Gattis’s past relevant to current debate

To the editor,

According to an article printed in the ADN 3-25-14, “Watchdog group seeks inquiry into Rep. Gattis’ farm land easement,” Rep. Gattis received over a $65,225 easement payment paid by the Mat-Su Borough on part of her family’ s Point MacKenzie hay farm that Gattis kept even though the borough never used the land. She was quoted as saying, “My family did not ‘decline’ to return the money that the borough paid us. The Borough is honoring a business contract and we were never asked to give the money back....”

Also noted in the article, the property is part of the Point MacKenzie Agricultural Project where there are rigid farming-only covenants. Documents indicate that both the borough and the Gattises knew the limits on land use could pose a problem. Documents also show that in May 2012 state agriculture officials notified the (Gattis) couple that the easements violated farming-only covenants on their property as well as provisions of farm loans from Alaska’ s Agricultural Revolving Loan Fund.

The article states that “Borough officials never asked the Gattises to return the money” so I guess technically, she has done nothing wrong but the Alaskan seniors whose benefits she is trying to negatively impact might see it differently. I sure do.

Della Dempsey

Wasilla