JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - A North Pole legislator has filed an ethics complaint against Gov. Bill Walker for issuing a statement suggesting he would campaign for lawmakers who support him in the ongoing budget battles.
Walker’s statement Wednesday called for state lawmakers to resolve the state’s growing deficit, The Juneau Empire reported (https://bit.ly/29NJ248). At the end of the statement, Walker said he would “ask every legislator and every candidate for the Legislature” to choose a budget plan to support.
The Alaska Republican Party criticized the statement, saying it suggests Walker will use the governor’s “bully pulpit as a campaign stump.”
Rep. Tammie Wilson said she agrees with her party’s statement and has filed an official ethics complaint.
“To me, what he said today actually sealed it,” she said. “He meant exactly what he wrote and then said.”
Walker is legally allowed to endorse anyone, but the governor cannot use state resources to do so. Wilson claims that by issuing an official press release, Walker used state resources.
Walker said he is not trying to influence an election but wants to inform the public.
“I want Alaskans to know the consequences of action and inaction,” Walker said. “I regret any misunderstanding this may have created.”
In addition to Wilson, Anchorage resident Andree McLeod also filed an ethics complaint against the governor. McLeod accused Walker’s press secretary and assistant of trying to run a political campaign from his office.
McLeod was a frequent watchdog when it came to the Palin administration. She repeatedly filed requests for information and ethics complaints in an attempt to make sure public officials follow public records laws when they communicate, she said in 2009.
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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, https://www.juneauempire.com
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