Lobbyist Bill Thomas said in an interview last week his $45,000 pay covers only a 90-day session of the Alaska Legislature, although he may keep in contact with legislators and speak to them at other times during the year.
“If you think I’m going to sit in an office all year for $45,000, well excuse me,” Thomas said. “If (they) wanted a staff member to the borough, I wouldn’t do it for that kind of money. I don’t know that anybody would.”
Thomas’ proposal to the borough last December included a Dec. 31, 2016 end date, and the borough’s request for proposals for the job said the contract would be for a one-year period. That apparently led some to think Thomas would be working past the session. “I signed a one-year contract so my pay could be spread out over a year,” Thomas said last week.
Thomas’ statements clarify apparent confusion following a recent Haines Borough Assembly meeting when member Margaret Friedenauer asked Thomas if he would be working through summer and fall in some capacity.
“No,” Thomas replied, telling assembly members he had offered to go to Washington, D.C. if the borough wanted him to and that he would show U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski around town when she comes to Haines for the 24th Annual Great Alaska Craft Beer and Homebrew Festival.
“If a year’s contract means (Thomas) is on retainer to go to Washington, D.C. or meet with (U.S. Sen.) Lisa Murkowski during Beerfest, that seems odd to me,” Friedenauer said in an interview last week. “I’m not trying to blame anybody. I’m mad that as an assembly member that I didn’t ask for more clarification.”
“We’re paying him the same amount for being on call as we would for him to be in Juneau attending meetings. I’m not clear that’s what the intention was,” Friedenauer said, noting that a competing bid for the borough lobbying contract by Denali Daniels provided a breakdown of a year’s work, including tasks to be completed each quarter.
The Chilkat Valley News reported Jan. 7 that Thomas said his contract’s term of a year “makes sense,” even though the legislative term is 90 days. ‘You’ve got all year to talk to legislators. There will be times when legislators want to meet elsewhere,” Thomas said.
Thomas said that his quote referred to informal contacts with legislators, such as seeing each other in Anchorage or catching up when legislators pass through Haines on their way north. “When you talk to people, that’s when you get your ideas across. It doesn’t matter where or when.”
Friedenauer said “it makes sense” for an annual contract to imply a year of work, although she noted that she had not expected Thomas to give up his summer job commercial fishing. “There wasn’t much clarification or explanation of what an annual contract means… Nobody has talked about what that scope of work is outside of the (legislative) session.”
Thomas said lobbyists typically stay in Juneau while client-specific issues are still in play. He left Juneau because legislators were grappling with oil industry tax legislation. “Typically a year is a (legislative) session unless there’s an agenda issue the borough is concerned about. I don’t think the borough is concerned over (state) oil taxes.”
Thomas said he has met the requirements of his contract with the borough and added to it. “The (borough’s) agenda is done. If the borough has anything more for me to do… I can’t make work,” he said.