Alaska Yes, a political advocacy group on the Kenai Peninsula, has respondedto a complaint filed against it by the state Public Offices Commission.
In September, Alaska Yes was named in a separate complaintthat it had been illegally coordinating with the campaign of Niksiki assembly candidate John Quick. Quick’s campaign manager had been included in emails with the group regarding political ads it planned to run. Quick, and the two other candidates Alaska Yes supported in the municipal elections all lost. But that complaint led to another, filed by APOC staff.
In all, six complaints were filed. Among them was a failure to file campaign disclosure reports and a failure to report contributions. That one stems from an August 31st event, called Celebrate Alaska, that was marketed as a celebration event honoring former Lieutenant Governor Loren Leman. The event raised more than $20,000, which found their way to Alaska Yes. Because Celebrate Alaska is simply a reserved name owned by Alaska Yes, the actual source of those funds was never properly disclosed.
In its response, Alaska Yes acknowledges that it communicated with Quick’s campaign manager, but denies the other allegations. In part, its explanation is that it’s a young group with volunteers who weren’t familiar with APOC regulations. Alaska Yes also denies that its actions during the campaign caused any harm, as it spent little money and its chosen candidate ultimately lost by a wide margin.
