John Binkley for Governor of Alaska

For Alaska's government to be effective it must earn the trust of the people. It is incumbent upon those in leadership positions to abide by the highest ethical standards at all times. Many Alaskans have grown weary of the ethical lapses and weak standards associated with their government today. It is time to eliminate ambiguities in current law and raise the standards.

For this reason I have developed a comprehensive plan to implement meaningful change and restore Alaskans' faith in their government. My administration will be built upon a strong foundation of ethical guidelines and a zero-tolerance response to abuse.

I recognize it is the actions of a few that can destroy the reputation of what is the majority of dedicated, honest state employees. As governor I will lead by example and hold myself and my cabinet to the highest ethical standards. My goal is to reestablish trust in government by not only raising the standards for ethical guidelines, but also by keeping the public informed.

Here's how we'll restore trust:

Implement meaningful conflict of interest reform.
- We need to amend the state ethics conflict of interest law so that it is clear and specific.
- I am not going to just talk about ethics reform, I am going to accomplish real change. During the first year of my administration I will work with the Legislature to pass an ethics bill.
Require all commissioners and senior staff to attend ethics training within two weeks of hire.
- My administration will lead by example by demanding a higher standard from high ranking State officials. They will know the ethics law and have a clear understanding of what is acceptable and what is not.
- Watching an ethics video presentation is not enough. I will require more comprehensive training for commissioner and senior staff.
Accept no gifts, of any level, from lobbyists.
- As Governor, I will not accept any gifts from a lobbyist.
Eliminate the open checkbook for political hires.
- We have seen the State Personnel law circumvented by hiring permanent employees into temporary exempt positions, which have no limit on the amount of pay.
- It is my understanding the state has more temporary exempt positions now than ever before.
Limit state travel to official business.
- The purpose of every state paid trip should be for official business.
- Using the state to pay for a conference as a lead-in to a personal vacation is wrong. If your personal time exceeds your work time, you pay for the ticket - not the State.
Strictly enforce anti-nepotism rules.
- An employee directly supervising a spouse or immediate family member creates problems in the workplace and sends a bad message to the public.
- All Alaskans should have a fair opportunity to get a state job and not face the added challenge of nepotism in hiring practices.
Appoint board and commission members who will represent the interests of all Alaskans, not just special interests.
- When vacancies arise on boards, groups advocating certain viewpoints intensely lobby for control. This should not dictate how members are chosen.
- I will find the most qualified Alaskans to serve on boards and commissions and will ask them to make their decisions based solely on what is right for Alaska.

Another way to restore trust is by bringing openness to State government. Here's how:

Post the State checkbook on the internet.
- If the taxpayers are picking up the tab they should be entitled to see the check.
Post the State budget on the internet for public review and comment.
- We have seen huge budgets created without sufficient input from Alaskans. I want to open the process and post the budget on the web prior to submitting it to the Legislature.
Post the financial disclosure statements of public officials on the internet.
- Public officials are required to submit financial disclosure statements so the public can judge for themselves if a conflict of interest exists.
- These reports need to be posted on the internet and easily accessible by the public.
Require electronic filing of political campaign financial reports.
- The public should have easy access to lists of who is contributing to a candidate's campaign.
- We should not need to hire a large number of state employees to do the data entry for political candidates.
Restrict commissioners and the governor's senior staff from lobbying for two years.
- The current law is not sufficient as it only imposes a 1-year restriction for commissioners and no restrictions for senior staff.
- Individuals with significant authority over state employees and resources move too easily into jobs that attempt to influence state actions.


	Paid for by Binkley for Governor P.O. Box 92326 Anchorage, AK 99509-2326	For Alaska's government to be effective it must earn the trust of the people. It is incumbent upon those in leadership positions to abide by the highest ethical standards at all times. Many Alaskans have grown weary of the ethical lapses and weak standards associated with their government today. It is time to eliminate ambiguities in current law and raise the standards. For this reason I have developed a comprehensive plan to implement meaningful change and restore Alaskans' faith in their government. My administration will be built upon a strong foundation of ethical guidelines and a zero-tolerance response to abuse. I recognize it is the actions of a few that can destroy the reputation of what is the majority of dedicated, honest state employees. As governor I will lead by example and hold myself and my cabinet to the highest ethical standards. My goal is to reestablish trust in government by not only raising the standards for ethical guidelines, but also by keeping the public informed. Here's how we'll restore trust: Implement meaningful conflict of interest reform. We need to amend the state ethics conflict of interest law so that it is clear and specific. I am not going to just talk about ethics reform, I am going to accomplish real change. During the first year of my administration I will work with the Legislature to pass an ethics bill. Require all commissioners and senior staff to attend ethics training within two weeks of hire. My administration will lead by example by demanding a higher standard from high ranking State officials. They will know the ethics law and have a clear understanding of what is acceptable and what is not. Watching an ethics video presentation is not enough. I will require more comprehensive training for commissioner and senior staff. Accept no gifts, of any level, from lobbyists. As Governor, I will not accept any gifts from a lobbyist. Eliminate the open checkbook for political hires. We have seen the State Personnel law circumvented by hiring permanent employees into temporary exempt positions, which have no limit on the amount of pay. It is my understanding the state has more temporary exempt positions now than ever before. Limit state travel to official business. The purpose of every state paid trip should be for official business. Using the state to pay for a conference as a lead-in to a personal vacation is wrong. If your personal time exceeds your work time, you pay for the ticket - not the State. Strictly enforce anti-nepotism rules. An employee directly supervising a spouse or immediate family member creates problems in the workplace and sends a bad message to the public. All Alaskans should have a fair opportunity to get a state job and not face the added challenge of nepotism in hiring practices. Appoint board and commission members who will represent the interests of all Alaskans, not just special interests. When vacancies arise on boards, groups advocating certain viewpoints intensely lobby for control. This should not dictate how members are chosen. I will find the most qualified Alaskans to serve on boards and commissions and will ask them to make their decisions based solely on what is right for Alaska. Another way to restore trust is by bringing openness to State government. Here's how: Post the State checkbook on the internet. If the taxpayers are picking up the tab they should be entitled to see the check. Post the State budget on the internet for public review and comment. We have seen huge budgets created without sufficient input from Alaskans. I want to open the process and post the budget on the web prior to submitting it to the Legislature. Post the financial disclosure statements of public officials on the internet. Public officials are required to submit financial disclosure statements so the public can judge for themselves if a conflict of interest exists. These reports need to be posted on the internet and easily accessible by the public. Require electronic filing of political campaign financial reports. The public should have easy access to lists of who is contributing to a candidate's campaign. We should not need to hire a large number of state employees to do the data entry for political candidates. Restrict commissioners and the governor's senior staff from lobbying for two years. The current law is not sufficient as it only imposes a 1-year restriction for commissioners and no restrictions for senior staff. Individuals with significant authority over state employees and resources move too easily into jobs that attempt to influence state actions. Fishery Principles Ethics - Restoring Trust Getting a Gasline on Alaska's Terms Government Philosophy Prosperity & Jobs Alaska's Workforce Bringing Alaska's Natural Gas to Market Budget Management Education Fish & Game Public Safety Transportation Protecting Your Rights and Freedoms Faith, Life and Family Values