Veto

by Channel 2 News staff Monday, August 17, 2009 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- In a poll conducted by Channel 2 News, respondents were asked whether or not they were surprised by Mayor Dan Sullivan's decision to veto the gay rights ordinance. Here is the official question and results of the 908 people who voted. Are you surprised by Mayor Dan Sullivan's decision to veto the gay rights ordinance? Yes      17%                        No        83% All polls conducted by Channel 2 News and KTUU.

by Channel 2 News staff Friday, May 21, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- In a poll conducted by Channel 2 News, respondents were asked if the Anchorage Assembly should override Mayor Dan Sullivan's veto of next year's police academy. Here is the official question and results of the 299 people who voted. Should the Anchorage Assembly override Mayor Dan Sullivan's veto of next year's police academy? No 51 % Yes 49 % All polls conducted by Channel 2 News and KTUU.

Organizers of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's annual "Fill the Boot" fundraiser say Anchorage firefighters can still participate but not on city time, after Mayor Dan Sullivan vetoed an ordinance Tuesday afternoon which would allow on-duty firefighters to participate. Rod Harris, president of the local firefighters union, said firefighters are the only ones allowed to fund-raise in the streets during "Fill the Boot" -- and with a third of the force on-duty during the three hours it's held, it will mean less manpower for this year's event.

by Jason Lamb Tuesday, May 4, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Mayor Dan Sullivan issued a veto Tuesday for the police department budget, and the clock is now ticking for the Anchorage Assembly if it wants to override it. The police department was slated to receive an additional $200,000 for preparations for a 2011 police academy. The mayor has seven days to issue vetoes on any Assembly ordinance, and Sullivan came down to the wire, sending out the veto 11 minutes before his 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday.

by Ted Land Thursday, May 13, 2010 Gov. Sean Parnell has three weeks to decide what, if anything, to cut from the proposed operating budget. He has until June 4 to sign off on the $8 billion spending plan or veto items he thinks should not be funded. The budget is roughly $7.5 million dollars less than what the governor had requested. The money is used to run the state as well as support local governments and non-profits.

by Jason Lamb Tuesday, May 25, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Time has run out for the Anchorage Assembly to override Mayor Dan Sullivan's veto of preparation money for a 2011 police academy. The Assembly had three weeks to overturn Sullivan's veto of $200,000 in this year's budget, but there was no override vote at Tuesday's meeting. Assembly member and former police officer Paul Honeman tried to encourage at least two other Assembly members to change their original votes to get the eight-vote total that was needed.

In the wake of Gov. Sarah Palin's departure, lawmakers prepare to override her veto of $28 million in federal stimulus money. A joint House and Senate energy committee hearing will be held Monday morning in Anchorage. Lawmakers will get an update on the status of the federal stimulus money. The money can go towards making buildings more energy efficient, weatherization, loans and grants for energy efficiency projects, street lighting upgrades, and public education efforts.

by Jason Lamb Friday, June 4, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A local congregation group held a prayer vigil in front of the Atwood Building Friday. It was in response to Gov. Sean Parnell's veto of money that would have expanded Denali KidCare, the state's health insurance plan for children and pregnant women. Parnell said Thursday he vetoed the money because the program covers abortions. Anchorage Faith and Action Congregations Together, or AFACT, organized the vigil.

For the second time in as many years, The Anchorage Assembly succeeded in overturning a veto issued by Mayor Dan Sullivan. The Assembly gathered the super-majority of eight votes needed to reverse Sullivan's decision last week that effectively barred on-duty firefighters from participating in the Muscular Dystrophy Association's annual Fill the Boot fundraiser. Assembly member Patrick Flynn called for an override vote on the matter early in Tuesday's assembly meeting. Two weeks ago, six Assembly members approved the ordinance, clarifying that city workers could ethically participate in occasional charitable fund-raisers while on the clock without violating the city's ethics code.

Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan has vetoed the Assembly's vote to repeal a sidewalk ordinance that limits sitting or lying on sidewalks. The Assembly, in a 7-4 vote, repealed the ordinance at Tuesday's Assembly meeting. In a statement, Sullivan says, "The code is a very narrowly tailored law aimed at conduct, not speech. " He cites a similar law passed in Seattle, which was upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1996. Sullivan also says the law is not an attack on the homeless.

Tuesday night, the Anchorage Assembly voted to override a budget veto that Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan announced earlier that morning. Sullivan wanted to replace three full-time Parks and Recreation employees with four seasonal part-time workers, so Tuesday morning, he vetoed an assembly budget decision made last week that effectively barred that change. But that veto could not get past a super-majority of the assembly: eight of the eleven members voted to overturn Sullivan's veto.  Assembly members Chris Birch, Jennifer Johnston and Adam Trombley voted to sustain the veto.

The Mat-Su Borough will not legally challenge the state's new redistricting plan despite a unanimous vote from the assembly to do so. Borough Mayor Larry Devilbiss vetoed the assembly's decision. "I think it's a tragedy that Mat-Su isn't going to be at the table during the litigation when statewide redistricting gets sorted out," said Cindy Bettine, who serves on the Borough assembly. Assistant Borough Attorney Jill Dolan said Wednesday that the lawsuit will probably be filed in state court early next week.

Among the items that did not make the cut in the State's budget is a piece of land the Boys and Girls Clubs of Alaska says has been open to the community for decades. Local lawmakers secured $4 million for Waldron Lake in Midtown Anchorage, but it did not survive a veto. Supporters of Waldron Lake said they need to look at other options before it's too late. The private property is owned by Boys and Girls Club but has been open to the public since it was donated by Marci Waldron-Trent in 1972, but the organization said although it wants to keep the land open to the public; it needs to sell the land to keep its operations going.

It's time for Gov. Sean Parnell to start thinking about what he plans to cut from next year's proposed state construction budget. An ongoing dispute over the capital spending plan kept lawmakers at work well beyond their 90 day deadline, and when they finally finished this past weekend, the budget had ballooned close to $3.2 billion -- one of the bigger capital budgets the legislature has passed. It’s a spending proposal that Parnell says will certainly need to be trimmed and it's his job to do just that, starting almost immediately.

A spokesperson for Anchorage mayor Dan Sullivan said Friday afternoon that he will be vetoing money for an East Anchorage development plan from the city's 2011 budget. The $85,000 plan was added into the budget on Tuesday as an amendment by East Anchorage Assembly members Mike Gutierrez and Paul Honeman. The plan was meant to help guide development of East Anchorage with regard to houses and other buildings, as well as roads. The $85,000 cost would have been funded by additional property taxes.

Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan vetoed an Assembly-approved ordinance that would have required elected officials to have one year away from the job before working with the city again. “It has consequences that serve no public purpose,” Sullivan said, expressing concern about the ordinance. Sullivan says it would prohibit former Assembly and School Board members from assisting the public on interpreting city codes. He also says city code should be clear and concise, and that the ordinance isn't.

For the second time in as many years, The Anchorage Assembly succeeded in overturning a veto issued by Mayor Dan Sullivan. The Assembly gathered the super-majority of eight votes needed to reverse Sullivan's decision last week that effectively barred on-duty firefighters from participating in the Muscular Dystrophy Association's annual Fill the Boot fundraiser. Assembly member Patrick Flynn called for an override vote on the matter early in Tuesday's assembly meeting. Two weeks ago, six Assembly members approved the ordinance, clarifying that city workers could ethically participate in occasional charitable fund-raisers while on the clock without violating the city's ethics code.

by Lori Tipton Monday, July 26, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A proposed ethics ordinance affecting Mat-Su Borough employees has been vetoed by borough Mayor Talis Colberg, who said it could have been construed as applying to outgoing borough manager John Duffy. Mat-Su Borough Assembly member Jim Colver sponsored an ordinance that would not allow borough employees who leave their jobs to return as a consultant for three years. He said the ordinance was not aimed at Duffy, but at enforcing good public policy.