Today is the first day of the legislative session and it is becoming an annual tradition at The Midnight Sun to offer you a fun breakdown of the latest lobbyist registration reports on kickoff day.
A caveat before we begin, this breakdown is based on lobbyist registration reports filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC). As I found out last year, lobbyists are prone to making mistakes on their reports. For instance, sometimes they list annual pay as monthly pay. If any such errors are noticed by those lobbyists mentioned below, just email me at [email protected] and I’ll make a correction.
Also important to note is that these numbers are as of today’s filings. Clearly, some groups and their lobbyists haven’t filed their reports yet, so this is more of a “what we know now” list than a final report. I’ll circle back later in the legislative session with a more complete and definitive lobbying list.
That said, let’s start with the biggest of the big time schmoozers in Juneau. Here are the top 5 lobbyists as determined by the value of their reported billings for this legislative session.
The Big 5
First Name | Last Name | Billings | Notable Clients |
Kent | Dawson | $1,005,625.00 | Doyon, Princess Tours, NANA, City of Seward |
Jerry | Mackie | $773,000.00 | ASRC, CIRI, Donlin Gold LLC, Holland America Line |
Raymond | Matiashowski | $540,000.00 | ACS, Microsoft, Ketchikan Gateway Borough |
Theodore | Popely | $523,000.00 | Bristol Bay Native Corporation, RAI Services Company |
Ashley | Reed | $485,200.00 | Armstrong Oil & Gas, Enstar, GCI |
Then there are the single largest annual contracts. Right now, Charles Miller is edging out Kent Dawson in this race.
Largest Annual Lobbying Contracts
First Name | Last Name | Compensation | Employer Name |
Charles | Miller | $105,000.00 | Alaska National Insurance Company |
Kent | Dawson | $96,000.00 | City of Seward |
Heather | Brakes | $90,000.00 | Legislative Consultants in Alaska |
Kent | Dawson | $84,000.00 | Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc. |
Raymond | Gillespie | $83,876.40 | AT&T Services, Inc. |
Fate | Putman | $82,500.00 | ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 |
Jerry | Reinwand | $79,000.00 | Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska |
Kent | Dawson | $78,000.00 | Princess Tours |
Raymond | Matiashowski | $78,000.00 | Alaska Communications Systems |
Raymond | Matiashowski | $78,000.00 | Conduent, Inc. and its Affiliates |
Lobbyists can also list their contracts on a monthly fee basis. This is where we sometimes run into problems as they may accidentally list annual numbers as monthly numbers and vice versa. Right now, Kevin Jardell has the fattest monthly contract by a substantial margin.
Largest Monthly Lobbying Contracts
First Name | Last Name | Compensation | Employer Name |
Kevin | Jardell | $14,600.00 | Exxon Mobil Corporation |
Don | Etheridge | $10,000.00 | Alaska AFL-CIO |
David | Parish | $10,000.00 | NovaCopper Inc. |
Ashley | Reed | $7,500.00 | Armstrong Oil & Gas, Inc. |
Theodore | Popely | $7,000.00 | RAI Services Company |
Royce | Weller | $6,750.00 | Ashley Reed & Associates |
John | Harris | $6,700.00 | Matanuska-Susitna Borough |
Laura | Herman | $6,250.00 | Providence Health & Services Alaska |
Charles | Miller | $6,000.00 | Alaska Regional Hospital |
David | Parish | $6,000.00 | American Heart Association, Western States Affiliate |
Here are the largest salaries for in-house employees for whom lobbying is part of their job description. Some of them list their salaries while others list their hourly wage. To even things out, we have multiplied the hourly wage numbers by the standard 2080 work hours in a year to arrive at their annual salaries.
In-House Lobbyists
First Name | Last Name | Compensation | Calculation | Employer Name |
Kathie | Wasserman | $153,309.00 | Alaska Municipal League | |
Michael | Hurley | $251,680.00 | $121 hourly wage x 2080 hours | ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. |
Leonard | Sorrin | $217,235.20 | $101.44 hourly wage x 2080 hours | Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska |
Paul | Nielsen | $195,000.00 | $93.75 hourly wage x 2080 hours | Alkermes, Inc. |
Kara | Moriarty | $192,857.00 | $92.72 hourly wage x 2080 hours | Alaska Oil & Gas Association |
John | Boyle | $159,848.00 | $76.85 hourly wage x 2080 hours | BP Exploration Alaska Inc. |
Sheela | Tallman | $151,382.00 | $72.78 hourly wage x 2080 hours | Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska |
John | Drescher | $135,200.00 | $65 hourly wage x 2080 hours | Apple Inc. |
Sarah | Erkmann | $125,673.00 | $60.42 hourly wage x 2080 hours | Alaska Oil & Gas Association |
Sarah | Obed | $113,200.00 | Doyon, Limited |
Governments aren’t just good at doling out money, they like to ask for it too. All told, local governments in Alaska last year spent over a million dollars on state-level lobbyists.
Here are the governments and government agencies paying someone to lobby the state government to get them government money to fund their government.
Governments
First Name | Last Name | Compensation | Employer Name | Contract Type |
Raymond | Matiashowski | $42,000.00 | Petersburg Borough | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
John | Walsh | $49,500.00 | Northwest Arctic Borough School District | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Lawrence | Markley | $50,000.00 | Metlakatla Indian Community | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
John | Harris | $6,700.00 | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Contract Lobbyist: Monthly Fee |
John | Walsh | $25,000.00 | Lower Yukon School District | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Jerry | Reinwand | $30,000.00 | Lower Kuskokwim School District | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Mark | Hickey | $55,000.00 | Lake and Peninsula Borough | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Mark | Hickey | $45,000.00 | Kodiak Island Borough | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Raymond | Matiashowski | $48,000.00 | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Kent | Dawson | $52,000.00 | Galena City School District 2 | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Kristopher | Knauss | $5,500.00 | City of Whittier | Contract Lobbyist: Monthly Fee |
Kent | Dawson | $96,000.00 | City of Seward | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Mark | Hickey | $10,000.00 | City of Sand Point | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Wendy | Chamberlain | $75,000.00 | City of Nome | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Mark | Hickey | $41,000.00 | City of King Cove | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Raymond | Matiashowski | $42,000.00 | City of Ketchikan | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Lawrence | Markley | $40,000.00 | City of Hoonah | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Kent | Dawson | $40,000.00 | City of Galena | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Joseph | Stone, Jr. | $2,500.00 | City of Dillingham | Contract Lobbyist: Monthly Fee |
Mark | Hickey | $40,000.00 | City of Akutan | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Raymond | Matiashowski | $36,000.00 | City and Borough of Wrangell | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Lawrence | Markley | $41,000.00 | City and Borough of Sitka | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Kevin | Jardell | $55,000.00 | City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
John | Walsh | $22,000.00 | Bering Strait School District | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Mark | Hickey | $42,000.00 | Aleutians East Borough | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
John | Walsh | $47,500.00 | Municipality of Skagway | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Here are the contracts for some of the labor unions. You’ll notice the absence of several notables, including the IBEW.
Unions
First Name | Last Name | Compensation | Employer Name | Contract Type |
Charles | Boyle | $50.97 | NEA-Alaska | Salaried Employee: Hourly Wage |
Mark | Hickey | $60,000.00 | NEA-Alaska | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Fate | Putman | $82,500.00 | ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Jerry | Reinwand | $17,500.00 | APEA/AFT | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Tom | Brice | $35.00 | Alaska District Council of Laborers | Salaried Employee: Hourly Wage |
Don | Etheridge | $10,000.00 | Alaska AFL-CIO | Contract Lobbyist: Monthly Fee |
Most lobbying contracts are for things like the Port of Anchorage expansion or new school construction… BORING (though there’s a lot of money behind boring projects). Then there are a few that are interesting and fun. Last year, Wendy Chamberlain nailed down a contract to lobby for something called “Yoga Alliance,” and this year Denali Daniels gets to push on behalf of Alaska Rolfers.
Heather Brakes gets to lobby Alaska lawmakers on behalf of U.S. Term Limits. So she is trying to sell longtime politicians on the idea that longtime politicians are the problem with our system? Good luck with that.
Caren Robinson has a contract for the Alaska Women’s Lobby. Teaching legislators how women think is really a public service. Some of them clearly need the advice.
If Robinson needs backup she can always call on the three lobbyists Planned Parenthood is sending to Juneau this year.
Ted Popely gets $40,000 to look out for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Honest question: Do we manufacture any automobiles in Alaska?
Then there is Robert Evan, who will be carrying the flag of every liberal’s favorite villains the Koch brothers.
Fun/ Interesting
First Name | Last Name | Compensation | Employer Name | Contract Type |
Heather | Brakes | $45,000.00 | U.S. Term Limits | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Caren | Robinson | $35,000.00 | Alaska Women’s Lobby | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Denali | Daniels | $5,000.00 | Alaska Rolfers | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Robert | Evans | $60,000.00 | Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC and Affiliates | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
David | Parish | $1,500.00 | Girdwood 2020 | Contract Lobbyist: Monthly Fee |
Alyson | Currey | $33.54 | Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest & Hawaii | Salaried Employee: Hourly Wage |
Mark | Hickey | $8,000.00 | Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest & Hawaii | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Caren | Robinson | $8,000.00 | Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest & Hawaii | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Theodore | Popely | $40,000.00 | Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
Jerry | Mackie | $48,000.00 | Alaska Optometric Association | Contract Lobbyist: Annual Fee |
The Legislature is now officially in session. Game on, lobbyists!
I’ve always been confused why the City of Seward pays so much for Kent Dawson. What are they lobbying for really to the legislature? I suppose the eastern Kenai Peninsula doesn’t really have much in the way of legislators with the Kenai/Soldotnites Chenault and Micciche
I know some of these people personally. I have a bias. If some corporation wants to throw away money on a lobbyist then let them. If those municipalities keep wasting money people should run for office and throw out those contracts. We should pass a statute that does not allow government money to be spent on lobbyists.
How do the taxpayers of local municipalities receive an accounting of what they receive in return from their paid lobbyists? Nobody is counting widgets.