Personnel Board still on the horizon

The Troopergate matter may have come to a head Friday when the Alaska Legislative Council released investigator Steven Branchflower’s report that concludes Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power by trying to get Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten fired.

But a separate investigation, being run by the state’s Personnel Board, is still ongoing. Newsweek magazine’s Michael Isikoff pointed out an interesting fact Saturday about that investigation: Timothy Petumenos, the Anchorage trial lawyer hired by the board, is a Democrat who contributed to Tony Knowles’ campaign during the 2006 gubernatorial election.

This is important because the McCain-Palin campaign took pains to try to discredit the Legislature’s investigation by saying it was run by Barack Obama-supporting Democrats.

There hasn’t been any word so far from the so-called “Palin Truth Squad” about whether Petumenos will be unfair toward Palin because he supported her opponent two years ago.

Isikoff quotes an unidentified McCain aide who said, “We took a gamble when we went to the personnel board.”

Apparently, McCain’s people are worried that if Petumenos comes to the same conclusion as Branchflower they will have a harder time trying to discredit the finding.

Palin has said the Personnel Board is the proper body to handle the Troopergate investigation, and has promised to cooperate fully.

It’s unclear when the Personnel Board’s report will come out. The board is made up of three appointed board members Palin can fire.

—Michael Rovito, reporter