AKPIRG seeks investigation into Stevens’ shift to ConocoPhillips

Former legislator Ben Stevens’ move from chief of staff to Gov. Mike Dunleavy to an executive post with ConocoPhillips Alaska has the Alaska Public Interest Research Group seeking an investigation into the matter.

Veri di Suvero, executive director of AKPIRG, said on Tuesday, March 9, that AKPIRG has asked the Alaska Attorney General’s office to investigate actions surrounding Stevens’ department from his state post to be vice president of external affairs and transportation with ConocoPhillips.

The state knowingly failed to follow protocols set in law governing when certain public officials choose to leave state employment, di Suvero said. “This violation of the public trust, and the way they ignored laws and waved away their responsibility to those laws, threatens the public’s confidence and trust in how conflicts of interests and ethics laws are handled and abused in the Dunleavy/Meyer administration.”

The Alaska Attorney General’s office responded to a query from The Cordova Times via email, saying that their understanding is that Stevens “will have a variety of responsibilities in his new job, and those responsibilities do not include working for ConocoPhillips as a lobbyist.”

Assistant Attorney General Maria Bahr said this would be in compliance with the Alaska Executive Branch one-year limitation on serving as a state lobbyist, in accordance with state statutes.

Bahr said her further understanding is that Stevens will not be working on any matters in which he participated personally and substantially through the exercise of official action while serving as chief of staff, as that restriction is set out in state ethics statues.

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“Stevens is fully aware of his responsibilities under the Ethics Act and has been working with the Department of Law to ensure an ethical transition to his new role,” Bahr said. “In the future if a question arises regarding the need for a waiver the governor and the attorney general will consider it at that time, and that will be a public document.”

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