Who Is Lobbying For Whom In The 2017 Legislative Session

 

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!