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Assemblymen cited in ethics probe

by Rebecca Palsha
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Alaska Public Offices Commission is launching an investigation into the actions of two Anchorage Assembly members.

The probe is based on a recording aired by local radio station KUDO-AM 1080 Tuesday afternoon, according to APOC officials.

In the recording, Assembly Chair Dan Coffey and Eagle River Assemblyman Bill Starr allegedly talk about handing out cash for other Assembly candidates.  

Both men say the phone call may be in bad taste but insist they never meant to break any laws and went out of their way to make sure that didn't happen.

"It seems clear that what Dan Coffey and Bill Starr are doing here is doling out campaign contributions in increments of $250 as an incentive to get their fellow members to vote their way," said KUDO radio host Aaron Selbig.

The recording may ultimately speak for itself.

"Oh we're really cranking.  I took -- I took $1,500 in for Sherri Jackson and I gave it to Sully and asked her to give it to her," Coffey said in the call.

They go on to talk about campaign contributions to be given to Assembly candidate Sherri Jackson and incumbent Midtown Assemblyman Dick Traini.

Coffey: I'm doling it out $250 at a crack.
Starr: That's good. It gives the message that we care.
Coffey: Yeah, well, I'm gonna be able to, hey, you didn't vote right last week, you don't get.
Starr:  Just what I want ...
Coffey: Your second $250 ...

Coffey claims all the "tough talk" that was inadvertently recorded was actually joking between himself and Starr.

"It was a joke, in poor taste, but nonetheless a joke," he said.

In another portion of the recorded call, Starr claims to be upset the Anchorage Police Department's employees union has not endorsed him for re-election despite his battle to provide officers a shooting range in Eklutna.

Starr claims they're upset with him because he won't support APD officers using their patrol cars to drive home if they live in the Valley.

Starr: But I said, well, if you ain't for me you must be against me ... and I called (APD Chief Rob Heun) right after that, I said, Chief, Dennis LeBlanc ... on the way out, and I said if the rank and file thinks I'm not there for them, then you need to correct that.

Starr said he wasn't threatening to stop supporting the shooting range.

"If the police union groups and shooting park people don't appreciate me then I'm less motivated to do it. That's human nature," he said. "There is no threat that I would get in there and upset the deal; that's not the way I do business."

Coffey claims he was "delivering" campaign funds for Jackson and Traini. Campaign finance rules mandate that anyone handling funds for a candidate must be listed with APOC as a campaign treasurer.

Further, Coffey claims he asked Jackson and Traini to list him as a campaign deputy treasury. If they do he can legally help raise money and then deliver it to the candidate.

Coffey isn't listed as a treasurer for either campaign according to campaign finance records.

"I don't check it. I don't have time to check it," he said. "I tell the campaigns list me. If they do then it's not a problem. If they don't I can't list myself. It's the duty of the campaign to do this."

Traini says he sent the paperwork in to list Coffey as campaign treasurer a few days ago.

Jackson says Coffey asked her to list him as her deputy treasurer. She says she must not have taken him seriously and did not.

She says she will be calling Coffey to apologize and she'll file the paperwork as soon as she can.   

Nobody is really certain how the call was recorded. KUDO says its possible Coffey double-clicked his cell phone. The station won't reveal how it got the tape.

Contact Rebecca Palsha at rpalsha@ktuu.com