"Palin's Small Alaska Town Secured Big Federal Funds" (CREW 9-2-2008)

[bobthedrummer]

Some members might like to follow the many leads in this CREW post about Gov. Palin's efforts for her wee village way up North.

http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/33927

[ColbertWatcher]

1. Nice find! n/t

[Matariki]

2. Definitely some questions to look into. Like, who got the contracts for all these projects?

Was there a bidding process, etc?

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There was $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project -- all intended to benefit Palin's town, Wasilla, located about 45 miles north of Anchorage.

Palin and the Wasilla City Council increased Silver's fee from $24,000 to $36,000 a year by 2001, Senate records show.

Soon after, the city benefited from additional earmarks: $500,000 for a mental health center, $500,000 for the purchase of federal land and $450,000 to rehabilitate an agricultural processing facility. Then there was the $15 million rail project, intended to connect Wasilla with the town of Girdwood, where Stevens has a house.

[bobthedrummer]

3. Kick