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Murkowski team in 'homework mode' Governor-elect names Renkes as AG, Clark as chief of staff and Frasca as budget director; transition team includes Noah, Shively, Weeks, Carlson Steve Sutherlin PNA Managing Editor
Alaska governor-elect Sen. Frank Murkowski has named Greg Renkes as his attorney general, Jim Clark as chief of staff, and Cheryl Frasca as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
“I believe the people of Alaska will be well served in the coming years by these appointees,” Murkowski said at a Nov. 20 press conference in Anchorage.
Clark, a Juneau attorney, is also heading up Murkowski’s transition team, which will prepare the new administration to assume office on Dec. 2.
Renkes served on Murkowski’s Washington, D.C., Senate staff for 12 years and headed up a public policy consulting firm that specialized in energy, natural resources, public works, environment and transportation and trade issues.
“(Renkes is) prepared and committed to protect the sovereign interests of Alaska,” Murkowski said. “He has the knowledge, and experience needed to address the regulatory and legal issues that currently hinder resource development in Alaska.”
Frasca is budget director for the Municipality of Anchorage. She was deputy chief of staff to Gov. Walter J. Hickel from 1993-1994.
“Cheryl has shown a great capacity to organize and effectively lead state budget writers. She will be a key player in finding solutions to the state’s fiscal problems,” Murkowski said.
Murkowski appointed former state Rep. Bill Hudson and Andy Warwick to head labor contract negotiations for the state’s employees’ unions. Labor contracts expire mid-year 2003 and new contracts must be in place by March 22 for legislative review.
Transition team named Murkowski also named members of his transition advisory teams, six to 25 people for each state department, and regional advisory teams charged with organizing and reporting back on a series of public advisory meetings to be held in communities across the state.
Harry Noah, commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources under the Hickel administration, was appointed to head the transition team for DNR, and Ernesta Ballard, former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was named the head the team for the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The DNR team includes Steve Borell, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association; Judy Brady, executive director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association and former commissioner of DNR; Jim Carter, former economic development director of the Department of Community and Economic Development; Mike Dalton; Jackie DuRette, former president of Alaska Women in timber; Becky Gay, former executive director of the Resource Development Council; Richard Glenn, vice president of lands for Arctic Slope Regional Corp.; Owen Graham, executive director of the Alaska Forest Association; Mike Heatwole, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.; Larry Houle, general manager of the Alaska Support Industry Alliance; Tom Irwin, president of the Alaska Council of Producers; Wilma Leslie; Joe Marushack, vice president, ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc.; Tad Owens, executive director of the Resource Development Council; Larry Semmens, director of finance for the city of Kenai; John Shively, former commissioner of DNR under Gov. Tony Knowles; Rick Solie; Ken Thompson, former ARCO Alaska Inc. president, and co-chairman of the Governor’s Alaska Highway Natural Gas Policy Council; Jim Weeks, president and CEO of independents Winstar Petroleum LLC and UltraStar Exploration LLC; and Orie Williams, president and CEO of Doyon Ltd.
Among The 22-person DEC team are Gary Carlson, senior vice president for Alaska of Forest Oil Corp.; Marilyn Crockett, deputy director of AOGA; Joe Hegna, director of regulatory affairs for ConocoPhillips; Mark Schindler, president of Lynx Enterprises; and Bob Stinson, president of Conam Corp.
Former state Sen. Sean Parnell, former lawmakers Steve Frank, Mark Hanley and Eldon Mulder and former OMB director Jay Hogan were named to assist Frasca during the transition at OMB.
In addition to having due diligence meetings with the staff of Gov. Tony Knowles, the transition teams will hear from each of the regional advisory teams. The teams are in “homework mode,” Jim Clark said, to prepare to “hit the ground running” after Murkowski’s swearing in Dec. 2.
Committed to oil and gas Jim Weeks, president and CEO of Alaskan-owned independents Winstar Petroleum LLC and UltraStar Exploration LLC, and former senior vice president of ARCO Alaska Inc., told PNA Nov. 20 that he thinks Murkowski “really is committed to … turning the decline around and actually increasing Alaska’s oil and gas production.”
“It is evident in his appointments … includes little guys like us, people from RDC and the Alaska Support Industry Alliance who represent a broad spectrum of industry … qualified people like John Shively, who served as commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources for six years under Democrat Tony Knowles, representatives from major ConocoPhillips, Harry Noah who served as resource commissioner under Independent Gov. Wally Hickel, and Ken Thompson who was head of Knowles’ gas policy council.
“He appointed a good cross section of people who seem like they are going to start to do what Frank said he was going to do when he became governor in his campaign.”
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