WASHINGTON — The state of Alaska’s workplace in Washington, D.C. is vacant, leaving Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s workers in Alaska to advocate for the state’s agenda within the nation’s capital — greater than 3,500 miles away.
The governor’s D.C. workplace promotes the state’s priorities to federal businesses and Congress. The director of state-federal relations has traditionally acted because the state’s prime lobbyist within the nation’s capital, engaged on points like power and public lands. The workplace has additionally served as a liaison between the Alaska congressional delegation and governor’s workplace.
The final particular person to carry out director duties, former Inside Division official and Alaska legal professional common Gregg Renkes, stopped offering state companies in March, state officers say.
Dunleavy spokesman Jeff Turner mentioned in an e mail final week that “the recruitment course of for a brand new director is underway and interviews with certified candidates are being carried out.”
With out the D.C.-based hyperlink between the congressional delegation and the governor’s workplace, Dunleavy chief of workers Tyson Gallagher has grow to be the designated level of contact on federal issues, in response to Turner. Gallagher participates in weekly calls with congressional workers.
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As soon as thought-about a key connection between the state and federal authorities, the workplace has dwindled over the previous decade. Beneath Republican Gov. Sean Parnell, 5 individuals labored for Alaska’s workplace in D.C. His successor, unbiased Gov. Invoice Walker, downsized the workplace to 2 staffers in 2015.
Dunleavy, a Republican, tapped Kip Knudson to direct the workplace in 2019. Knudson — who had labored a previous stint as director beneath Parnell — retired in February 2022. By means of his profession, he additionally labored for the Alaska Division of Transportation and Public Amenities, chaired the Alaska Chamber and lobbied for Tesoro, amongst different jobs.
After Knudson’s retirement, the state contracted duties to Renkes of the D.C.-based regulation agency Van Ness Feldman, LLP. Renkes carried out director duties from his regulation workplace somewhat than from the governor’s D.C. workplace, in response to Turner.
Alaska Division of Legislation spokeswoman Patty Sullivan mentioned Renkes stopped offering the state companies on March 1.
“Our understanding is it was as a result of he was leaving his regulation agency. The contract had not but timed out,” Sullivan mentioned in an e mail final week.
Renkes now works for Chenega Corp., an Alaska Native village company, as senior vice chairman of presidency relations.
He beforehand served as Alaska legal professional common beneath Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski, resigning beneath strain in 2005 for negotiating a deal which he would have personally benefitted from. An unbiased investigator later discovered that the funding was not an ethics violation.
Extra just lately, he labored within the Inside Division as director of the Workplace of Coverage Evaluation within the Trump administration and later as an administrative decide for the Inside Board of Land Appeals till Nov. 2021.