bridge earmark from the spending bill but gave the allotted funds to Alaska as part of its general transportation fund.[106]
Palin holds up a t-shirt reading "Nowhere Alaska 99901" while visiting Ketchikan during her Gubernatorial campaign in 2006; the zip code for the area is 99901.In 2006, Palin ran for governor with a "build-the-bridge" plank in her platform,[107] saying she would "not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project [...] into something that's so negative."[108] Palin criticized the use of the word "nowhere" as insulting to local residents[107][109] and urged speedy work on building the infrastructure "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist."[109]
As governor, Palin canceled the Gravina Island Bridge in September 2007, saying that Congress had "little interest in spending any more money" due to what she called "inaccurate portrayals of the projects."[110] Alaska chose not to return the $442 million in federal transportation funds.[111]
In 2008, as a vice-presidential candidate, Palin characterized her position as having told Congress "thanks, but no thanks, on that bridge to nowhere." This angered some Alaskans in Ketchikan, who said that the claim was false and a betrayal of Palin's previous support for their community.[111] Some critics complained that this statement was misleading, since she had expressed support for the spending project and kept the Federal money after the project was canceled.[112] Palin received criticism for allowing construction of a 3-mile access road, built with $25 million in Federal transportation funds set aside as part of the original bridge project, to continue. A spokesman for Alaska's Department of Transportation made a statement that it was within Palin's power to cancel the road project, but also noted that the state was still considering cheaper designs to complete the bridge project, and that in any case the road would open up the surrounding lands for development.[113][114]
Gas pipeline
See also: Alaska Gas Pipeline
In August 2008, Palin signed a bill authorizing the State of Alaska to award TransCanada Pipelines—the sole bidder to meet the state's requirements—a license to build and operate a pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the Continental United States through Canada.[115] The governor also pledged $500 million in seed money to support the project.[116] It is estimated that the project will cost $26 billion.[115] Newsweek described the project as "the principal achievement of Sarah Palin's term as Alaska's governor."[117] The pipeline faces legal challenges from Canadian First Nations.[117]
Predator control
See also: Governorship of Sarah Palin#Environment
In 2007, Palin supported a 2003 Alaska Department of Fish and Game policy allowing the hunting of wolves from the air as part of a predator control program intended to increase moose and caribou populations for subsistence-food gatherers and other hunters.[118][119] In March 2007, Palin's office announced that a bounty of $150 per wolf would be paid to the 180 volunteer pilots and gunners, to offset fuel costs, in five areas of Alaska. Six-hundred-and-seven wolves had been killed in the prior four years. State biologists wanted 382 to 664 wolves killed by the end of the predator-control season in April 2007. Wildlife activists sued the state, and a state judge declared the bounty illegal on the basis that a bounty would have to be offered by the Board of Game and not by the Department of Fish and Game.[118][120]
Public Safety Commissioner dismissal
Main article: Alaska Public Safety Commissioner dismissal
Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan on July 11, 2008, citing performance-related issues, such as not being "a team player on budgeting issues"[121] and "egregious rogue behavior."[122] Palin attorney Van Flein said that the "last straw" was Monegan's planned trip to Washington, D.C., to seek funding for a new, multimillion-dollar sexual assault initiative the governor hadn't yet approved.[123] Monegan said that he had resisted persistent pressure from the Governor, her husband, and her staff, including State Attorney General Talis Colberg, to fire Palin’s ex-brother-in-law, state trooper Mike Wooten; Wooten was involved in a child custody battle with Palin’s sister after a bitter divorce that included an alleged death threat against Palin's father.[124][125] At one point Sarah and Todd Palin hired a private investigator to get Wooten disciplined.[126] Monegan stated that he learned an internal investigation had found all but two of the allegations to be unsubstantiated, and Wooten had been disciplined for the others—an illegal moose killing and the tasering of an 11-year-old (the child asked to be Tasered).[125] He told the Palins that there was nothing he could do because the matter was closed.[127] When contacted by the press for comment, Monegan first acknowledged pressure to fire Wooten but said that he could not be certain that his own firing was connected to that issue;[125] he later asserted that the dispute over Wooten was a major reason for his firing.[128] Palin stated on July 17 that Monegan was not pressured to fire Wooten, nor dismissed for not doing so.[121][127]
Monegan said the subject of Wooten came up when he invited Palin to a birthday party for his cousin, state senator Lyman Hoffman, in February 2007 during the legislative session in Juneau. "As we were walking down the stairs in the capitol building she wanted to talk to me about her former brother-in-law," Monegan said. "I said, 'Ma'am, I need to keep you at arm's length with this. I can't deal about him with you."[129] "She said, 'OK, that's a good idea.' " [125]
Governor Palin said there was "absolutely no pressure ever put on Commissioner Monegan to hire or fire anybody, at any time. I did not abuse my office powers. And I don't know how to be more blunt and candid and honest, but to tell you that truth. To tell you that no pressure was ever put on anybody to fire anybody." "Never putting any pressure on him," added Todd Palin.[130] But on August 13 she acknowledged that a half dozen members of her administration had made more than two dozen calls on the matter to various state officials. "I do now have to tell Alaskans that such pressure could have been perceived to exist, although I have only now become aware of it," she said.[127][129][131] Palin said, "Many of these inquiries were completely appropriate. However, the serial nature of the contacts could be perceived as some kind of pressure, presumably at my direction."[132][133]
Chuck Kopp, who Palin had appointed to replace Monegan as public safety commissioner, received a $10,000 state severance package after he resigned following just two weeks on the job. Kopp, the former Kenai chief of police, resigned July 25 following disclosure of a 2005 sexual harassment complaint and letter of reprimand against him. Monegan said that he didn't get any severance package from the state.[132]
Legislative investigation
On August 1, 2008 the Alaska Legislature hired an investigator, Stephen Branchflower, to review the Monegan dismissal. Legislators stated that Palin had the legal authority to fire Monegan, but they wanted to know whether her action had been motivated by anger at Monegan for not firing Wooten.[134][135] The atmosphere was bipartisan and Palin pledged to cooperate.[134][135][136] Wooten remained employed as a state trooper.[126] She placed an aide on paid leave due to one tape-recorded phone conversation that she deemed improper, in which the aide appeared to be acting on her behalf and complained to a trooper that Wooten had not been fired.[137]
Several weeks after the start of what the media referred to as "troopergate", Palin was chosen as John McCain's running mate.[135] On September 1, Palin asked the legislature to drop its investigation, saying that the state Personnel Board had jurisdiction over ethics issues.[138] The Personnel Board's three members were first appointed by Palin’s predecessor, and Palin reappointed one member in 2008.[139] On September 19, the Governor's husband and several state employees refused to honor subpoenas, the validity of which were disputed by Talis Colberg, Palin's appointee as Alaska's Attorney General.[140] On October 2, a court rejected Colberg's challenge to the subpoenas,[141] and seven of the witnesses, not including Sarah and Todd Palin, eventually testified.[142]
Branchflower Report
On October 10, 2008, the Alaska Legislative Council unanimously voted to release, without endorsing,[143] the Branchflower Report, in which investigator Stephen Branchflower found that firing Monegan "was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority," but that Palin abused her power as governor and violated the state's Executive Branch Ethics Act when her office pressured Monegan to fire Wooten .[144] The report stated that "Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired."[145] The report also said that Palin "permitted Todd Palin to use the Governor's office [...] to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired."[145][146]
On October 11, Palin's attorneys responded, condemning the Branchflower Report as "misleading and wrong on the law".[147] One of Palin's attorneys, Thomas Van Flein, said that it was an attempt to "smear the governor by innuendo."[148] Later that day, Governor Palin did a conference call interview with various Alaskan reporters, where she stated, "Well, I’m very, very pleased to be cleared of any legal wrongdoing… Any hint of any kind of unethical activity there. Very pleased to be cleared of any of that."[149]
State Personnel Board investigation
The State Personnel Board (SPB) reviewed the matter at Palin's request.[150] On September 15, the Anchorage law firm of Clapp, Peterson, Van Flein, Tiemessen & Thorsness filed arguments of "no probable cause" with the SPB on behalf of Palin.[151][152] The SPB hired independent counsel Timothy Petumenos as an investigator. On October 24, Palin gave three hours of depositions with the Board in St. Louis, Missouri.[153] On November 3, Petumenos found that there was no probable cause to believe Palin or any other state official had violated state ethical standards.[154][155][156][157]
Approval ratings
As governor of Alaska, Palin's approval rating ranged from a high of 93% in June 2007 to 54% in May 2009.
Date Approval Disapproval
May 30, 2007[158] 89% ?
June 21, 2007[159] 93% ?
November 4, 2007[160] 83% 11%
April 10, 2008[161] 73% 7%
May 17, 2008[162] 69% 9%
August 29, 2008[162] 64% 14%
October 7, 2008[163] 63% 37%
March 24-25, 2009[164] 59.8% 34.9%
May 5, 2009[164] 54% 41.6%
June 14-18, 2009[165] 56% 35%
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