Antipathy between certain elements of the Assembly and former Mayor, now Senator Mark Begich isn’t really new or news. That said, one of my colleagues managed to generate headlines last week by claiming the previous administration withheld relevant fiscal information during the waning months of 2009, citing a memo from former CFO Sharon Weddleton.
Editor’s note: As readers will note below, I authored this post over a week ago. Today some of the facts I discuss become “official” which, hopefully, explains the delay in posting.
I’m in a somewhat reflective mood as I write this on September 12, unsure when, or if, I’ll actually post it. It all began fifteen days ago, or about a year ago, perhaps four years ago, or maybe eight years ago, depending on how you track the course of events.
From time to time we receive an “Assembly Information Memorandum” from the administration containing – wait for it – information the administration wants or has to convey to us. At our Tuesday meeting AIM 94-2009 listed various recent executive appointments along with their salaries. Most notable was former Assembly member, state legislator and Burger King honcho Larry Baker’s hire as a “Senior Policy Advisor” earning a whopping $0 (I really didn’t think about that pun until after I typed it, sorry). Given Mr. Baker’s experience that’s a darn good deal – even Erskine Bowles charged the federal government $1 for his labors. Anyhow, several of us lauded his sense of public service but I couldn’t help teasing that I hoped he wouldn’t be negotiating on behalf of the Assembly!
In addition to the comments generated by my previous post I received several phone calls and e-mails, a few of which gently suggested that some additional information might lead me to a different conclusion on budgetary matters. Since then I have reviewed some more detailed material and still have questions.
Mark Twain, born Samuel Clemens, is supposed to have written:
“Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
Monday, September 7 will mark the 127th celebration of Labor Day in the United States. It’s history, according to Wikipedia, is rooted in the violent reaction to a late 19th century labor strike:
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