My good friend, and researcher extraordinaire, Mel Green has put together a comprehensive (I am not sure "comprehensive" is a strong enough word to be honest) timeline for just how the 2010 Anchorage Assembly was bamboozled into cutting a check for $193,000 to Mayor Dan Sullivan, for a fake life insurance policy on his father.
This is an expansive post and you will be forgiven for not getting through it in one sitting. But I assure you that once you do, you will know FAR more about the convoluted history of this once in a lifetime, completely illegal, city of Anchorage funded "insurance policy" then did the Assembly members who voted to cut the check.
You will also see the inner workings of a fairly dysfunctional city government, and how each administration failed to fully understand the shell game being played on them by the friends and supporters of the Sullivan family.
Now without further ado I send you over to Henkimaa, Mel's blog, for the 411 on this amazing story.
(By the way, while you are over there, please leave her a nice message thanking her for all of her hard work. As you can imagine it has literally taken up many days to fully flesh out exactly what happened.)
Thanks for the heads-up. I just got back from reading the article. Wow. I did leave a comment thanking Mel for a great post.
ReplyDeleteAlaskan investigative bloggers are raising the bar to which all citizens should rise. How I wish every city had intelligent, courageous and caring citizens who invest time, energy and thought into seeking the truth.
That's why I love several Alaskan blogs and read them every day - you all care about where you live and how you live and what goes on there. You and others are making the American think and wonder.
We don't have anything near the quality of your blogs here in the Midwest. How I wish we did!
That you can make Americans care more deeply about politics and issues as diverse as gay rights and wildlife preservation is quite an accomplishment. Congratulations to you all.
P.S. I love that you do so with passion, style and humor as well!
Dan Sullivan and the whole assembly except Harriet Drummond need to be recalled. And if that fails, they need to be voted out. Lets see how well Anchorage voters pay attention.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the employees of MOA who facilitated this mess need to be fired as well if still employed by the municipality.
Rick
Oh, I do not know. I went to his wedding and he seemed to me to be a very nice guy. Of course, we are the kind of people whose application fee to the Quarterdeck was waived and members of the Old Petroleum Club.
ReplyDeleteMell is certainly a "researcher extraordinaire." It is quite a piece of work.
ReplyDeleteI went to school with this louse and to this day, have nothing but disdain for him. His brother, George Jr. is a total looser too, in and out of jail for a variety of crap. There is really nothing in this family that I care for. I'm sorry to offend the mayor, but he is a total jerk.
ReplyDeleteI remember playing basketball at the old city gym, he was a fairly dirty player on the court. I decked his ass one time, for intentionally fouling me on a shot. We had a heated discussion but logic prevailed, we shook hands, and I only played one other game with him. My team won. I consider that a bonus. Admittedly, I do NOT like Dan Sullivan. Never have, never will.
Mell is Mel, I apologize. I get things wrong more than I want to admit. Arg!
ReplyDeleteSo if the original "deal" was illegal, does that not make the payment illegal? Sullivan ought to clean this mess up pronto before someone will enforcement powers decides that it is an act of corruption.
ReplyDeleteDidn't they just throw a guy in jail for 230,--- added to his bank account and then him emptying it. Maybe Sullivan could have the same happen to him. Just a wishful thought, but you know it would never happen.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your scholarship Mel!
ReplyDeleteJust as an aside to this mismanaged administration: Seems that the 150 K cut from Search and Rescue will be added to 20K more to pay for 2 zambonis for the ice sheets here in town.
The administration got a special deal on them from the manufacturer. Seems that someone close to the Mayor has some ownership interest in a hockey team.
Just sayin'
This is evidence of a poor business practice - the practice of giving a false impression that "insurance" exists, when in fact the city has NOT PURCHASED WITH THE PAID good faith PREMIUMS the alleged "insurance". Are there others/work groups who have paid premiums but in fact when their widows submit their "claims" they WILL be told here's the $40 a month from inception to date? As an "insurance" practice this is unconscionable. The insurance commissioner should "review" if awake. Further, the muni should no longer be "allowed" to be "self-insured". In fund accounting and in the private sector "payables" are not paid (especially extraordinary items not currently funded) until and unless real backup ("the authenticated authorizing contract") is attached! Then, there are "approvals" with functioning internal controls with a view toward the owners (in this case the public) best interests whatever they in fact are. I guess someone believes rules are made to be broken. More's the pity. Are there ANY premiums that have been allowed to lapse and under what conditions and dates? Go back four mayors and find out! The insurance shell game is hereby over. Mel should take an analysis of the Mayoral Transition reports going back to Begich and focus on the Personnel Committee questions and answers received and questions asked and ignored or not answered. What a way to do business. Oh well. Perhaps we can return to less slick business practices from henceforth.
ReplyDelete