With All Due Respect Episode 49

The Angela Rodell scandal continues to engulf the Dunleavy administration. Mayor Bronson is under fire from the assembly to answer questions about tampering with the public water supply and APD. Maia Nolan-Partnow has thoughts on new year's resolutions. We preview "The thick of it" a British political comedy series. Governor Dunleavy is looking for a running mate and he's upset we're asking questions.

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Show 49

Welcome to another episode 
 …of With All Due Respect
 
 The podcast where 
 …we got it
 …we got it
 …and we 
 Owww!
 …got to report it
 
 Greetings my name is Junior
 …aka Ted Lange

…With me as always 
 …is my main man
 …my go to 
 …with the know to
 …my Clifton Davis
 … Van Sanders
 
 Mr. Sanders
 …how are you?

(Van exchange)
 
 

Excellent
 
 As always we’d like to thank the Anchorage Daily News
 for hosting this podcast…
 
 Today on With All Due Respect
 …we kick off the New Year
 …with a complete show
 
 A little something
 …something
 …for everyone
 
 In state politics

 The scandal regarding the political assassination of
 …Angela Rodell
 …reached new levels of intrigue this week with
 …the testimony of board chair Craig Richards
 
 …I’ll address it all
 …and leave you with
 …three simple words
 …follow the money

 
 In local politics
…Mayor Bronson’s administration is under fire
 …to answer questions
 …about the recent misconduct in his administration
 
 And if that wasn’t enough
 …Bronson is also facing
 …questions
 …about the relationship
 …between his former
 …homeless coordinator John Morris
 …and Sprung
 …the Utah based company
 …that was
 …proposed to build
 …Mayor Bronson’s mega shelter
 
 In life
…Maia Nolan-Partnow
 …kicks off the new year
 …by giving us her thoughts
 …on New Year’s resolutions
 
 In entertainment
…given the political environment
 …we are witnessing today
 …I will suggest a
 …British political comedy series
 …that’s a must watch
 
 And in closing comments

 Governor Dunleavy
 …holds a press conference
 
 …and according to his
 …eight minute diatribe
 …it’s clear that he
 …ain’t very happy 
 …with this podcast 
 
 To quote the
 …great Harvey Fierstein 
 …”I just wanna be loved 
 …is that so wrong”
 
 
 (Van plays horn honking)
 
 Alright
 …there’s our ride
 …hope in and
 …let’s talk some politics
 
 
 (Van plays politics bit)

 In state politics
 

This week 
 …Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
 …Board of Trustees Chair Craig Richards
 …sat in front of a packed Senate hearing
 
 …refusing to answer questions 
 …from state lawmakers
 …regarding the controversial firing of 
 …Executive Director Angela Rodell
 
 
 Richard’s testimony was arrogant, evasive and dismissive
 
 In one exchange 
 …Anchorage Representative Ivy Spohnholz
 …asked Richards if he’d had any communication with the
 …Dunleavy administration before the firing of Rodell
 
Richard’s response was evasive

…“I think I was pretty clear
 …that I'm not going to go into
 …the specifics of the interactions
 …communications and decisions
 …that led to Ms. Rodell's firing,”
 …Richards responded.
 …“I don't think it's appropriate.”
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen
…why do you think
…Craig Richards refused
…to answer whether
…he communicated
…with the governor before
…the firing of Rodell?

Because he did.

…Public records obtained
 …by Jeff Landfield at the Alaska Landmine
 …show Richards meet with the governor
 …just three weeks before Rodell was fired
 
 

 Richards met with Governor Dunleavy
 …on November 12
 …and Rodell was fired on December 9
 
 But yet we are to believe
 …that Rodell’s firing wasn’t discussed?
 
 So if you believe that
 …than you believe somewhere
 …between November 12 and December 9
 …Richards decided to fire the
 …funds most successful director in history
 
 …while at the same time
…convincing the governor’s commissioners
 …who report directly to the governor
 
 …to support Rodell’s termination
 …all without their boss
 …Governor Dunleavy
 …having any knowledge
 
 Meanwhile
 ….back at the farm
 …pigs are flying

 Look
 …Craig Richards should
 …be supeaonaed
 …and put under oath
 
 The fact that Richards
 …refused to answer a question
 …when we already had the answer
 
 …shows he cannot be trusted to
 …answer questions where answer
 …are still elusive
 
 We are talking about
 …Alaska’s $83 billion dollar
 …sovereign wealth fund and
 …it’s clear the board’s chair
 …is lying to lawmakers
 …about the biggest power grab
 …in the history of the fund
 
 Just listen to Richards
 …arrogance and dismissivenes
 
 
 “I am truly shocked that I am here,” he said.
 
 “This is, this is a new one to me, OK?
 
 We have a at-will employee that reports to the board
 who years of documented evidence demonstrates
 that there were trust problems going both ways
 between the board and the executive director.”

 
 …okay let’s look at Rodell’s
 …personnel file once again
 
 Where exactly is the
 …documented evidence
 …that had been accumulated
 …over the years
 
 Where the hell
 …is that documentation Craig?
 
 A few anonymously written
 …complaints by trustees
 …but for all we know
 …these could have come
 …from Richards or Mahoney
 
 I mean after all they
 …certainly couldn’t
 …have represented
 …the opinion of a majority
 …of the trustees
 …or else there would have
 …been some kind of
 …formal action right?
 
 In fact Richards said
 …“a number of trustees”
 …had lost confidence in Rodell
 
 …So again
 …why was there no action
 …or corrective work plan?
 
 Does that mean a number
 …of trustees ignored
 …these problems?
 
 So if we are to believe
 …Craig Richards
 
 ..then we’d have to believe
 …that the complaints against Rodell
 …weren’t serious enough for the trustees
 …to attempt corrective measures
 
 …but that the complaints
 …were serious enough
 …to use as a reason
 …to fire Rodell
 
 Explain slowly
 
…Craig Richards has a fiduciary responsibility
…Craig Richards has been on board for 6 of last seven years
…But during that time he did nothing to manage the situation
…Craig Richards is either lying or he has failed as a trustee
…Either way
…he should be removed from the board
 
 

The fact is ladies and gentlemen
 …that Rodell was told in the weeks 
 …leading up to her firing by political insiders
 …she was being targeted by Dunleavy and Richards
 …“they’re coming after you”
 …one person told her
 
Now…
 
 One of the suggested theories
 …for Rodell’s firing 
 …is that she opposed Governor Dunleavy
 …proposal to overdraw the permanent fund
 …by $3 billion dollars.
 
 However
 …Richards told lawmakers that Rodell’s argument 
 …doesn’t make sense because the board 
 …passed resolutions in support of the 
 …2018 limit and against overspending. 
 

“I will unequivocally say that for me 
 …and all the other trustees that I’m aware of, 
 …that we still do believe these resolutions 
 …and support them,” Richards said.

 However I’ll say it once more
 …Richards cannot be trusted

 Not only did
 …Revenue Commissioner Lucinda Mahoney
 …advocate for the $3 billion overdraw
 …while testifying to lawmakers
 …she also promoted it in public speeches
 
 But also, but also
 
 …low and behold
 …under Richards and Mahoney
 …the permanent fund corporation staff
 …has been recently asked
 …to model a $3 billion overdraw
 
 ….so why after telling lawmakers
 …that the board opposed
 …the $3 billion overdraw
 …are they now modeling
 …that same $3 billion overdraw?
 
 Because this was always the plan

 Get rid of Angela Rodell
 …to achieve the governor’s 
 …desire to overdraw the permanent fund
 …by $3 billion

Ladies and gentlemen
 …this was the source of friction
 …between Rodell
 …and both Richards and Mahoney
 
 …while they were saying publicly
 …they supported the resolutions
 …not to overdraw the fund
 …at the same time
…Rodell was given verbal cues 
 …to push towards the $3billion overdraw
 …which she refused to do 
 
 

I guarantee that’s
 … what Dunleavy and Richards
 …discussed in their November 12 meeting
 …because three weeks later 
 …Angela Rodell was fired without notice
 
 

I wouldn’t trust
 …Craig Richards
 …to manage a
 …lemonade stand
 …let alone
 …Alaska’s $83 billion nest egg
 
 His testimony this week
 was as dishonest as the day is long
 
 He has the gall to accuse
 …Rodell of poor leadership
 …but cannot show at any time
 …in his fiduciary responsibility
 …that he attempted to
 …correct her leadership
 
 Craig Richards
 …has been a trustee
 …for six of the last seven years
 …yet there is nothing
 …to suggest he was worried
 …about her performance
 …during those years
 
 But suddenly…
 
 …He fires Rodell abruptly
 …just as he becomes board chair
 
 …and then
 
 …Dunleavy’s commissioner
 …who handled Rodell’s
 …rigged performance review
 …becomes the vice chair
 
 This is deeper than Rodell
 …This is about controlling the money
 …and the power of Alaska’s $83 billion
 …permanent fund
 
 And it’s not just me
 …Former Governor Frank Murkowski
 …writing in an op/ed last week
 …asked “Is the permanent fund at risk”
 
 …Murkowski
 …stated his growing concerns
 … over the firing of Rodell
 …and
 …the board of trustees
 …changing the nature
 …of the permanent fund
 …investment strategies
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen
 …lawmakers need to issue
 …supeonas for
 …Craig Richards, Lucinda Mahoney
 …and the
 …remaining trustees
 
 
 The problem for Board Chair Craig Richards
 …is too many people with loose lips
 …knew about his plan
 
 The problem for Governor Mike Dunleavy
 …is too many people realize that
 …this couldn’t have been done without
 …his approval
 
 
 Craig Richards and Governor Dunleavy
 …are as nervous as long tail cats
 …in a room full of rocking chairs
 
 At first they thought
 …this would be a one day story
 …and they would get away with it
 …and when that didn’t happen
 …they propped up Craig Richards
 …who tried to obfuscate and
 …bully lawmakers into moving on
 
 Craig Richards is right.
 It is time to move on.
 
 It’s time to move on
 …to subpoenas for
 …Craig Richards
 
 
 Ladies and Gentlemen
 
…many of you have 
 …seen the movie Watergate
 
 …So I will leave you with the 
 …three most important words
 …in the entire film
 
 …Follow the money
 
 

Slower
 
…Follow the money
 

(Van plays music without words)
 
 

In local politics
 
 The Anchorage Assembly 
 …is demanding answers from the Bronson administration
 …about the mayor’s interference with the public water supply
 …and his meddling in the Anchorage Police Department
 
 The assembly 
 …has a work session schedule
 …for January 21 to discuss
 …Bronson’s tampering with
 …the public water supply
 
 In addition 
 …they have asked for specific
 …questions regarding
 …the Anchorage Police Department
 …that are now due by February 1.
 
 Members say 
 …if the Bronson administration
 …who has a long track record
 …of obscuring the truth
 …is not forthcoming with the answers
 …the assembly will consider 
 …issuing subpoenas 
 
 And to be honest
 …considering subpoenas 
 …might become a regular trend
 …between the assembly 
 …and the Bronson administration
 
 A few months ago 
 …we raised 
 …questions on this podcast about 
 …former Bronson homeless director 
 …John Morris involvement with Sprung
 …the company that designed the mega shelter 
 …advocated for by Morris and Bronson
 
 As we reported this past fall
 …Something seemed really odd 
 …about the entire process 
 …and we began to wonder
 …if there were some 
 …,potential conflicts of interests. 
 
 As you’ll remember, 
 …Morris reportedly had paid 
 …for the initial design of the shelter
 …and Sprung appeared to be poised 
 …to be shoehorned into the project 
 …at the expense of local taxpayers
 
 On that topic
 …our friend  Jeff Landfield 
 …at the Alaska Landmine reports 
 …that the Bronson administration 
 …has failed to respond
 …to a public records request for emails 
 …regarding John Morris and Sprung
 
 Landfield filed his request 
 …three months ago 
 …and it has gone 
 …unanswered.
 
 For an administration
 …that has been founded on
 … cronyism 
 … mistruths
 …and mismanagement
 
 …the failure to provide these 
 …public documents is just an
 …ongoing sign of the lack 
 …of transparency 
 …embraced by the Bronson administration
 
 And finally
 
 …the eight floor of city hall 
 …is convinced that their offices are being bugged
 
 Frustrated that inside information
 …and their plans are being leaked to the public
 …City Manager Amy Demboski 
 …and company are so positive 
 …they are being bugged 

…they actually reached
 …out to the Department of Public Safety 
 …to ask about debugging equipment
 
 
 Look
 …nobody has bugged city hall
 This is just pure paranoia 
 and being surrounded by people 
 who can’t help but talk.
 
 If you want people 

to stop hearing your secret plans
 you don’t have to sweep City Hall 

for listening devices
 …you just need to teach people like 

Terrance Shannigan to 

use the mute button on Zoom calls

And oh by the way
 …just ignore that Roomba
 …with a microphone taped to it
 …that’s sweeping the floor
 …


 
 
 (Van plays life segment)
 
 Life – Maia
 
In life
 …Maiai Nolan-Partnow
 …gives us her thoughts
 …on New Year’s resolutions

 (Van plays Maia’s bit)
 
 (Van plays entertainment segment)
 
 

Entertainment –
 
This has been
 …quite a few last weeks
 …in Alaska politics
 
 …and If you are listening to
 …the sound of my voice
 …you obviously love political insight
 
 
 So today’s entertainment
 …segment is going to make a recommendation
 for political junkies
 
 The show is call
 the thick of it

  The show is a British comedy
television series that satirises
the inner workings of British government.

It highlights the struggles and conflicts
 between politicians, party spin doctors,
advisers, civil servants and the media.

It originally ran from
2005 to 2012 on BBC

but you can catch it today
on Amazon Prime

Once again the show is called
The thick of it

If you like politics
you’ll love this show

(van plays politics, life, entertainment bit)


 Closing comments -

 In closing comments
 …Governor Dunleavy held
 …a press conference
 …this week
 …complaining about the
 …Anchorage Daily News
 …and in particular
…complaining about the 
 …Anchorage Daily News
 …hosting our podcast
 
 Let me summarize:

The Governor of the 
 …great State of Alaska
 …the most powerful man in Alaska
 …is threatened by Van and I
 
 This is something from a governor
 …who has his own podcast
 …paid for taxpayers
 

And
 
 …a governor
 …that has become the first governor
 …in history to use public dollars
 …to pimp his political initiatives
 
 …including
 
 … a $250 thousand dollar contract
 …with political cronies
 …who 
 …oh by the way
 …also host radio talk shows
 …which allowed Dunleavy
 …to use
 …public airwaves to campaign
 …for free
 
 
 But you know what’s
 …really something?

Over the last week
 …the governor and his communication staff
 …have been paid their state government salary
 …while criticizing our podcast
 
 Now
 …that means
 …the governor and his communication staff
 …have made more money
 …complaining about this podcast
 …than Van and I have made
 …producing this podcast
 
 okay…

 There is a reason
 …why Governor Dunleavy 
 …spent his first press conference
 …trying to distract
 …away from his administration’s failings
 
 Let’s just take a snapshot
 …of the Dunleavy administration right now:
 

1.)                     His budget is a fantasy 
 based on one time money federal money
 which will create $500 million deficits 
 for the next ten years
 
 

2.)                     He’s currently being sued 
 by University of Alaska students
 after he illegally eliminated 
 their college scholarships

AND
 
 

3.)                     His administration 
 is facing it’s biggest scandal 
 in three years after he
 orchestrated the firing 
 of Angela Rodell and is now lying 
 to the public about his involvement
 

 Ladies and Gentlemen
 …this is a Republican incumbent governor
 …in a red state he won by 8 points
 …just three years ago
 …and now he’s bitching
 …about the press
 …instead of talking about his legacy
 
 But more than likely…

 …Dunleavy’s anger at this podcast
 …and the press might be because
 …we are highlighting his
 …morally bankrupt character
 …at a time he is shopping
 …for a running mate
 
 Weeks ago
 …Lt. Gov Kevin Meyer announced
 …he would not seek re-election
 …and
 …with ranked choice voting
 …now in place Dunleavy
 …gets to pick his own running mate
 
 And the word is he
 …is looking for a women
 …to be his running mate
 
 But seriously,
 …what self respecting women
 …would run with
 …a governor whose
 …treatment of women
 …has been scandalous
 
 That’s why Dunleavy gets angry
 …when the press
 …and this podcast
 …asked
 …why he
…attempted tp covered up 
…that a
…single mother of two
…was being sexually harassed 
…by his disgraced former attorney 
…general Kevin Creepy Clarkson
 
That’s why Dunleavy gets angry 
…that the press and this podcast
…are asking questions about his firing
…of the most successful woman
…to ever manage the permanent fund corporation
 
He covered up sexual harassment of
…a single mother of two
 
…and 
 
He orchestrated the firing of a successful woman
…who told him no
 
His treatment
…of women the last three years
…has been nothing less than deplorable
 
Again
…what self respecting women
…would ever agree to run with
…a guy who clearly doesn’t respect women
 
But
…Dunleavy’s troubles are just beginning
 
In the coming weeks
…this entire Angela Rodell story
…will begin to unravel for the governor
…because once you tell a lie
…you have to keep on lying
 
Pressure will mount
…people will talk
…and it’s just a matter of time
 
In my earlier comments
…I mentioned Watergate
 
So please allow
…me to remind Governor Dunleavy
…Craig Richards
…and 
…Lucinda Mahoney
…of a valuable political lesson
…learned during that scandal
 
…the cover up 
…is always worse than the crime
 
(Van plays closing music)
 
 
And there is the closing music…