Ethics complaint points to others

MAT-SU -- Several state employees were named in the recently released ethics complaint against Randy Ruedrich as people he sent e-mail to or otherwise corresponded with about state Republican Party business. Senate Democrats are calling for a further examination of those employees' work activities and, potentially, ethics charges relating to their conduct.

Hollis French, during a Senate Minority press availability Wednesday, called for an independent investigation of the alleged violations. He said the idea that Attorney General Gregg Renkes waited two months before recusing himself -- and then, just four days before Democrats called for a special prosecutor to be called in to investigate the case -- added to concerns that the investigation was not on the up-and-up. French and other Democratic senators said the complaint was simply too broad to be handled by state appointees and employees.

"There are a host of state employees implicated in this material," French said. "It took them four months to compile this list -- and it is a thorough list. Now we still haven't had a probable cause determination."

French recalled Ruedrich's confirmation hearing, and said objections had been raised at that time about the potential for conflict.

"There was unanimity of opinion among Democrats when it came to Randy Ruedrich," French said. "If it had been a different party situation, a Republican legislature would have gone to great lengths -- I say they'd have burned down the capitol building -- before approving a Gov. [Fran] Ulmer appropriation of Scott Sterling. We warned our colleagues that this was untenable … our worst fears have been confirmed."

Former governor Tony Knowles is also calling for an independent investigation into the case, and said Friday the situation may be evidence of more serious violations.

"What we need is an independent investigation, particularly now, since the governor's office is involved in it," Knowles said.

Knowles said the type of inappropriate behavior evinced in the complaint didn't happen on his watch.

"There was never, during the eight years I served as governor, even a hint of any type of scandal," Knowles said. "Never was a regulatory agency in cahoots with a company or industry that the public had concerns about."

Kevin Jardell said the complaint is not evidence of corruption or inappropriate behavior among state officials. Jardell served as the ethics chair for the commission before former AOGCC chair Sarah Palin was chosen as commission chair and took on those duties. Jardell also serves as the ethics supervisor within the Department of Administration, of which the AOGCC is a part. He said while he regularly approves requests for approval of situations in which ethics could be at issue, complaints in which an employee is conducting personal business on state time are very rare.

"In my experience here, I have not seen very many complaints initiated, period," Jardell said. "I think our employees do a great job delineating between appropriate behavior at work and inappropriate behavior."

Jardell said the majority of ethics issues he deals with in the department are related to either potential situations of nepotism, in which a relative is working in the same office or in a supervisory capacity over another relative, or to instances of employees who hold secondary jobs during the time they're not working at the state.

"If they're working outside of state government at a second job, they have to come to me," Jardell said. "I see those every week. Very seldom is there a conflict."

Barbara Ritchie, chief of the opinions, appeals and ethics section of the Department of Law and lead investigator in the Ruedrich inquiry, said the two e-mails listed in the ethics complaint between Ruedrich and Jim Clark, Gov. Frank Murkowski's chief of staff, were not enough to constitute a separate investigation against Clark or any other state employee.

"In our view, myself and Paul Lyle (senior assistant attorney general), we haven't come across evidence that would lead us to broaden the investigation," Ritchie said.

Part of that determination, she said, is dependent upon the job description of the state employees involved. Clark's duties, for example, differ from Ruedrich's.

"The chief of staff of the governor's office's duties are not at all like the official duties of an Oil and Gas Commissioner," Ritchie said. Some political involvement may be required as a governor's chief of staff, she explained, and the Executive Ethics Act does not prohibit all political activity -- only political activity that falls into the category of "partisan."

"People don't lose their first-amendment rights," Ritchie said, adding that specific actions, such as wearing political buttons or displaying political views, is not acceptable. "But they can be involved in politics. What the ethics act [prohibits] is using state funds or resources for partisan political activities."

Ritchie reiterated that the investigation concerning Ruedrich is ongoing. Despite the calls for an independent investigation, she said she doesn't believe an independent investigation is warranted.

"My view is, we have been and are doing a thorough and impartial investigation," Ritchie said. "This is the Executive Branch Ethics Act -- the executive branch enforces that law."