A June 4 report by the Alaska Public Offices Commission staff recommends an anti-Pebble syndicate led by McKinley Capital Management CEO Bob Gillam be levied the maximum civil penalties for multiple violations of Alaska campaign law. The staff report also recommends that the case be turned over to the Alaska Attorney General for a criminal investigation into the group’s activities during its campaign in support of Ballot Measure 4 during Alaska’s August 2008 primary election.
The APOC investigation stemmed from a complaint filed in March by the Pebble Partnership and the Resource Development Council for Alaska. The complaint alleged the Renewable Resources Coalition, Alaskans for Clean Water, Americans for Job Security and Gillam violated campaign finance law in an attempt to conceal about $2 million in contributions from Gillam in support of Ballot Measure 4.
In addition to confirming 17 of the 18 campaign violations alleged in the Pebble complaint, the APOC staff found several additional campaign law violations by the key players of the anti-Pebble group.
The APOC staff dubbed these key players – Art Hackney, Richard Jameson, Michael Dubke and Bob Gillam – “the Gillam Group.”
Gillam, who owns a wilderness home about 15 miles away from the proposed Pebble mine site, has pursued several different avenues to prevent the development of Pebble.
“Gillam … was the main proponent of the effort and was by far its largest financial backer. Day-to-day execution of the effort was left to Hackney, who directed the expenditure of millions of dollars in print and broadcast advertisements in favor of Ballot Measure 4. Dubke was a media and political consultant who worked on advertising, messaging, and the get-out-the-vote effort for the ballot initiative. Dubke also was instrumental in attempting to veil the fact that the entire effort was being funded by Gillam. Jameson, as president of the coalition, placed his organization largely at the service of the ballot campaign working in conjunction with the others. Together, these four individuals operated as a de facto “group” organized to influence the outcome of an election,” the APOC staff wrote in their report.
According to the report the Gillam Group set up and used its various organizations “in an attempt to appear to comply with (campaign finance) rules.” The staff said the syndicate acted as a campaign group and should have registered with APOC.
The investigation also revealed that Gillam contributed 89 percent, or US$2.6 million, of the US$2.9 million raised to promote Ballot Measure 4. In turn, Gillam syndicate members Hackney and Dubke controlled 91 percent, or nearly US$2.7 million of the funds spent on the anti-Pebble initiative.
According to APOC Executive Director Holly Hill, the Commission has turned the Pebble case over to the Alaska Department of Administration.
Chief Administrative Law Judge Terry Thurbon told Mining News that hearings originally scheduled for June 15 – 17 have been postponed due to “the addition of some new complaints that are being consolidated in this matter.”
