Bobrick and Begich: The Connection

I am presently putting together pieces on the relationship between Bobrick and Begich.

Come back in a few days.......

The Laws

http://touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/Statutes/Title24/Chapter45/Section041.htm

AS 24.45.041. Registration.

(a) Before engaging in lobbying, a lobbyist shall file a registration statement on a form prescribed by the commission.

http://touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/Statutes/Title24/Chapter45/Section121.htm

AS 24.45.121. Prohibitions.

(a) A lobbyist may not

(8) serve as a campaign manager or director, serve as a campaign treasurer or deputy campaign treasurer on a finance or fund-raising committee, host a fund-raising event, directly or indirectly collect contributions for, or deliver contributions to, a candidate, or otherwise engage in the fund-raising activity of a legislative campaign or campaign for governor or lieutenant governor if the lobbyist has registered, or is required to register, as a lobbyist under this chapter, during the calendar year; this paragraph does not apply to a representational lobbyist as defined in the regulations of the Alaska Public Offices Commission, and does not prohibit a lobbyist from making personal contributions to a candidate as authorized by AS 15.13 or personally advocating on behalf of a candidate;

The Connection

2000 Anchorage Municipal REGISTRATION
filed July 13, 1999
by BEGICH, MARK
(Candidate for Mayor)

CANDIDATE INFORMATION
BEGICH, MARK
PO Box 201627
Anchorage AK 99520
337-6748 333-9389

DEPUTY TREASURERS
Anne Hays
Bill Bobrick
Cheryl Easley
Chris Manculich
Dana Pruhs
Deborah Bonito
Gary Hovanec
H. A. Red Boucher
Janis Knight-choy
Jessica Bury
Joe Murdy
Joelle Hall
John Adamson
Karl Olds
Mike McKenna
Mitch Gravo
Rees Jackson
Rob Huen
Rosanne Alexander
Scott Hawkins
Teri Albrcht
Tom Begich
Tom Evans
Vivian Dietz-clark


CAMPAIGN ACCOUNTS (2 AAC 50.319)
Key Bank of Alaska
Mid Town Branch

Mitch Gravo and Bill Bobrick were both lobbyists and served as deputy treasurer on Begich's campaign. The intent of State law is questioned when a registered Lobbyist acts a deputy treasurer for a municipal campaign. There is a serious question if Bobrick and Gravo should have been allowed to work on the campaign as a deputy treasurer.

The List
Thu Sep 28, 2006 at 5:30 PM
The home of Kevin Harun 7893 Highlander Drive - Anchorage
Join: Alice Aguilar, Jenny Allen, Virginia Allen, Tom Amodio, Scott Anaya, Jane Angvik, Deeann Apgar, Alan Baldivieso, Sharon Barr, John Bernitz, Sidney Billingslea, Bill Bobrick, Jeannie Bradner, Peggy Burgin, Mark Butler, Polly Carr, Lupe Chavez, Sharon Cissna, Matt Claman, Currey Cook, Mike Coumbe, Emily Creely, Pat Cue, Diane DiSanto, Art Eash, Lisa Eyler, Vic Fischer, Deb Fitzgerald, Susanne Fleek, Melissa Fouse, Hollis French, Peggy French, George Gee, Christian Gou-Leonhardt, Chuck Gunther, Joelle Hall, Kevin Harun, Julie Hasquet, Patty Higgins, Ruth Ann Jennings, Michael Johnson, Johnny Johnson, David Landry, Dick LeFebvre, Martha Levensaler, Suzanne Little, Pamela Marsch, Whitney Marshall, Erika McConnell, Rod McCoy, Brant McGee, Joe McKinnon, Jake Metcalfe, Mary Jane Michael, Nick Moe, Diane Moxness, Beth Nordlund, Jim Nordlund, Theda Pittman, Mara Rabinowitz, David Ramseur, Deb Seaton, Barb Seibel, Meg Simonian, Schawna Thoma, John Toppenberg, Tony Turrini, Randy Virgin, David Wigglesworth, and Deborah Williams at a fund raising reception for Tony Knowles for Governor!


The Deeds

Old mall new digs for ASD BONIFACE CENTER: JL Properties is paying for School District's move.
KATIE PESZNECKER
Anchorage Daily NewsStaff
The Anchorage School District plans to move from its DeBarr Road headquarters into renovated space at Boniface Center as early as this summer, joining district offices already consolidated there. The company making it happen: JL Properties. It is paying for the district's move, redesigning its Boniface Center to suit administrators' needs, and charging the same rent the district pays for its current digs.JL is also getting the district out of its DeBarr Road lease by buying the old headquarters building. The lease runs through 2010."It works from our perspective, and I think it works from their perspective," said Leonard Hyde, who along with John Rubini owns JL Properties.Boniface Center, once a shopping mall, "was a failed retail venture and it was not going to be a retail venture anymore," Hyde said. "So when we decided to take it in the direction of an office facility, we went out looking for large users. The district is a large user. What makes them attractive is we can essentially have one tenant for the entire facility."Planning and Zoning has approved the move. The Assembly will vote on that board's recommendation at its March 28 meeting. If JL Properties presents the district with a renovation plan that suits administrators' needs -- something the developers have pulled off before -- the move would happen as soon as August and no later than December."When this offer came to us, it sounded pretty darn good," said George Vakalis, an assistant superintendent for the district. "I think it's just a win-win."Any consolidation of space would be a victory for school administrators: It's been a goal since at least the 2003 election, when voters soundly squashed a $40 million bond proposition for an administration and training building.The next year, Anchorage voters similarly trounced a proposal to spend $30 million to turn the empty Northway Mall Kmart into district central.District officials got the point: Voters didn't want to go into debt for school office space. The Kmart move seemed to particularly irk some people. The DeBarr Road landlord, Dick Fischer, backed an aggressive ad campaign that slammed that idea as a waste of money.Superintendent Carol Comeau tried again: She asked developers for a place to lease that would be large enough to replace some or all of the district's rented buildings. She finally received an appealing offer from JL Properties that let the district move all of its leased offices into Boniface Center -- all except the DeBarr Headquarters, that is.The central office staff stayed put on DeBarr. And it likely would have stayed that way through at least 2010 if JL Properties hadn't devised what the district dubs a pretty sweet offer."They offered to move all of us over there -- pay for the move -- and accommodate our needs over there," Vakalis said. "And basically it would be cost-neutral to us. They would charge us the same lease amount that we're paying here, which is very, very low, for the same period of time as our current lease in this building."The precise cost: $1.12 per square foot per month.But because the district is a public entity, it can't just pick up and move. Officials had to invite other developers to meet or beat JL Properties' offer.No one tried.As Hyde put it, for a client the district's size, "there are few options in town."Currently, Boniface Center houses the district's Highland Tech High, a charter school; other district administrative offices; and also Wayland Baptist University, a WIC program office and a municipal library.The Baptist college is moving out, having secured a new home. WIC's lease is up. The library is heading out too.Highland Tech is staying, but it's moving from the west end to the east. It's a switch that will save the charter school money: Their current space is 30,000 square feet and the new area is 20,000, which means rent will be one-third lower.All these changes leave JL Properties with a lot of space to fill, and the district leaped out as an attractive tenant because, as Hyde put it, it already rents space in Boniface Center and has made its desire to consolidate widely known.There's also no danger of the district going out of business.JL Properties previously refashioned the University Center -- also a failed mall -- into functional and attractive office space."We turned it into a productive building again," Hyde said.JL Properties is closing on the DeBarr building and should own it by early June, he said. They've heard from some interested in renting the place, but nothing's set, he said."That's a risk we're taking at this point," he said.Vakalis said the district will be glad to leave the DeBarr building, its home since the early 1970s. In many ways, the public school system has outgrown it. Parking is tight, and the school board meeting room isn't big enough for large audiences that come to meetings.Daily News reporter Katie Pesznecker can be reached at kpesznecker@adn.com.INSIDETIMELINE: The Anchorage School District has tried many times to move out of its current headquarters.Back PageAs the School District entered into efforts to consolidate some of its administrative offices, it was operating out of multiple sites. Some -- such as the transportation and food service offices -- were never in the running for consolidation because they need a certain amount of space to operate.The district leased five sites, including the DeBarr Road headquarters, Boniface Center, Sixth Avenue and K Street downtown, the Emerald Building behind CompUSA off Dimond Boulevard, and in the Silverado Building off Potter Drive.These scattered operations meant wasted time for parents and staff who had to commute between sites to get work done, district officials said.* April 2003: Proposition 10 asked voters to approve $42 million in bonds to for a new administration and training facility. Voters said no.* April 2004: Proposition 6 asked voters to approve $30 million in bonds to renovate the empty 50,000-square-foot Kmart building at the Northway Mall into office space so the district could consolidate its leased properties and two additional departments. Voters said no.* April 2004: Superintendent Carol Comeau asked developers for a place to lease that would be large enough to consolidate some or all of the district's scattered locations. Several proposals met the criteria, but all of them cost more and were rejected.* Summer 2004: JL Properties offered the district space at Boniface Center, where it already leased 17,000 square feet for special education staffers, training facilities and other offices. The new deal would increase total lease space to 60,000 square feet at a cost of $1.54 per square foot, and let the district combine four of its five leased properties -- all except its headquarters on DeBarr Road.* August 2004: The School Board approved a request for proposals, asking any other entity to match or beat JL Properties' offer. None did.* December 2004: The School Board approved a new lease at Boniface Center that brought in employees from the Sixth Avenue and K Street building, the Emerald Building, and the Silverado Building.* Fall 2005: JL Properties approached the district with an offer to move its headquarters from DeBarr Road to Boniface Center. The deal involves JL Properties buying the headquarters so the district can get out of its lease there. The district let other companies know about JL Properties' offer and asks for proposals that match or beat it. None did.* March 2006: District officials met with the city Planning and Zoning Commission, which approved the Boniface move.* March 28, 2006: The Assembly is scheduled to vote on Planning and Zoning's recommendation.