Press Release: Dunleavy Uses $50,000 In-State Money To Pay Campaign Worker

Press Release

Today former Representative Les Gara called on the Governor to reimburse the state for a $50,000 contract given to a current campaign staffer.

"The Governor is using public money as a personal campaign piggy bank," said Gara, a former Alaska Assistant Attorney General who is running for Governor. "Candidate Dunleavy should return the public money spent on this contract immediately, either personally or from his campaign. And this campaign worker should be barred from doing more work on the public's dime."

The contract gives $50,000 to Brett Huber, who ran Dunleavy's 2018 campaign, and who is currently employed by a dark money group supporting Governor Dunleavy's campaign. The publicly-funded contract notably runs only during the heart of campaign season, from April 25 to October 24.

"It's no coincidence that the contract runs only during campaign season, and has been given to an active campaign worker who was also Dunleavy's 2018 Campaign Manager," said Gara.
"As a former Assistant Attorney General, I can tell you that Mr. Huber is being hired to do what the Department of law does for free. According to yesterday's AP story, the contract provides that he will research "federal laws and regulations related to Alaska lands and provide recommendations for legal action."

"There is no valid reason for this contract when the Attorney General's Office can research laws to determine whether the federal government is acting legally or illegally," said Gara, a former Assistant Attorney General who worked on the State's civil prosecution of Exxon following the catastrophic Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

"The purpose of this contract isn't to do legal analysis, because that's what the Department of Law does at no additional cost to the state. This contract simply misuses public money to pay an active Dunleavy campaign worker to come up with "cases" and soundbites the Governor can use to get press coverage for his re-election campaign," said Gara.

"This continues a habit the Governor has had of using public money for his own personal benefit," said Gara. Last fall Dunleavy used public funds to pay for Administration members to attend a Dunleavy campaign fundraiser.

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