Disgraced Alaska legislator Vic Kohring thinks Wasilla voters should give him another chance and elect him to their city council.
Kohring filed Friday afternoon for a three-year term for Wasilla City Council Seat F, according to the City Clerk's office. That seat is currently held by Brandon Wall, who has filed for re-election. Friday was the last day to file for the Oct. 1 election.
In an announcement emailed to news media, Kohring addressed his felony conviction on federal corruption charges by saying "it's in the past and time to move on." But he also apologized for his "carelessness" and taking what he described as "small gifts" from "friends."
Kohring was one of six legislators charged and convicted in the corruption scandal that surfaced with FBI raids on his office and others in 2006. A jury convicted him in November 2007 of extortion, bribery and conspiracy and a federal judge sentenced him to 31/2 years in prison. He appealed and got a new trial when the Justice Department admitted withholding information from Kohring's defense -- similar misconduct that led to dismissal of charges against U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens after a jury found him guilty of disclosure violations.
Instead of going through a new trial on three felonies, Kohring pleaded guilty Oct. 21, 2011, to a single federal felony for accepting bribes and was sentenced to the time he had served in federal prison: one year, plus 18 months probation. He admitted taking $1,000 cash at a Juneau restaurant from Veco chairman Bill Allen, who was trying to lower oil production taxes in the 2006 Legislature, and to asking Allen to pay a $17,000 credit card debt.
Oh yeah, I think that Wasilla might welcome him with open arms.
After all he is certainly NOT the worst criminal that they will have had serve on the Wasilla City Counsel, now is he?
Well, this is nothing compared to what my current sitting governor has taken in cash and prizes from a political sugar daddy...Bob has taken over $145k , and is under federal investigation. His wife went on lavish shopping sprees, urged same sugar daddy to buy her a Rolex to give to Bob, and let same sugar daddy pay for their daughters weddings. The adult McDonnell children have raided the governors mansion for everything from Gatorade to eggs, liquor, and vitamins, and he charged the state for personal necessities, even dog shampoo.
ReplyDeleteThese grifters put the corrupt bastards in Alaska to shame.
Virginia Voter
If I see Mrs. McDonnell wearing her FREE $10,000 Oscar de la Renta suede jacket, I will accidentally bump into her and spill my $1.49 grape Slurpee on it.
DeleteAnd then there's Florida where the current sitting governor was caught for Medicare fraud and fined millions of dollars. He's governor of a state where convicted felons, ones who have served their prison terms, cannot even vote. Ah, but these guys are Republicans so it doesn't count.
DeleteBeaglemom
Purrfict.
DeleteWhen will Bristles Palin throw her hat into the ring? She said in the past she wanted to run for office and whatnot. Maybe City council is too lowly a position, she will wait and run for governor. After all, she can draw on the experience of her parents, weren't they co-governors at one time, before the bright lights of hollywood whisked them away?
ReplyDelete“How hard can it be?” As spoken by an idiot with a nasal whine. We have too many of those in this country.
DeleteWhackos, drunks, deadbeats, crooks, cheats, liars .... it's getting so that a sane, law-abiding - or even intelligent - person wouldn't dream of running for Wasilla City Council.
ReplyDeleteNext thing you know old Sarah will be filin' again.
Wonder if Kohring will ask Sarah Palin for her endorsement .... after all, she can't again refuse her old mentor due to him being a property tax cheat because that's something they have in common now.
Run, Sarah, run!
Do Wasilla City Council members get free houses; or is it just a perk for the Mayor?
ReplyDeleteCan he even vote for himself? Here in Virginia, Transvaginal Bob has been restoring the rights of felons to vote as long as they weren't convicted of violent crimes, so I know it's a state-by-state process. What's Alaska's policy?
ReplyDelete(shout out to Virginia Voter--I'm in the hinterlands west of Roanoke)
I was wondering, also too, about that eligibility to vote if you are a felon versus running for office if you're a felon. What is the law here in Alaska?
ReplyDeleteHow is it possible that a convicted felon, who cannot vote, be eligible to run for any kind of public office? Time to put a new statute on the books?
ReplyDeleteI can see how that tiny brain behind those tiny eyes thinks that this is somehow a logical career move, but how anyone would bother to waste their vote on this neanderthal is beyond me.
One bad thing about us having a President with no professional record or earned real job prior to public office is other people following suit and pursuing public office despite not being right. Few in actuality are right for public office. Today's congress, both House and Senate, prove that daily. Shame on career politicians.
ReplyDeletehaha, you're a Sarah Palin fan and you imagine you're in a position to criticize ANYone?
DeleteThat really takes the cake in the Blame Obama contest.
DeleteI'm sure Kohring would also like to blame his complete absence of morals on Obama.
Racist.
President Obama had a long professional record before being elected President. During his law school years he was selected as an editor of the Harvard Law Review his first year, served as President of the Law Journal his second year, and worked in two summer internships for the prestigious Chicago law firms of Sidley Ausin and Hopkins and Sutter. He graduated from law school Magna Cum Laude. After his graduation he taught for two years at the University of Chicago Law School as a Visiting Fellow and wrote a book that became a best seller (Dreams of My Father). He then taught taught at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years as a lecturer, and became a Senior Lecturer at that institution. During this same time he was the director of Illinois' Project Vote, which resulted in the registration of 150,000 voters, leading the Chicago Tribune to name him in its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers-to-be. During this same time frame, he worked for another Chicago law firm for three years as an associate, and for 8 years in an of counsel position. During this same time frame he served on the boards of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago and the Joyce Foundation, as well as on the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, where he was founding president and Chairman of the Board of Directors. During this same period he served for seven years as a State Senator, after which he became a United States Senator.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 10:18, when you say our President has no professional record, you prove that you are living in an alternate reality, and that you are either totally and willfully ignorant, or a brazen liar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
What can we remember about Vic Kohring? This man slept on a couch on his Juneau office because he couldn't afford rent. When he was offered some measly amount by Veco head men he jumped at it, probably to afford to eat a sandwich.
ReplyDeleteThis man is the sorriest excuse for a public servant to serve AK and we've had some sorry public servants.
As I recall, he hitch-hiked his way home after his release from jail because no one would give him a ride and he had no money to afford a cab.
I have no explanation as to why AK seems to lack solid citizens willing to participate in politics, but boy we sure have some winners here!!
One of the Native Corporations is trying to put an industrial landfill across the road from a neighborhood in Chugiak. Turns out the President of that corp is a convicted felon. I guess being a felon looks great on a resume these days. Gets you a great high paying job or Political office.
ReplyDelete