I made it to the APOC Meeting Thursday, in spite of the fact that my daughter is battling the flu (every time the Ibuprofen wears off, her fever shoots up again...bad cough...sore throat...the works). She said she felt OK if I left her for about an hour. So, I went to:
1) See whether or not the Commission would accept the Staff Recommendation saying that Sarah Palin had (finally) "revealed enough" in regards to her Public Office Financial Disclosure (POFD)...i.e. gifts and Arctic Cat
2) Give public testimony (I'll cover that when I get the CDs tomorrow. Andree McLeod made good points about the AK Fund Trust and why APOC should be involved).
First off, there just couldn't be two meetings as night-and-day as the Personnel Board vs. the Alaska Public Offices Commission. It was professionally run from beginning to end.
Secondly, there was some very obvious "common sense" at work among the Commissioners and it was bipartisan in nature. As a matter-of-fact, much of the serious questioning came from Republican member Kathleen Frederick, a lawyer from Wasilla. I think her career as a lawyer was much more important in this instance than the designation as "Republican" or "from Wasilla." Also, she is a musher and is well-acquainted with the snow machining community. She was the one who imparted knowledge to the Commission regarding the nature and value of sponsorships, the cost of snow machine equipment, etc...
APOC staff member Jerry Anderson presented the Staff Recommendation to the Commission and took everyone through the history:
When APOC first sent a letter questioning Palin's gift disclosure and Arctic Cat sponsorship disclosure;
Palin's response, claiming it's a "trade secret";
APOC rejecting the "trade secret" claim;
APOC Staff's Recommendation that Palin has "revealed enough."
After the presentation, Commission Chair Elizabeth Hickerson started the questioning by pointing out an "inconsistency" between the letter requesting the "trade secret" status, which stated:
and the most recent letter from Thomas Van Flein which claimed that:
"Governor Palin has no direct contact or communication with Arctic Cat. She has not read, and under the terms of the contract, is not entitled to read, the specific sponsorship provisions but she is generally aware that Todd Palin is entitled to the discounts and fee as part of being a sponsored team."
As the Chair pointed out, the first letter gave much more than "general" information.
When discussion ensued, Commisioner Frederick asked a list of salient questions based on the the most recent letter:
--The second paragraph states that: "In addition, the company pays a sponsorship fee and gives Team Arctic Wear to the Racing Team." Frederick explained that she had not really noticed that line before and in the discussion, proceeded to explain that sponsorship fees as high as $40,000 and $50,000 are not unheard of, especially considering the winning record and the high-profile of the Davis/Palin team. When asked if Palin/Van Flein had ever revealed that amount, Jerry Anderson admitted they had not.
(By this point, he had been joined at the table by a representative from the AG's office, Tom Dosik, who had been a part of a meeting with Van Flein.)
--Frederick asked, based on the 50% discount Todd Palin receives on "merchandise":
a) What equipment was part of that discount?
b) How many snomachines were included in that discount?
c) Had Palin/Van Flein revealed the dollar value of that equipment/discount?
In discussion, she explained that snowmachines of that caliber are worth approximately $15,000, which raised some eyebrows among the other Commissioners, and that didn't count the expense of the other merchandise.
Again, Anderson and Dosik admitted that information had not been revealed.
-- Palin claims the confidentiality clause of the contract prohibits her from knowing the information. Frederick stated that would be very unusual, that most contracts of this nature allow the immediate family to share in the information. Frederick asked if anyone had requested a redacted copy of the contract so that they could see that confidentiality clause.
It appeared that there was hesitation on the part of Anderson and Dosik. Hickerson rephrased the question several times. She asked them how they could be sure as to the nature of the confidentiality agreement. The incredulous, (literally) forehead-slapping moment for me was when Tom Dosick from the AG's office stated:
"We took her at her word."
(That so perfectly sums-up my experience with the Attorney General's Office as well as the Personnel Board...there is no investigation, they simply "take her at her word.")
By that point, the Commissioner who had, rather hesitantly it seemed, seconded the motion to accept this report (probably so that discussion could occur) withdrew her second. The motion died and the recommendation was rejected.
The Commission has now tasked the APOC Staff with three new duties:
1) They are to acquire information on the what merchandise was discounted to the Palins and at what monetary value.
2) They are to review a redacted version of the contract so they can examine the confidentiality agreement.
3) They are to find out the amount of the sponsorship fee.
At the end of the meeting, Hickerson asked the staff when Palin's final POFD is due into the office and received the answer: October 26th. This is the Financial Disclosure that covers this last Iron Dog...the one where the "Davis/Palin team was prodigiously sponsored."
This is SO not over.
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