Alaska lawmakers reject appointment of 2 close Dunleavy allies to public boards

JUNEAU — Lawmakers on Tuesday rejected two allies of Gov. Mike Dunleavy who had been appointed to state boards, during one of the final days of a legislative session marked by bitter disagreements between the governor and lawmakers on education policy.

Bob Griffin, who helped run a pro-Dunleavy group during the governor’s 2018 campaign, was rejected from the state board of education in a bipartisan 21-39 vote by legislators. Griffin had lobbied lawmakers earlier this year to support Dunleavy’s veto of a bill that would have permanently increased state education funding by $175 million.

Mike Porcaro, a longtime GOP advertising consultant and talk show host who worked for the governor’s campaigns, was rejected from the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission in a 30-30 vote. He needed the support of 31 out of 60 lawmakers to be confirmed to the paid position.

Griffin, a commercial pilot, was first appointed to the state board of education in 2019, shortly after Dunleavy was first elected governor. Griffin is involved with the Alaska Policy Forum, a conservative group that has advocated against funding increases for public education and in favor of allowing public funds to be used to pay private school tuition. Dunleavy reappointed Griffin to the board this year for a five-year term.

But Griffin received heightened scrutiny from some lawmakers this year both for his backing of Dunleavy’s veto of the bipartisan education bill, and for Griffin’s support for a growing practice by some Alaska families of using state education funds to pay tuition at private and religious schools. The practice was struck down last month by Anchorage Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman, who found that it violated the state constitution.

Shortly after Dunleavy vetoed the bipartisan education bill, Griffin traveled to Juneau and lobbied lawmakers not to overturn the veto. Sen. Löki Tobin, an Anchorage Democrat who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said that Griffin’s advocacy appeared to violate the state’s executive ethics act, which governs the allowable actions by members of public boards and commissions.

Tobin told lawmakers that Griffin “used his position for personal and professional gain, using data he produced to promote misinformation in public meetings.” She also said that during his tenure on the board, Griffin “allowed for unconstitutional spending of public dollars.”

Fifteen out of 20 members of the Senate, along with 24 out of 40 House members, voted against Griffin’s confirmation. Among those voting against the confirmation were several House Republicans who are often aligned with the governor.

Asked about their vote to reject Griffin, Republican Reps. Julie Coulombe of Anchorage, Jesse Sumner of Wasilla and Stanley Wright of Anchorage declined to comment. Republican Rep. Thomas Baker of Kotzebue, who also voted against Griffin’s confirmation, walked away wordlessly when asked by a reporter about his position.

Supporters of Griffin argued that he brought a different perspective to the board. All current members of the board have been appointed by Dunleavy.

Rep. Ben Carpenter, a Nikiski Republican who has homeschooled his children, said that opposition to Griffin was based on “half-truths and one-sided opinions,” and that Griffin would become “one more victim to our cancel culture that doesn’t like opposition, especially when it’s effective.”

In an interview after the vote, Griffin said the outcome was “not completely unexpected.”

“I don’t think this is going to slow me down,” he said.

Griffin said that the remaining board members are “aligned” with him on the policies he pursued. He also said he thought that Dunleavy would replace him on the board with someone “that’s maybe even more conservative.”

Spokespeople for Dunleavy did not respond to a request for comment on the timeline for replacing Griffin. Another seat on the eight-person board remains vacant. Lawmakers typically meet once per year in a joint session to confirm or reject the governor’s appointees to boards and commissions, meaning that whomever Dunleavy chooses for the seats could serve for several months before legislators meet again to consider the appointments.

Another appointee to the board of education, Barbara Tyndall, was confirmed in a 34-26 vote amid some opposition from lawmakers.

Tobin said she opposed Tyndall because she spent her career teaching and working in religious schools, which the state does not oversee. Tyndall has also opposed an effort spearheaded by Tobin to boost the school funding formula, according to an email she sent to the Senate Education Committee.

“Throwing money at our ineffective education system has not helped in the past and will not do so at this time,” Tyndall, a North Pole resident, wrote in an email to the Senate Education committee last year in which she asked lawmakers not to increase the Base Student Allocation.

‘Fresh eyes’

Dunleavy appointed Porcaro in August to the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, a small agency that issues annual commercial fishing permits, among other tasks. The position carried with it a salary of $136,000.

Porcaro initially appeared to narrowly receive enough support to be confirmed by lawmakers early Tuesday in a 31-29 vote, but lawmakers later took up a second vote on his appointment. At that point, Sen. Lyman Hoffman, a Bethel Democrat who initially supported Porcaro, voted against him. Hoffman later said his decision was influenced by conversations with constituents.

Lawmakers on Tuesday declined to speak during the floor session about why they opposed Porcaro. The opposition came from the mostly Democratic House minority, along with lawmakers who caucus with the majority but represent rural districts. In the Senate, lawmakers did not split along party or caucus lines, though most Republicans voted in favor of Porcaro’s confirmation, and most Democrats were opposed.

In hearings earlier this year, lawmakers raised some concerns over Porcaro’s lack of commercial fishing experience. Porcaro said he brought a new perspective to the role. His lack of related experience also meant he did not have “entangling alliances,” he said.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Porcaro said there’s no statute that necessitates commissioners to have experience in commercial fishing or a related field.

“If that’s what the Legislature wishes, they should change the statute,” he said. “I believe fresh eyes were important.”

“I’m disappointed because I thought I was doing a good job,” said Porcaro.

Legislators also rejected Mark Sayampanathan, one of the governor’s picks for the workers’ compensation board, in a 16-44 vote, citing inappropriate emails and public comments referencing public officials.

Rep. Zack Fields, an Anchorage Democrat, told lawmakers on the House floor that Sayampanathan’s correspondence could be described as “intemperate” and that it “showed rather poor judgment.”

The Anchorage Assembly previously rejected Sayampanathan’s appointment in 2022 to the Anchorage budget advisory commission, after Mayor Dave Bronson appointed him to the commission. At the time, Anchorage Democratic Sen. Forest Dunbar, who was then an Assembly member, also cited inappropriate comments made by Sayampanathan.