During his campaign for governor, Bill Walker promised not to reappoint members of the Board of Fisheries who voted against having a regular meeting on the Kenai Peninsula.
On December 8, only two of the board’s seven members voted to have the controversial salmon meeting on the Kenai Peninsula: Dillingham’s Fritz Johnson, fisheries director for the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp and Kodiak fisherman and writer Sue Jeffrey.
The governor says he takes appointing people to the board of fisheries very seriously.
Gov.Walker: “And I will continue to take that seriously, so I’m going to evaluate each applicant as it comes up. It’s one thing to put names out there, but I had one legislator recently that I was having dinner with and he mentioned that he wouldn’t recommend his best friend, maybe his worst enemy but not his best friend, to go through that because it’s an interesting vetting process. I’ve got to admire those who are willing to step up and go through that process.”
In March, Governor Walker reappointed Orville Huntington to the board. At the board’s most recent Anchorage meeting, the Huslia biologist voiced frustration with politics playing into the Board of Fisheries, stating: “We’re not the Cook Inlet board of fish, we’re the state of Alaska board of fish.”
Soon after taking office, Walker announced former board member Karl Johnstone would not be reappointed. At the time, he expressed disappointment with Johnstone, saying the board was lacking public process.
The governor’s newest appointee to the board, Bob Mumford, has yet to be confirmed by the legislature.