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Vol. 49, Issue 286
In the news
Girl Scout group wins appeal of fee increase FAIRBANKS — The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a state Girl Scout chapter in a lawsuit against its national council over annual fees, reports said. The Supreme Court overruled a lower court decision that said the Girl Scouts of the United States of America national council has exclusive authority over fee increases. Fairbanks-based Farthest North Girl Scout Council filed the lawsuit over membership dues in 2017. The lawsuit argues the organization violated its constitution when the 30-member board of directors, not the national council, increased the cost of membership. Girl Scouts is a nonprofit corporation chartered by Congress. Farthest North is a chartered Girl Scout chapter responsible for promoting and organizing the organization’s programs in Fairbanks and northern Alaska. The $12 fee paid by each girl and adult volunteer increased to $15 in 2014 with another increase to $25 planned for 2018, after the lawsuit was filed. Neither increase was brought to the national council, court records said. The ruling reaffirms the elected national council as the head of the organization, which is an important interpretation of the Girl Scouts’ governing documents, said Suellen Nelles, Farthest North executive director. “The Alaska Supreme Court says that only that democratic body, the national council, can set the membership dues, not the national board, and the last two increases were approved solely by the national board,” Nelles said. Further legal proceedings on remaining claims were sent back down to the state Superior Court system. “This was a win for our council, for our girls, and that’s why we took this challenge on,” Nelles said. “If you have the ability to undo an injustice, I think you have the responsibility to do it.”
Cordova cut off as budget cuts end ferry service ANCHORAGE — A coastal Alaska fishing town will soon be cut off from vehicles with the closure of its ferry service See news, Page A2
Author searches for human kindness
Brown Bears open NAHL season
Arts / A10
Sports / A8
CLARION
Thursday, September 19, 2019 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Showers 59/45 More weather, Page A2
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Quick under scrutiny over election ads By Victoria Petersen Peninsula Clarion
The Alaska Public Offices Commission decided Wednesday to expedite an investigation into a complaint filed by a Kenai resident against Nikiski assembly candidate John Quick. The decision was made during a public hearing accessed by the Clarion via teleconference. Kenai resident Todd Smith, who brought the complaint to the state, said during the hearing that he wanted to learn more about Alaska Yes, Inc after he noticed ads that were being posted on social media by the organization. Smith said he looked up Alaska Yes, Inc through the commission’s filing system and saw Quick was named as the organization’s director. “It’s a lot of negative, untrue ads and there’s really no way for someone running an honest positive campaign
to rebut them,” Smith said during the hearing. “There’s no one to rebut. It’s very effective and that’s why I felt the need to bring it before (the Alaska Public Offices Commission).” The allegations originated from a Sept. 5 Alaska Public Offices Commission filing, which are required of candidates, groups and entities involving themselves in elections. The Sept. 5 filing of Alaska Yes, Inc lists Quick as the nonprofit’s director. The filing is now gone and in its place is a new submission, filed Wednesday morning, which does not include Quick’s name and shows an amendment that Quick resigned as the entity’s director in March. Smith said he felt the nature of the ads being paid for by Alaska Yes, Inc will cause irreparable harm to both Quick’s opponent (Jesse Bjorkman) and other candidates for assembly. “The nature of the ads — Tyson Cox supports satanists and wants to
have everybody who votes arrested, Jesse Bjorkman is a puppet of the unions, Brent Johnson’s morals are floating down the Anchor River — all of which was funded through Alaska Yes,” Smith said. On its Facebook page, Alaska Yes, Inc has posted ads against Cox, Bjorkman and Johnson. A website dedicated to opposing Cox — which includes a disclaimer saying it was paid for by Alaska Yes — also includes negative allegations against Cox. For the hearing, Quick provided the commission with his resignation letter from Alaska Yes Inc, as well as the entity’s Domestic Nonprofit Corporation Initial Biennial Report, filed on Sept. 6, which does not list Quick as a director or board member of the organization. The organization’s May 5 incorporation filing shows Quick as a founder and initial incorporator of Alaska Yes, Inc. Quick said Wednesday during
the hearing and to the Clarion that he resigned March 25 and has had no involvement with the organization since. “I did help them incorporate back in March,” Quick said at the hearing. “Within two to three weeks, I resigned … When we filed we were wanting to champion certain issues in Alaska and at the time it was issues I didn’t necessarily want to champion, so I resigned and parted ways with them. I haven’t had any communication with them since.” Attorney Blaine Gilman and Homer political activist Peter Zuyus are also listed as the organization’s incorporators. During Wednesday’s hearing, Quick said his attorney was with Gilman and Associates, but that he was not being represented by Blaine Gilman for this specific matter. In both filings, Zuyus is listed as See probe, Page A2
Homer hosts lively assembly meeting By Megan Pacer Homer News
With few items on the agenda for action, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting in Homer on Monday was still packed with action. Once a year, the assembly holds one of its meetings in Seward and one in Homer. This year, assembly members got a tour of South Peninsula Hospital before meeting in front of a standing-room-only crowd in the Homer City Council Chambers at Homer City Hall. The meeting started off with a little Homer flair when Fritz Creek area resident Barrett Fletcher gave the invocation. Fletcher started a congregation of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in early 2018 as a way to protest the assembly’s former policy regarding who was allowed to give invocations before meetings. The policy, which has since been ruled unconstitutional and done away with, stipulated that only members of a religion with an “established presence” on the Kenai Peninsula could give the premeeting prayers, effectively excluding any worshippers who did not belong to a formal church. Sporting a colander on his head, which is the religious headwear for Pastafarians, or followers of the church, Fletcher gave the invocation as the founding pastor of the First Lower Peninsula Congregation of Pastafarians. “Just be seated, please,” he told the assembly before he began. “We’re not standing on formalities in our church.” Fletcher called on the Flying
Megan Pacer/Homer News
Frtiz Creek area resident Barrett Fletcher gives the invocation before a Tuesday Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting as a representative of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster at Homer City Hall.
Spaghetti Monster to guide the assembly members in their work ahead. He said everyone was gathered at the meeting for the purpose of government business — that the assembly was there to make rules, to fund services and to settle disputes. “A few of the assembly members seem to feel that they can’t do this work without being overseen by a higher authority,” Fletcher said. “So I’m called to invoke the power of the true inebriated creator of the universe, drunken
tolerator of all the lessor and more recent gods… May the great Flying Spaghetti Monster rouse himself from his stupor and let his noodley appendages ground each assembly member in their seats, reminding them of the purpose of their election to this body and helping them to stay focused on the tasks at hand.” “And may he help them to easily acquit each of these tasks, avoiding any pettiness and irrelevant disagreement,” Fletcher continued. “And may he provide each of
them satisfaction in the perception of accomplishment, and allow them true relaxation and an ample supply of their favorite beverage at the end of this evening’s work. R’amen.” The invocation drew smiles and chuckles from several in the audience, and one meeting attendee also sported a colander on his head. Former Lt. Gov. of Alaska Loren Leman was honored at the assembly meeting with a proclamation. See assembly, Page A2
Election 2019
Chambers quiz candidates on issues
Index
By Brian Mazurek
Local . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . A4 Nation . . . . . . . . . A6 World . . . . . . . . . A7 Sports . . . . . . . . . A8 Arts . . . . . . . . . . A10 Classifieds . . . . . . A12 Comics . . . . . . . . A15 Tight Lines . . . . . . A16
Candidates for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly spoke to chamber members on Wednesday to answer questions about their positions on the important local issues. The Kenai and Soldotna Chambers of Commerce used their weekly luncheon this Wednesday as a forum for all the candidates running in the upcoming borough assembly elections. This year there are seven people running for three different seats on the assembly, and each was invited to the forum to answer questions about their candidacy. Four of the candidates attended on Wednesday: Joseph Ross and Jesse Bjorkman running for the District 3
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Game 1
Peninsula Clarion
Seat — representing Nikiski; Tyson Cox running for the District 4 seat — representing Soldotna; and Brent Johnson running for the District 7 seat — representing Kasilof and the Central Peninsula. District 3 candidate John Quick, District 4 candidate Rose Henry and District 7 candidate Holly Odd were invited but did not attend Wednesday’s forum. The forum was moderated by Merrill Sikorski, who asked the candidates a series of questions submitted by chamber members. Each candidate was given 60 seconds to answer every question as well as 60 seconds for opening and closing remarks. The questions covered topics from the role of the borough assembly to
candidates’ positions on propositions that will be on the ballot Oct. 1. What do you see as the job of a Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly member? Joseph Ross: You’ve gotta listen to the people. Take their calls, listen to their concerns, and do what you can to represent them to the borough. Jesse Bjorkman: As an assembly member I plan to be the best advocate I can be for the people of Nikiski, and I’d do that by listening to concerns and grievances that folks have with the borough and providing correct information that folks need in order to be effective in their lives in Nikiski. Tyson Cox: The first part is you need to be able to listen. Not just listen, but have the availability to be
around where people can hear you. The next one would be being able to go in and speak with the administration and be able to speak with other community professionals about topics so they can form plans and move forward with whatever it was you were looking at. The last is being able to work with the other assembly people. It’s vital because you cannot act by yourself, you have to have a group of people to do that.” Brent Johnson: The job of an assemblyman is the same as Sen. Micciche in regards to the borough. I’d do the legislative work of the borough in a unicameral system, we have just one body. We take bills, bring them to the floor, debate them, See issues, Page A3