The Alaska Legislature today confirmed Gov. Sean Parnell's picks for the state Board of Fisheries, Karl Johnstone and Orville Huntington.
Most of the governor's appointees, for posts ranging from state attorney general to the Board of Barbers and Hairdressers, passed by unanimous consent.
Johnstone was among the very few names drawing an objection, meaning his appointment was put to a vote of senators and representatives meeting jointly to consider the governor's appointees.
The vote proceeded without any discussion. Here is the outcome:
Senators: 17 yea, 2 nay
Representatives: 27 yea, 11 nay
Once again Gov Parnell ignores the commerical fishery sector and supports two candidates that have no support from the commerical fishing sector. The BOF Chairman Johnstone is barely and Alaska resident, how much you want to bet he called in for his confermation hearings from his patio in Scottsdale AZ. Kudos to the 14 legislators that no on Johnstone.
ReplyDeleteActually, Johnstone lives on the golf course in Prescott, then just wings his way up to Alaska for the BOF meetings. You probably got the part right about calling in from his patio there though. When in Anchorage, he hangs out at the Cook, since his house in Anchorage is all boarded up for the winter. You know, too much hassle to open it up to stay in, and all that. Its just a summer residence, anyway.
ReplyDeleteKudos too, to the legislators that voted against his confirmation. Gov. Palin may of had her warts, but at least in her administration Bob Penney didn't get to call the shots on BOF appointments like he does now with Parnell. Johnstone carries major amounts of water for Penney, and that's why he's on there, imo.
Yeah, he's a corrupt bastard, but he's our corrupt bastard.
ReplyDeletelove,
the Sport Fishing Industry
"I do have a home in Arizona where we spend a big part of the winter," Johnstone added. "My interest in the snow and the coldness in Anchorage has waned a little bit and we're able to spend some time in a little warmer climate and I'm happy to do that."
ReplyDeleteJohnstone said the state benefits when he pays for his Anchorage hotel with a state credit card.
"My work starts as early as 5 o'clock in the morning where I meet with stakeholders and the public," he said. He'll meet long into the evening too, he said."
Yeah, he meets with Ruben and the boys evenings at the Captain Cook for cocktails. What a crock of crap. "A big part" of the winter in Arizona? The only reason Johnstone sets foot in Anchorage after Sept. is to attend a BOF meeting, otherwise he wouldn't be around until mid-May or later.
listening to the confirmation hearings reiterated what we already know. The BOF system we have, while unique and an excellent concept, has been corrupted by special interests and political pandering. When a board member is as transparently bias as Johnstone is in deliberations, it is not good. The idea that we can put smart lay people on a state wide board and expect them to deliberate intelligently on subjects completely foreign them, has become mired with so many interests involved, it is impossible. i have watched this board make completely irrational stupid judgements decisions and comments about things they don't understand. I think we need to have regional boards. I am not comfortable with some guy from Fairbanks who thinks a boat is a canoe deciding how our commercial fisheries are run.
ReplyDeleteI like the definition that to be a qualified "lay" person you need to have a CFEC permit.
ReplyDeleteIf Johstone leaves the state for more than 90 days, no PFD. He can't claim medical treatment allowances if it is an ongoing condition such as ...it's cold and dark... mental condition.
ReplyDeleteInvestigate for PFD fraud, convict, and replace him.
Hello state ombudsman?
^^^I think his meeting schedule now keeps his absences under the 90-day rule as far as getting the PFD goes. I don't think that was the case in 2008 when he was appointed, and I hear (rumor only) that he did not get a PFD before his appointment to the BOF in 2008.
ReplyDeleteAlaska State statutes require a person sitting on the Board of Fisheries to be an Alaskan resident. Even if he now gets the PFD, I don't believe he was a bona fide resident in 2008 when he was appointed. He shouldn't have been confirmed to begin with. Too many complaisant legislator, unfortunately, and too many KRSA lobbyist roaming the hallways in Juneau for that subject to have gotten much traction.
You commercial fish guys need to do some research before you start accusing someone of breaking the law. First of all one must be a resident of the state of Alaska in oder to receive a PFD. And you cannot receive a PFD if you are absent from the state more than 180 days, not 90, unless the absence is excused. Finally a person can still be a resident even if not qualified to receive the PFD, Literally thousands of people reside outside more that the 180 days, but are still residents. Check out the rules before you show your ignorance.
ReplyDeleteIt is a good thing someone like Johnstone is on the fish board to balance it out. For decades the Commercial sector had it way with the board and look what we have today: no crab fishing in cook inlet, yakutat, hardly any in Kodiak, no kings in the Yukon, most rivers closed in the CI Susitna valley, and hardly any reds in the valley. Yeah, let's get rid of someone who does have the resource as his first priority and give it to UCIDA or SEAFA or UFA or the other conservation minded commercial organizations. Things will improve then. Right.
ReplyDeleteNow here is a guy who when it was time to go to science class in grammar school obviously skipped class went sports fishing. And when it came time for High school just blew it off and became a guide.
ReplyDeleteAnon @ 4:15--Figures it wouldn't take the Penney gang long to come here and drop some comments on the blog. BTW, spanky, ADF&G is the agency charged with managing Alaska's resources, not the Board of Fish. Blaming a "commercial" Board for depressed crab stocks, or whatever, is bogus.
ReplyDeleteJohnstone's residency--usually getting a PFD is prima facie evidence of residency. It certainly was considered such by this Governor when the subject was brought up to him. The reality is that Johnstone retired from the bench (under a cloud of disgrace too) and moved to Arizona. Yeah, he keeps a house in Anchorage that he lives in during the summer. So what. Spin it anyway you want though, if that makes you happy, but his residency should have been carefully scrutinized when he was first appointed. It wasn't.
The gossip is that the residency issue is going to come up in an upcoming State Senate race for a senator who was opposed to the Johnstone reappointment, based on the residency issue, but who also owns a "second" home in SoCal.
ReplyDeleteYeah, under a cloud of disgrace? I thought that i read that he resigned after a long service and was the presiding judge for the last four years of his service. sounds like a disgrace to you, but to others it might appear he was a very good judge. And how is it this 'disgraced' person could get such support from all round the state for both of his appointments and how could he be elected to the Chairman position. Sounds like sour grapes from some disgruntled commercial guy. And finally it appears your ignorance comes to the surface again when you claim that the Dept manages the fisheries. The Dept takes its marching orders from the Board who under past commercially dominated Boards has allocated in favor of the commercial sector leading to the loss of abundance in the areas mentioned above. It's one thing to offer constructive criticism with facts: it's entirely different to spew venom with no facts to back it up and then not even understand the process. No wonder it is so hard to get qualified people to serve on the Board with the likes of you and your mud slinging. I am sure most who read your comments are ashamed to be part of such unfair and vicious attacks, unless of course they do not believe in fairness in dividing up the resource or indeed preserving it for future generations.
ReplyDeleteTo 10:27 AM:
ReplyDeleteTo Refresh your memory:
The headline reads:
Judges Integrity comes under question as election issue:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1828&dat=19881030&id=eEAdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7aYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1325,7122185
Seems his fellow lawyers didn't rate him to high either.
10:27 am-- Thanks so much for the kind comments.
ReplyDeleteYou can Google the ex-judge and read about his past service on the bench, and his ethical troubles. The above article is just one of them.
Commercial guides and lodge owners stacking the testimony at the confirmation hearings for Johnstone doesn't mean much except that KRSA perhaps felt the need to get the troops out for the hearings. Maybe they thought he was vulnerable?
And sorry, I understand the process just fine, thank you very much. From the Board of Fish website: "The board is charged with making allocation decisions, and the department is responsible for management based on those decisions." Maybe you're confusing allocation with management. One problem has been too often that the BOF thinks its job is to manage fisheries. Its job is to regulate, allocate, and set policy. When the Board thinks its job is to manage, then you get something that looks like Cook Inlet.
Your attempt to draw a straight line from past Board actions to the decline of crab abundance in the North Pacific in the 1980's or Yukon king salmon is laughable, though I'm sure you believe it whole-heartedly. What I gather from your comments is that your belief is that no "commercial" guy could ever care about the sustainability of the resource, and that we must rely on enlightened Board members, like Mr. Johnstone, to preserve our resources for the future. We're pretty much driven by greed and nothing else? Is that about it?
Also:
ReplyDeleteThe Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct began an investigation of Johnstone for a breach of ethics in February, 1995 in the hiring of a coroner. Johnstone retired in July 1996. The Commission finished a preliminary investigation then hired a special prosecutor in Feb. 1997. Johnstone claimed since he retired the Commission had no authority to reprimand him (which is what they ultimately ended up deciding in this case). Johnstone lost that argument in the Alaska Supreme Court, and he was officially reprimanded.
Some might say he retired due to the investigation, perhaps just coincidence, but he did retire in the middle of an ethics investigation into his actions as a judge.
Bla Bla! Old news from almost 20 years ago and even with your inaccurate spin does't get you anywhere. Here is a guy who puts in countless time trying to do the right thing and unless it results in some Commercial guys getting more than they deserve, you simply attack. Everyone knows that Deck Boss is a biased arm of UCIDA and doesn't know how to be fair and balanced. It is just not in their genes. The Gov knew everything needed to appoint Johnstone. and so did the legislature. Get used to it. You are very lucky indeed that no matter what crap you come up with he will still do what is in the best interest of the resource, which is the last thing on your mind apparently. Come on; don't you care about fairness. Don't you care about sustained yield? Are you only interested in you and what's in your best interest. You guys are pathetic in your venomous attacks. And getting way behind the times too. Wake up man! things are changing and you are like the cave men, out -dated.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, why don't you say who you are and come out of the closet? What are you afraid of? It is so easy to say bad things without having to identify yourself. Are you really a coward hiding behind that anonymous comment? And beside what you incorrectly say about him. just what is it exactly that you think Johnstone is doing wrong. Can you articulate it? Exactly what does he do that offends you in his role as a member of the fish board? forget the trash talk, be specific! many of us in Anchorage think that he is just trying to protect the fish for our families and future generations. What is he doing that makes you think he is not feeling the same way?. Be specific if you can. Oh, I forgot who i am talking to.
ReplyDeleteLoudmouth "Sporters" have ALWAYS shown their ignorance when accusing "commercials" of wanting to wipe out the resource.
ReplyDeleteSporters are in it for the beer, stories, and a good time.
Commercials are providing for their families.
Who do you think wants and NEEDS a healthy resource more than the other?
(Hint: they do it for a living.)
lol...one anonymous poster calling out another for posting anonymously. Good one.
ReplyDeleteAgain, what has he done that offends you. what has done wrong as a board member. Was it his vote to get more sockeye up to the northern district which has been a stock of concern? Was it trying to get at least the lower bound level of escapement of Kings in the Kenai? Was it moving the drift fleet into the larger corridor for a couple of openings? From what has been reported the commercial users in the cook inlet had a banner year. Any complaints about that? I asked you to come out of the closet and identify yourself because it is you who is attacking this person with distortions. I also heard that you guys circulated a letter to the legislature with no name accusing the board member with several untruths. No one who is fair would pay any attention to those anonymous letters, so why don't you let everyone know who you are. I have not attacked anyone, just pointed out how wrong you are and how unfair it appears to fair minded people when anonymous attacks occur.
ReplyDelete^ another anonymous attack.
ReplyDeleteI’d be curious to know if the sport guy posting above was in the thick of the take-down of Brent Johnson in the legislature a few years back? I’d bet so. That was a nasty piece of business. Why come onto a commercial fishing blog, which is basically a few guys muttering in the corner, and hyperventilate about some commercial guy saying something he thinks is mean about Johnstone?
ReplyDeleteThis is all academic now. Your homeboy's on there for another term, for better or worse. Time to move on.
Agreed! It is time to move on. In the meantime give him a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised.
ReplyDeleteOr terribly disappointed right
ReplyDeletePleasantly surprised? Naw, he's hardly a newbie, we know what we got. Nothing's changing by throwing barbs on the internet though.
ReplyDeleteWhat you have "got" is a pretty balanced Board. You have "got" Jensen from Petersberg who has always, I say again, always voted for commercial interests. You have "got' Webster who with his family has six permits and who is solidly in your camp. and finally you have the new person, Jeffry from Kodiak whose family has several permits in your camp as well. If Johnstone is as you claim against your camp, which is not always the case, given his voting record, then it appears that there is good diversity and a balanced Board. And since your web site goes out to everyone it seems only fair that since everyone can read what is said, that opposing views should be encouraged. My guess is that board members, and perhaps even the ones you write about read it as well. My guess is that when a commercial blog like Deck Boss publishes what you have been saying about a Board member it probably is counter productive to your goals if it is read by that person or other members. You took some good shots at him during the appointment and confirmation process. And to some extent he was fair game then. But now as you said, you are stuck with him, so why go out of your way to offend him? Several commercial guys have said that he is not the villian you make him out to be. so at this point it might be better to give him a chance instead of castigating him as a bad guy.
ReplyDelete