Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Battle over Brent Johnson

Down in Juneau, the House Resources Committee is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. tomorrow to consider Gov. Sarah Palin's appointments to the Board of Fisheries.

All the hubbub is over one Brent Johnson.

The idea of a Cook Inlet commercial salmon fisherman taking a spot on the seven-member board has sportfishermen in a lather.

An outfit called the Cook Inlet Sportfishing Caucus ran a half-page ad in the sports section of Sunday's Anchorage Daily News urging people to tell their legislators to vote against Johnson's appointment.

The ad features a big fish labeled "Commercial" gobbling up a minnow labeled "Sport."

The ad has three names on the bottom: Phil Cutler, Bruce Knowles and Bob Penney.

On Monday the "friends of Brent Johnson" ran their own quarter-page ad saying in part: "We believe that you will find Brent a very real guy, a regular Alaskan open to your ideas, beliefs and wishes."

People tell me this appointment is so hot that someone is paying for a telephone survey to drum up opposition to Johnson.

Yep, it's always a brawl between the commercial and sport guys in Cook Inlet, isn't it?

The Legislature is scheduled to vote on the appointment Thursday. Let's see if Johnson survives.

3 comments:

grabber said...

Once again, sports fishings broad base will work to stack the cards in their favor. Their accusations of a commercially biased board is growing tiresome.

Jeb Morrow said...

I have seen Bob Penny in action on the halibut issue at the council on a couple of different occasions. The man will say whatever is needed, whether it true or not, to further his agenda. He carries himself like a used car salesman.l

Anonymous said...

Let us see if we can get someone, commercial or sport, on the board to represent the Interior.
Given all the thinks THAT area is facing someon ewho can speak to that would be nice.
Sport fishermen are business owners and doing something commercial - they tend to forget that.
RR