$250K contract comes on the heels of the governor’s increases to his own budget

ANCHORAGE – Governor Mike Dunleavy earlier this week released a plan to rush a no-bid contract for $250,000 to produce political ads using state dollars.

In statements to news organizations, the governor described the spending as necessary to raise awareness about his proposal to spend the same amount of Permanent Fund earnings to pay dividends as we spend on teachers, troopers, transportation, and every other essential service the state provides.

Rep. Zack Fields (D-Anchorage) released the following statement on the contract: “At the same time every other state agency has endured years of service and staffing cuts advocated by the governor, the Office of the Governor has steadily increased its budget to the point it is now $32 million, an increase of roughly 25 percent. Yet somehow, even with a large staff that includes an entire communications department, the administration is now seeking to use even more public dollars for a political campaign aimed at shredding the Constitution.”

  advertising, Alaska, campaign, dunleavy, permanent fund