Palin relents on appointment to Senate seat
By SEAN COCKERHAM
scockerham@adn.com
Published: April 19th, 2009 10:45 PM
Last Modified: April 19th, 2009 11:50 PM
JUNEAU -- The Alaska Legislature adjourned for the year Sunday night with an end to the nasty fight between Gov. Sarah Palin and lawmakers over an open state Senate seat. Palin ended the long stalemate by giving the Senate Democrats the appointee they wanted, former Juneau mayor Dennis Egan.
"The Senate Democrats, the administration and the Juneau Democrats needed a conclusion -- closure -- to this issue. It made sense to put in Dennis Egan," Palin said.
Her move provided a conciliatory ending to a legislative session in which Palin and legislators of both parties were often at one another's throats.
It was also a session in which little major legislation was passed. The biggest issue was the federal economic stimulus money -- and that fight between Palin and the Legislature remains unresolved as legislators head home.
The Legislature voted overwhelmingly to accept all of the $930.7 million in federal economic stimulus money the state can get. But Palin has resisted accepting nearly a third of the money and would not rule out vetoes on Sunday.
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