Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Beach Rat

(273 posts)
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 09:44 AM Sep 2014

What is the Palin/McKenna connection?

Sometimes the simplest things open up a can of worms. Its time to start digging into the relationship between McKenna Brothers Paving and the Palins. Maybe it's nothing. Then again, maybe there's much more. Why else would they be so quick to fire an employee for merely saying what he saw if not to protect the Palins? And why would they be so anxious to protect them? Alaska's a big state but a small community. Ive just got a feeling there's more out there that involves these two families. It either involves Palin's time as mayor or as governor-maybe both. I'd be real interested to find out what public contracts the McKenna Brothers received during those tenures.


"The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22-million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? Or a new library? No. $1-million for a park, $15-million-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex...She also supported bonds for $5.5-million for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 years without any borrowing."

The city of Wasilla has made available all of its budgets during Palin's tenure. So we grabbed the fiscal year ending 1996 (when Palin took the reins), which showed the city's long-term debt at $1.12-million, mostly for paving and sewer projects.

The annual financial report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2002 — Palin's last year in office — shows that the total long-term debt was $24.8-million. So Kilkenny is off a bit when she says long-term debt went from zero to $22-million. But it did increase $23.7-million.

And Kilkenny is also correct about the big-ticket items that created the debt: $14.7-million for a new multi-use sports complex; $5.5-million for street projects; and $3-million for water improvement projects.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/sep/09/chain-email/numbers-right-context-missing/
14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

Dread Pirate Roberts

(1,896 posts)
2. It may not be Palin related but $4.5 million's a good start
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 10:08 AM
Sep 2014

To do work in the Chugach National Forest.


$4.5 Million Federal Contract Awarded to McKenna Brothers Paving
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- McKenna Brothers Paving, Anchorage, Alaska, won a federal contract valued at up to $4.5 million from the U.S. Forest Service, for forest engineering and road maintenance at Chugach National Forest.
http://www.targetednews.com/nl_disp.php?nl_date_id=363505

Ilsa

(61,675 posts)
3. By firing Thompson for telling the press what he saw at
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 10:25 AM
Sep 2014

the party, they simply opened the door for him to keep talking. He should buy a ticket to NYC and make the circuit of morning shows and magazines. Get cellphones with pictures and video.

Ilsa

(61,675 posts)
5. Let's hope they aren't being bought by
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 10:31 AM
Sep 2014

The knuckle-dragging clan or her attorney. Or let's hope they aren't being strong-armed into giving them up.

Beach Rat

(273 posts)
6. Some interesting comments on the McKenna Paving Facebook page
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 11:07 AM
Sep 2014

you can see it here. https://www.facebook.com/pages/McKenna-Bros-Paving-Inc/163776963682105 Apparently they were deleting negative comments but can't quite keep up.

Digging through the comments brings up some interesting links. Like this one: http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2014/09/witness-to-palin-brawl-who-went-public.html Some of the folks in Alaska are wondering about paving and excavation contracts in Wasilla as well.

ReRe

(10,597 posts)
7. What does Sarah's husband do...
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 11:13 AM
Sep 2014

... for a living? Isn't he a contractor? There's mega-bucks in the paving business.

SoapBox

(18,791 posts)
9. I wondered about this in another post yesterday.
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 11:28 AM
Sep 2014

There was *something* that got brought up about the Palin Hillbillies and McKenna, during or after the election...I swear it had to do with that huge expansion of the house and how it was paid for.

starroute

(12,977 posts)
11. I was reminded of the Palin's house too
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 12:04 PM
Sep 2014

There was a lot of discussion at DU at the time. Here's one thread. It doesn't mention McKenna, but there's some interesting speculation:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7413019

The Palin's two-story, four bedroom, four bath home on Lake Lucille is worth $552,000. "Todd Palin built the house with friends who were contractors, he said in a recent television interview."

At the same time the mighty Todd was building the house, the Wasilla Sports Complex was under construction right down the road. Just who were these "friends who were contractors" who did such a huge favor for the Palins by building their house for them? Was it payback for the sports complex contracts? . . .

Wayne Barrett reports that after the $12.5 million Wasilla Sports Complex was approved, the design contract went to architect Blase Burkhart, "son of Roy Burkhart, who is frequently described as a "mentor" of Palin and was head of the local Republican Party." Roy Burkhart was also a Palin campaign contributor. Palin then appointed Blase Burkhart to the builder-selection committee, which awarded the construction contract to "Howdie Inc., a mostly residential contractor owned at the time by Howard Nugent." Nugent was a Palin campaign contributor, also.

yardwork

(61,418 posts)
10. Don't forget the Palin house.
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 11:58 AM
Sep 2014

Built with windows and other features that look just like a publicly-funded facility built at the same time with taxpayer money.

Lots of interesting info out there.

roguevalley

(40,656 posts)
12. someone needs to audit spenards invoices because she was building her ugly house
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 12:18 PM
Sep 2014

At the same time. Quid pro quo.

mopinko

(69,806 posts)
13. iirc, that sports complex also funded the palin's home.
Sat Sep 13, 2014, 12:40 PM
Sep 2014

i recall stories from 08 about how it appeared the materials and labor for that big house of theirs sort of appeared out of nowhere. then the materials were tracked back to the sports complex.
remember- todd and his pals built it in their spare time.
which was like a week or two or some ridiculously short period of time for a big house built "in their spare time" even if every one of his buddies was a master carpenter.

Beach Rat

(273 posts)
14. An Alaskan blogger did a little digging into McKenna' contracts
Mon Sep 15, 2014, 08:55 AM
Sep 2014
In our opinion, the firing occurred as retaliation against Eric Thompson, and as a threatening warning to Korey Klingenmeyer.

Relationships in Alaska, which is an incredibly small society, can be very complex, as we learned over and over again during the previous years.

What is particularly outragous in regards to the McKenna brothers and their recent action towards Eric Thompson is the fact that their paving company made their fortune through public contracts: They got rich through the taxpayer. Even a quick online search reveals multiple public contracts for their company in Alaska, and certainly there are many more. You will see familiar names there - for example Republicans Diane Keller and Verne Rupright, in their capacity mayors of Wasilla.

http://politicalgates.blogspot.com/2014/09/marc-and-matt-mckenna-give-eric.html

They apparently think this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»What is the Palin/McKenn...